White Coat Ceremony!

It's official! He's on his way to being a doctor!
Justin has his white coat! Woohoo! Seeing him put it on on stage with help from one of the doctors on the EVMS staff what so neat! It was also wonderful to hear them reciting the Hippocratic oath. It was touching and exciting to see him in it and feel like we are on our way. Mom Peterson kept commenting on her little baby up there becoming a doctor and pursuing his dream and it struck me how far she's seen him come. She's an amazing mom and has done a wonderful job raising a great boy and a great family. Justin and his mom are so alike, it's almost stunning sometimes - like the fact that on the 4th of July they were in completely different spots, seeing different things, but both thinking how the fireworks reminded them of the bombs and explosions happening when the star-spangled banner was being written and how amazing that song is. Anyway, Justin is a bit of a mama's boy and it was fun to see them together on this special day! I'm so glad both of our parents were able to be there! Thanks Moms and Dads! We love you!

Virginia Beach

We have fallen in love with Virginia Beach. It is a very popular spot and there are always lots of people there, but it is still a lot of fun and I really enjoy the atmosphere. In the evenings there are street performers and music playing everywhere. The water is really nice and we saw a dolphin jump out of a wave the other day. It was pretty fantastic. Braden doesn't love the water yet (it's still a little too scary to him with the waves) but he loves the sand - plays in it, eats it and gets it everywhere!

So, to explain the big eyes from Justin and his dad...nevermind, it's not worth explaining. Just know that they both have their moments of syncronized weirdness. (which is a little scary! :) )

Cape Henry Lighthouse

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The Cape Henry Lighthouse looked really cool, but unfortunately closed right as we got there. But although our plans didn't work out it was definitely not a wasted trip because we saw dolphins! It was my first time ever seeing them and it was so fun! They were out there playing and having a great time. It was really cool. No pictures though, sorry.

The lighthouse on the right is the old one, and the one on the left is the one they use today.

Me and dad and Braden enjoying the view of the ocean

Horshoe crabs washed up on shore

Williamsburg

We visited Colonial Williamsburg with our parents. It was hot and so humid, but luckily they put air conditioning in the buildings when they rebuilt them! It was fun to go back there again and see the many things that happened to form our nation. Fifes and drums playing

Me and Dad Peterson stuck in the stocks

Courthouse

Chapel

Portsmouth and Norfolk

We did some sight-seeing while our parents were here and we started out by seeing Portsmouth (where we live) and Norfolk (where the school is). They are right across the water from each other. The water between them is called the Elizabeth River, which is a big inlet from the Chesapeake Bay/Atlantic Ocean. So they have a network of bridges and tunnels (the tunnels go down underneath the water so that boats and big ships and barges can pass over top, which is a little freak/cool) going to and from Norfolk, but the traffic around here is horrific (probably just as bad as Seattle, which is saying something!) so everyday Justin opts to ride his bike to this passenger ferry and go across the water. It is quicker, way more fun than sitting in traffic, gives him a little exercise and a chance to study on the ferry, etc. How cool is that? I love this passenger ferry. The paddles on the back are just for looks, but it is still pretty cool to me.

This is the view from Portsmouth looking at Norfolk

Portsmouth has a sister-city in England, so they decided to put up an English Telephone booth. For some reason it just seemed like we should kiss in it. I don't know why.

There are tons of big old churches around here that were built in the last two or three centuries, and my Mom loves old churches, so we went and toured a few. This is the Trinity church in Portsmouth.

Everywhere you go in Norfolk you see these mermaids, decorated randomly, in this same pose. We finally found out that they are the city pride symbol around here. Kind of the mascot of the campaign to take pride in your community and build a better future. I like them a lot.

The USS Wisconsin is permanently parked here in Norfolk (there is a ton of naval stuff around the area). It is an old battleship that was used in the world wars and other wars.

Me, trying to pose with the mermaid. It's actually a lot harder than it looks, and I'm sure everyone who happened to see me struggling to balance like that thought I was absolutely ridiculous! :)

Braden loves his new home sweet home!

A tallship that does cruises. I would love to go on it someday!

Another random mermaid

The move...

Here we are crying (well, I guess that was just me) and saying goodbye heading out on our way east.

One of the interesting things in Wyoming...well, pretty much the only interesting thing in Wyoming.We stopped at this cute little town in Nebraska called Gothamsburg. It was a very quaint little place and also happened to be the first Pony Express station, which was kind of cool. While we were walking around the park by the pony express station the bells in the church started to chime out the hour, but then instead of stopping like I thought they would the church bells continued to play short hymns and songs for the next 5-10 minutes. It was so cool! This might seems like a strange connection, but it really reminded me of the mouse on the cartoon Robin Hood pulling down on the rope to ring the church bells. I love that movie. We also stopped at Liberty Jail in Ohio. I'm really glad we stopped there. It was such a neat experience and the spirit was so strong there. I highly recommend visiting there if you get the chance.
While we were gone...

Braden got to visit his Great Grandma Monson! YAY!

Another Family Reunion

After leaving Washington, we came down and spent a few days in Utah for the Monson family reunion. We had a great time and it was so fun to be all together! Andrew and Katie just keep getting older and growing up so fast I can't believe it! Andrew started first grade this year! Here are a few pictures of our fun times together:

The whole fam!

This one above is actually from my parents house, but I just thought it was so cute! He loves that little swing my mom put up for him.

We decided to do a little family history lesson and went to see some of the graves around the area. We started out with my Grandpa's grave in Preston, ID and it was fun to tell stories and relive some memories of him.

Lunch in the cemetery telling stories

On another day we all went to Lagoon! It was Justin's first time and I hadn't been there in years so we had a blast! Justin and I both love the intense rides and my mom was more than happy to not go on those and stay with Braden (she was so sweet, thanks mom!) So Justin and I took every opportunity to get our adrenaline pumping! It was a blast!
We all got our rear-ends soaked on the water rides.

Some quality Grandpa time!

Katie and Andrew enjoying the kids rides!

And fun with Grandma (even though this ride ended up being a little too scary for Andrew, Katie and Grandma!)

Thanks for a great reunion everyone! We love you!