Longwood Gardens

While I took a 2 week break from blogging, life was still putting along. I had a bad back that made sitting at the computer particularly painful, so a bloggy vacation was had!

My parents also visited for Andrew's spring break. We had big plans, but the weather didn't cooperate. The last day of their visit, we did manage to trek down to Longwood Gardens. This is a park that I have heard about, but never visited due to the distance.

Let's just say...I bought a season's pass.

-sigh- I have a problem with doing that. Anyhoo, Jeff wasn't with us, and the trees weren't green yet, and the fountains weren't turned on, and supposedly at Christmas time everything is magical and decked out in lights and...I got a season's pass.

In photos:

We barely even made it through a fraction of the place...and spent much of the time imagining how beautiful it will be later in the spring, onto summer, and then fall...
We learned the word "topiary"

Michael had a BLAST running free through the huge lawns.

We had to take a snack break 30 seconds upon entering the park. Seriously. Eat. Breakfast. It will make all the difference in your day. Drive 90 minutes and THEN ask for food. Drive me crazy.

Lily posing in front of the lilies. I just can't decide which is more beautiful.

Inside the conservatory.

There is a children's garden inside the conservatory. Fountains upon fountains to play in. Michael was in hog heaven. I will bring extra clothes next time.

Andrew enjoyed being allowed to wander a bit through the children's garden. Here he is hugging some bamboo down below me. His comment, "I didn't know you could grow bamboo!" Hmmm, perhaps we need to venture away from the zoology lessons and delve into some botany.

Seriously. Fountains everywhere. This was a little stream running along the handicap ramp, full of little statues of animals. Heaven.

Once we dragged the kids out of the conservatory dripping and kicking, we started to explore the rest of the gardens. We didn't see everything, but we did make it to 2 out of 3 tree houses.

Again, imagine how magical it would be if the trees actually had leaves on them!

Inside the "Birdhouse" tree house.

This treehouse is wheelchair accessible. Which also means stroller accessible. HEAVEN!

Andrew in a strange bee chair up in the tree house. Apparently at the end of April they add one of those plexi-glass bee hives inside the tree house so you can watch the bees build their hive. We'll just have to go back!

Andrew grabbed the camera and took a few shots:

Me in a field of blue flowers that you can't even really see in this shot.

My mom and I in front of the duPont family home on the property. We didn't go inside, but Andrew wanted a picture of it.

We putzed out pretty quickly. Here are some shots of us sitting on benches trying to drum up some energy to walk around some more. Andrew had done really really well, but it turns out that he was done for the day. It stinks to be the oldest and not have a stroller to rest in like the littles. Of course, even if he was an only child, I don't think I'd be pushing around his 53 pound behind. :)

Dork.

Beautiful place! I can't wait to see it in summer, fall, and winter!