Annapolis Pirate Adventure

All last week we kept thinking we'd take a day trip somewhere to take advantage of the beautiful fall weather. But we woke up Saturday morning and realized we didn't really know where we wanted to go. Just before giving up and playing out in the cul-de-sac, we decided on Annapolis. Ali did a quick search and found this pirate place, which we kept as a surprise for the kids.

When we got into town, we got lunch at Chick and Ruth's which makes a mean pastrami sandwich, and old fashioned egg creams and shakes and about 150 other menu items. From there, we strolled around town and found a big shady playground for the kids.

Finally, it was pirate time. I wasn't sure what to expect, but this place did a great job. After all the kids showed up, they took them outside to paint tattoos and beards and dress them up in pirate and mermaid gear.
And then for the rest of the adventure, they kept the kids in one group and parents in another. They told them how to be pirate-y, and got them all excited about our boat ride. On the pirate ship, all the kids sat in front and were entertained while the parents relaxed in the back and enjoyed a beautiful day on the bay. We searched for treasure, fired water cannons at Pirate Pete, and even drank some grog. It was a really fun time. And no, we had no idea it was International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Not kidding.


For dinner we went to Cantler's and had some of the best crabs I've ever had. Jake loved hammering the crabs, and even got some tips (and big crab bites) from the locals sitting next to us. Sadie tried a tiny bite, before switching to hush puppies and ketchup. We were there for almost two hours, which has to be a record with the kids. About halfway through, we switched them to strawberry cake and they were in heaven.

Great day trip!

More pics here.

Day 0 and day 1 of school year 2009-10

Before I start talking about the new school year, I first need to talk about this:


That's me and Deni in the back seat there, with Patrick and one of Smith Mountain Lake's barnstormers at the controls. For Patrick's birthday, Deni got him a flying lesson and when we showed up, it turned out the instructor had room for two more. Deni took her camera up in the plane, but I don't have those pictures so you'll have to take my word for it that it was beautiful and so much fun to see the lake from, oh, 3,000 feet?? I have no idea. My eyes were busy looking out the window at all the sights I'd seen from driving and boating around. I think Patrick may have been a little too focused to do much sightseeing, but he did a great job we only buzzed the control tower once, a la Top Gun. The best piece of advice I took away from it was, "fly it like you stole it," which is my new motto.

Yesterday the kids' school was closed to get ready for the new school year, so we went had a crazy adventure day. After we dropped Ali off, we drove up to Huntley Meadows Park for a morning hike. I've never been, but it was a great spot for exploring and running through the woods, and they also have a great boardwalk through the wetlands where you can pretend that you see all the animals they say live there. We did see the "beaver dam" they advertised, but it just looked like a ranger dropped a handful of twigs. Anyway, the kids loved it.

Here we are at a stoplight. I just held up the camera and took a quick shot since everyone was wearing sunglasses and we had MIA blasting on the system. It wasn't until we got home and I looked at the pics that I saw Jake giving me the tongue. On our way downtown, we stopped at the Maine Ave. fish market for a snack. This wasn't my best idea ever (forklifts, hobos, Sadie-sized spaces between the boats and the Potomuck), but the kids loved it. They got to touch the live crabs, and see all the giant fish. They also got to see that mackerel that Ali's always talking about (I told them this particular one wasn't "holy"). We got some oysters, shrimp, crab balls and hush puppies. Sadie didn't want any of it, but she finally tried a hush puppy and loved it. Then she thought she was getting another, but got a crab ball instead. She made a very sad face and returned the half chewed crab ball to me, and not wanting to risk repeating that experience again, she refused any more hush puppies.


