Everything is Better in Virginia!

No birthday could be complete without a special trip to Virginia to visit Granny B and Grandpa! 

Samuel was such a great traveler for us!!!!  I was so proud of how far we have come in the past two years when it comes to traveling!  I credit this solely to both Samuel getting older and the wonderful DVD player!  Listening to Baby Einstein on repeat has never been so good!!!

But we arrived in Virginian in one piece!  No tears!  All smiles!

Samuel made himself right at home at Granny and Grandpa's house!  First stop the piano!  He remembered exactly where it was, how to open it, and all the lovely sounds it makes!!!

Grandpa and Granny have the best toys!!!  Even if it's the same exact toys we have in Maryland, some how they are even better in Virginia! 

 Here is Samuel playing with his MegaBloks! He spent tons of time stacking them, lining them up, putting them on the chair, putting them back in the wagon.   We have them in Maryland and he rarely plays with them...in Virginia they were his absolute favorite!

And how cute is that outfit??? Thanks Aunt Mandy and Uncle Ricky!

Samuel boycotted his high chair about three months ago in Maryland.  Booster seat only!  In Virginia, he couldn't get enough of his high chair!  Here's Samuel enjoying his birthday dinner!!!  His favorite part was the corn on the cob!  He probably ate a dozen while we were in Virginia!



The Raines Family ready to head to church!

All smiles as we head to church...too bad it was all screams and tears once we got there! Thankfully, Eric volunteered to hang out in the nursery with him!

After church, more corn on the cob!

A little TV watching on a lazy Sunday afternoon!

We are dog people...but Granny B and Grandpa have the best of both worlds! Dogs and Cats!  Samuel was fascinated by the cats!!!  This cat is Scrappy.  He was rescued by my family, and lives quite the cushy life in Virginia. He is sooooooo sweet and was so tolerant of Samuel!  Samuel pulled his tail, pulled his ears, sat on him, pet him just a bit too hard, and the cat just loved it!  And Samuel loved him!

Samuel's other favorite activity in Virginia was hanging out in the clothes basket!!!  If there were clean clothes in it...even better!!!!!!

Watching TV from the clothes basket!

This one is my favorite!

Clean clothes!  Not any more!  Poor Granny had to do extra laundry!

Granny B made a birthday cake for Samuel's birthday!  He LOVED it!!!!

Forget using a fork...cramming it in your mouth is so much easier!

The hardest part of the week was that Eric had to return to Maryland for work.  Samuel and I stayed behind and enjoyed a week of Granny B and Grandpa.  We missed Eric terribly!  But, Granny B and Grandpa were big helps!!! It was a nice break for me, and great for Samuel...but we did miss Eric A LOT!

Here's Samuel getting ready to go to North Carolina to visit Aunt Chris and Uncle Isaac!  We had a sleepover!  He's helping Granny with her soda!

We had a great week in Virginia!  Samuel became much more comfortable with his grandparents...and loved so many things about being there: the creek, the big yard, the cats, the food, the DVR (I have no idea how to DVR anything, Samuel somehow was able to record Dora and Bubble Guppies! My dad came back from New York after visiting his family and asked how I had recorded the shows, I hadn't...it was all Samuel!!!)

  Eric and I had a great time too...we went on TWO dates!  I was able to catch up with one of my friends from high school too!  However, my biggest accomplishment was that I learned to sew!!!!!!!!!!  I cannot even sew on a button to a shirt...but somehow I learned to quilt!!!  It's amazing!!!  It isn't a fancy quilt...just a basic Christmas quilt.  I just adore it!!!  Can I put a button on a shirt now??? Probably not...but I'm ready to start my 2nd quilt!!

The other accomplishment of the week (which is even more shocking than the quilting) Samuel slept like a champ!!!  The first few nights were rough, by the end of the week...sleeping through the night!!!  A-MAZ-ING!!!!!!!