Troubles & Triumphs of a Growing Family: Thanksgiving in Sandbridge, VA

This year, Aunt Carrie treated the whole family to Thanksgiving in VA! She paid for the house for all of us to stay in for a week! It was so different to be down south for the holiday. We lucked out and had AWESOME weather! Heather and Rick went with the family and we all had so much fun. It was the most relaxed vacation because we had nowhere to go and nothing too important to do. We all just hung out by the bay and enjoyed the weather and the company. Our house was on the bay and it was amazing! It was a beautiful house with lots of space for everyone. We had a hot tub as well as full, easy access to the bay with a dock and 2 ocean kayaks.
I think everyone enjoyed taking the kayaks out to explore the bay. The boys also got into fishing while down there and spent many hours sitting on the dock with a beer and fishing pole. I think only 2 or 3 fish were caught all week though! Nana prepared Thanksgiving dinner and we all ate in the huge dining area. Of course all the girls, Andy, and Rick went Black Friday shopping. I got a lot of good deals for Christmas and thankfully Nana and Poppa brought it all home for me in their truck. Towards the end of the week we went to see the Lights on the boardwalk at Virginia Beach. It was very cool and the kids all loved it. They were able to get out of their seats in the car since we were going so so slow through the light show so they thought that was really cool! The kids all enjoyed the hot tub also, especially after jumping in the freezing cold bay! Michelle, Lilley, Carrie, Heather and I all got a pedicure at a local nail place. It was a lot of fun and a lot of laughs were had. Lilley loved her first pedicure! Next time I will have to take Brooklyn, and maybe Bristol..we'll have to see!
Uncle Andy made it his week long goal to fix his RC car that he sunk in the bay and fished out on the first night he was there. Somehow he managed to get "Black Betty" up and running again! We left the night before everyone else so that the kids would sleep in the car. So Saturday night when everyone else was going to bed around 11 o'clock we loaded the kids in the car and started home. It was the best decision we made while traveling! The kids all slept almost the whole way home, no traffic, and we were home Sunday around 9AM and had the whole day to unpack and unwind. It was a great vacation for everyone and it was good to get away for a bit.