Next Stop: Williamsburg, Va (Busch Gardens)
We had visited Bush Gardens EXACTLY 4 years ago as a family of 6….and LOVED it!
 LOOK AT THOSE BABIES!!!! (FLASHBACK)
We had so many fond memories of being there, that we just knew it would be an awesome idea to go back and make it a part of our 2013 Road Trip! To create new memories as a family of 7!!!
BUT…..The best part….
 We got to spend this awesome part of our vaca with our most dearest friends in the world, The Woodies!!!! Can I just tell you that this family means the world to us. We seriously can;t imagine life without them
…we’ve walked our whole marriage and parenting journey together, side-by-side through all the ups and downs….supporting each other…holding each other up. Keeping one other accountable. Faithfully being there for each other, ready to drop everything or anything for one another when needed. We’ve prayed together. We’ve laughed together, cried together and spent almost EVERY New Year’s together!
I cry just trying to verbalize what they mean to us. Seriously.
 What a gift they’ve been in our lives.
So much history we’ve shared together as families…..
and here we were….. ready to make more history together! 🙂
TALK ABOUT AWESOME!!!
 
Vacation with best friends = PURE JOY and HAPPINESS!
 We had SO much fun!
We got to live right next door to each other for 5 days in the most adorable little southern cottages with front porches!
I guess you could say we lived in “dream world” for a week. Jules and I always fantasize about the wonderful-ness of living next door to each other and eating meals together, late night card games, sleep-overs….ahhhhhhh! Well, we got to experience that for a week and it was just perfect!
 Made us crave for more!
and, this was the PERFECT time of year to got to an amusement park, because it was before Schools let out (perks of homechooling, oh yeah!) and there were NO lines and the weather was awesome!
FUN TIMES WITH FRIENDS!
many special memories were made with each other!
And here are some random shots of our family adventures at Busch Gardens!
 Daddy won this penguin for Tolly!
S
 MINI Golf was a favorite!
A new pet?? 😉
 Tolly’s favorite ride: the TRAIN!!
Some daddy/Tolly bonding time!
A favorite roller coaster that makes you feel like you could DIE!!!!
Waiting for siblings and daddy to ride coasters!
 Picking out arcade prizes!
BIRD House fun!
SO MUCH fun, and SO many memories were created….
But, because we were there 4 years ago….(with one less of us)…so many memories were re-created as a family of 7!!
2009
2013
2009
 
And, I LOVE this bird house pic gallery comparing from 4 years ago!!!
 Time just goes way too fast….(sigh)
And I will end this post on a really awesome little girl’s story about a prayer that was answered in a REALLY HUGE way!!!
So, my Helaina has a fond love (ahem….obsession) for all creatures big and small (she gets this from her momma). So, it’s no surprise that we ended up at the Pet show!
Which, was SO much fun! These cats, dogs and birds really know their stuff! So entertaining!
Well, after seeing the show…She had seen that they ask for one “volunteer” each show to help on stage (picked from the audience ahead of time) and they give a special stuffed animal bird souvenir as a prize for being on stage as the helper!
Well after seeing the show, my Helaina prayed and prayed to be THAT Person! She begged us to take her back to the show at the end of the week so she could have the slim chance to be chosen to go on stage!
Bella and I agreed to take her while the boys and daddy went off to play on other rides!
But we had to explain to Helaina that its quite possible that she won’t get chosen, and not to get her hopes up too much!
Well, just after we sat down, she prayed one last time that God would choose her! And…..
Would you believe that they chose HER!!!! So, they got to sit in the “reserved section” up front!
How cool is that!??!!!
I told her that God ALWAYS hears our prayers, but sometimes he says “no”. We can trust His answers are for the best.
But, Sometimes….just sometimes He will surprise us with a “YES” and give us EXACTLY what we prayed for just to remind us that HE does hear us, and He does care about the things we care about and that He desires to bless us, surprise us and see us smile!
And, SHE SUREÂ WAS SMILING!!!! SUCH A SPECIAL DAY!
 A beautiful reminder of the power of prayer!
A Perfect way to end our stay at Busch Gardens!
And, for our Final Stop on our Road Trip……
 We didn’t have to go far to see this awesome sight!! Another place that we also visited 4 years ago…..
Lots of “then and Now” pics to share!! So fun!!!!
But I will save that for my next blog post….stay tuned for “part 4” of the BEST ROAD TRIP EVER!
Love the before and after pictures. Looks like an amazing trip!
Oh! I am quite jealous of your experience. It seems so much fun. And it looks like the kids are really having a great time.
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