Storming the Palace

In the depths of winter after an orchestra rehearsal, my friend Michelle and I began dreaming of hot summer days...and thus, our trip to Colonial Williamsburg was born!  

We talked about how much we had loved going there as kids, seeing history made real, and decided we should try and make it happen. The deal was sealed when we found out we could even stay with Michelle's amazing Aunt Janet, who lives in Williamsburg (without whom our trip would not have been possible!).  That, and I found out that Jesse had been dreaming of going to Williamsburg ever since he saw it on Reading Rainbow as a kid, so we decided we had to find a way to get there! 

We planned all summer (how many days should we stay? what will the little boys like to see?) and finally, last week, it was time to go!

It's a pretty long trip down (especially if you want to save $50 and skip the shorter toll route) but Nikolai was a trooper. He slept in the car, and loved getting to see his friend Hyrum when we stopped to stretch our legs!

After a stop overnight in Leesburg (to stay with Michelle's parents and break the drive up into 2 days) we finally arrived!

The first thing we did was head straight to the palace green, where we encountered a group of colonists upset that the governor had removed their gunpowder from the magazine. They discussed their options, frequently engaging the gathered crowd as they decided what to do. Before long, an impromptu militia showed up and wanted to storm the palace, but thankfully, cooler heads prevailed and a conflict was averted ;)

We saw lots of amazing craftswomen and men while we were there--the first of which was the barrel maker:

Nikolai liked riding the shuttle bus to and from the parking lot to the colonial attractions. I loved this little duck face he made:

A really awesome perk of traveling with friends was that when we wanted to go see something that wasn't kid friendly (in this case, touring the Governor's Palace, which was long and boring for toddlers), we just switched off watching the boys outside while others went in and did the tour. It was SO much easier than trying to keep our excitable 2 year old from touching antique furniture, and the boys really enjoyed running around in the gardens behind the palace. 

Some photos from the gardens!

The gorgeous courtyard:

Wandering garden paths:

Nikolai practicing smiling on cue:

A picture of both of us, on the first try!

Nikolai was counting flowers:

More smiling on cue:

I would like this garden in my backyard, please:

The boys loved chasing each other in this maze:

Also, can I have this little hidden pathway please-and-thank-you?

Later, inside the governor's palace:

The entryway (so many swords and guns on the walls because power!):

There were tons of lovely bedrooms and things, but the things I wanted most were this gorgeous harpsichord (piano?) and that carpet (that carpet!!):

And you guys, this was just the first day and a half! There will be several more posts documenting the rest of our awesome stay coming in the next few days :D