Parents In Virginia Is A Beautiful Thing

Last week we hosted our second set of visitors in our new home... my parents! I've decided that nothing beats having your parents come visit you when you live far away. Nothing. It was perfection and I never wanted them to leave. It went by way too quickly, but we had the best time! I'm going to relive the week through the lens of my iphone today, so here it goes!
My parents arrived Monday evening, which happened to be my mom's birthday! I made this lemon bundt cake because it's not every day you get to be with your mom on her birthday around these parts, and that called for a special cake. She is just the cutest. I love my mom... so full of joy. 

I took off work but unfortunately Parker had to go in most of the days they were here, so it was the three of us during the day and Parker joined us in the evening. My dad dubbed this a "foodie vacation", which I was all over, and we ate our way through Norfolk/Virginia Beach. I'm going to do a separate post on all the eats next week because we had a lot of fun planning out our meals.
We started out our mornings with a nice walk through the neighborhood. The weather was perfect the week my parents were here (I'm talking highs in the low-mid 80s), so we took advantage. I've mentioned this before, but one thing that is really fun and unique about our neighborhood are the peacocks. We have 6 peacocks that just hang out every day, and I am always so nervous they will be hiding when we have visitors. Seeing a peacock is so fun, so I was so excited when mom and I spotted one. I took her picture from a safe distance while restraining my dog from eating the darn thing.

Lunch dates with my parents at a few new local places we stumbled upon. Dad was the cameraman.

We spent most of the days shopping for the new house while Parker was at work. My dad is such a trooper and will go shopping with the girls without a second thought. I suppose that's what happens when you have a wife and four daughters. Either way, Dad you rock.

Probably the coolest part of the week was meeting Parker on base and letting my parents fly the simulator. They were excited and loved every minute of it! After showing them the C2 and letting them climb in the plane, we headed over to the simulator for a little hands on training. I loved getting to watch both of them fly, and I think it gave them an appreciation for how hard flying is. I know I could never do it!

On their last day here, we took my parents to the beach so they could stick their toes in the sand. Parker and I admittedly take living near a beach for granted. In the Navy, there is a 95% chance you're going to be stationed near the water, so we have gotten used to the beach thing. We went almost every weekend in Pensacola but we rarely ever go here. We need to get better about that. Anyway, I loved showing them the boardwalk and our little piece of the Atlantic. Mom and I wore our matching dresses, which garnered a few weird looks from the locals. Whatever, I'll match with her any day!

Dad wanted us to get his good side. He was pretty cooperative overall with my picture taking, which I appreciate. Love this dad of mine.

Mom had to get a picture with her granddog before she left! This is about as good as it gets when it comes to Jenny and smiling. She loves her Grammy though!

It was such a memorable, incredibly week. So blessed to have parents who love us so much and made the trip out to Virginia to see us. Please come back soon!