On Sunday, we packed our vehicles in the morning and started on the drive home, but stopped in Kill Devil Hills to visit the Wright Brothers National Memorial. Located on the site of the Wright Brothers’ first controlled powered flight in Kill Devil Hills, the Wright Brothers Visitor Center features exhibits and presentations, as well as full-scale reproductions of the 1902 glider and the 1903 flying machine.
The Wright Brothers National Memorial from afar
Mio running along
Following the path up to the memorial
Mio looks like she could be in flight herself, hoisted on Daddy’s shoulder.
Approaching the towering memorial.
It’s an impressive sight to see!
Dan and Mio at the birthplace of aviation.
Dan is a bit of an aviation enthusiast these days with his drone hobby, so he enjoyed learning more about the Wright Brothers and visiting the memorial.
Hangin’ out with Wilbur.
Giving Wilbur some respite from the sun.
Full-sized statues re-enact the scene of the first flight.
Mio and I on a replica of the Wright Flyer
Dan joined us on the Wright Flyer
After visiting the memorial, we grabbed lunch and continued on our way home. The drive took much longer than we expected thanks to all the traffic of returning vacationers, but we made it back safely albeit exhausted and drained. Our time in Outer Banks was memorable, and it was a nice relaxing getaway with the family. We look forward to returning again someday!
Mio and I arrived at my parents’ home in Virginia late Saturday night. My dear friend Hanna is getting married in two weeks, and we’re in town to attend the wedding as well as to spend a couple weeks with my family and friends here beforehand. Dan stayed behind because he has to work, but he’ll be joining us for the weekend of the wedding! Mio and I survived the cross-country flight, despite her staying awake the entire time. We had to walk up and down the aisle a few times and she was definitely restless and squirmed a lot, but she was in good spirits for most of the flight, charming the other passengers and the flight attendants with her scrunchy-faced smiles and friendly behavior. (Mio kept grabbing onto the seat in front of us and peeking her head around the side to smile at the lady sitting in it… thankfully, the woman was a very understanding mother of three, and seemed tickled by her silly antics.) It was only during the last half hour of the flight when we began our descent that things really went downhill — Mio refused to drink from her sippy cup and hence started screaming and crying because her ears wouldn’t pop. I was mortified and extremely stressed out, but she kept pushing away everything I offered her to drink and eat. Thankfully, everyone around me was very understanding and sympathetic, and — probably picking up on my stress — helped me gather all my belongings and even offered to hold Mio when it came time to offboard the plane. I’m just glad that it’s over, and that I’ll have Dan to help me on the returning flight back to California.
Mio has been soaking up the love back here in Virginia. She’s loving all the attention from my parents and my siblings, and is smiling more than usual! She loves all the rooms she can explore (as my parents’ house offers much more space to roam than our little home back in California), and of course the luxury of a big backyard!
My mom pulled out a toy that my siblings and I often played with as kids for Mio to tinker with. I can’t believe she’d kept it all these years, and it was really nostalgic to see it again! I love that as parents, we oftentimes relive our childhood through our children and that we can share and pass on our most cherished memories and experiences…
Mio loves the "vintage" toy that her Mama used to play with.
Fisher Price toy fron the 80s
It's still in good shape after being banged around by four kids!
Here are some fun photos of playtime in the backyard…
Auntie Miwa playing with Mio while Obaachan looks on.
Auntie Miwa is so good with Mio!
Feeling the breeze
Mio can almost get lost in the backyard...
I missed all this greenery!
Mio is a bit of a speed demon lately… her walking is turning into a run, as she can jet across the room in only a couple seconds, especially when she is excited!
Almost a blur as she explores the house.
Mio was not happy with our attempt to get her to wear cherry blossom antennae.