We got down to the mall and ran around a bit. Here they are in front of two monuments (beat that, Sears Portraits!):



Then Sadie saw the Carousel and that was that. We got on and they picked their horses -- Sadie on the purple one, and Jake on the one with a big number "3" that I assumed they painted on to appease the NASCAR tourist lobby. I tied the little strap around Sadie's waist, and wondered, what the heck does that strap do anyway? As the vintage carousel started turning, I noticed the sign that required one adult per child. In about 30 seconds, we were spinning faster than any carousel I'd ever been on. I was feeling the G-Forces more than that plane ride, and I could see both kids tilting outward on their horses ("They're PONIES!" Sadie kept reminding me). I kept jogging back and forth between the kids, making sure they weren't about to fly off, and trying not to show any fear in my expression. I think the ride lasted 34 minutes. I was glad when it was over.
Next we went over to the American History museum to check out the transportation section, and then the kid-zone. We also did the ride simulator thing that they could probably do a better job explaining how it fits into American History, but whatever. Jake loved it, and Sadie "was a little bit scared". She reminded me tonight that she was a little bit scared. I told her we wouldn't ride it again, but she said she wanted to, except this time with Mommy, Daddy, Jake, Sadie......and Cousin Lyssa.

Ok, so the first day of school was today. It was a hectic morning here as we were running a bit behind schedule and Sadie insisted on SLOWLY finishing every.......last......bite.....of her waffle. In the meantime, I took a picture of Jake, sporting his new favorite comical expression: Here are both kids, ready for what turned out to be a great first day in their new classes!

8 hours in Baltimore

Jake was asking about Baltimore and the first description that popped into my head was "a fun version of Washington DC". Don't get me wrong, DC is a fun town with lots of character. But Baltimore is Baltimore and it has at least two things going for it: duckpin bowling and no congressional staffers.

Baltimore also has a pretty good roller derby team in the Charm City All Stars. Saturday night they soundly beat the #2 Philly Liberty Belles, 149-74. We left to get the kids home right after the opening bout in which Charm City's Female Trouble took a beating from Philly's Independence Dolls. Cousin Lyssa was with us representing Philly and we taught Jake to boo every time Lyssa cheered. It was a lot of fun and we even got to see some old friends. Here's Sadie helping Mya Bloody Valentine of the Charm City All-Stars sell tickets:


Sadie kept looking up at us to say "now Sadie roller skate". Maybe a few more years...

Before the bout, we had a ball at Port Discovery where Sadie fearlessly climbed every rope bridge she could find and Jake ruled the soccer field:

Maine recap

Maine was fun for a lot of reasons. We were excited to go up for our week-long vacation with the Bowers' and Wengles, but we also had Carolyn and Adrian's wedding so it was a nice bi-fecta. Downtown Portland was cute and happening and yet another place we could see ourselves living. The wedding great: fun, funny, short, and meaningful ceremony, and great party afterwards. Cousin Lyssa drove up from Philly in terrible traffic for something like 37 hours, so big thanks to her for watching the kids.

After the wedding, we packed up and got on a ferry to Great Diamond Island in the Casco Bay with the Bowers' (Mike, Stacey and Lily) and the Wengles (Fred and Erin). The island was the definition of relaxing. Well, relaxing with kids anyway. Fred and Erin seemed to be relaxed, and Stacey and Mike only have Lily so they trade off being relaxed. Ali and I were as relaxed as we could be with two kids who apparently plotted in advance to only nap simultaneously for 30 minutes the whole week. But they couldn't help it - it was such a beautiful spot right on the water with our own little beach and a big yard with old trees and tree swings.
We decided not to bring the port-a-crib that Sadie only fits in diagonally, and she slept in a real bed for the first time. Jake and Sadie shared a little room connected to our room that probably had the best view in the house. She did great in her big bed, although we did find her on the floor a couple of times. No crying, so she must have decided to relocate sometime during the night??

The island was pretty isolated, with only a little quickie mart and the random lobsterman on a bicycle with his catch of the day for food. The other option was to order from the mainland grocery store and have them deliver, which we took advantage of. The food came in cardboard banana shipping boxes which were the kids' toys for the whole week. Towers, mazes, art projects imaginary trains, and random games. Even if you don't live on an island, I recommend getting your food delivered in banana boxes if you have kids.


Jake loved his role as gang leader of Sadie and Lily. The two girls are both just two, and at the age where they're just starting to acknowledge and play with each other. Ali and I were both proud of how Jake looked out for the younger girls and tried to include them in his games. They had their issues of course, but overall the kids all played great together and I think next summer they'll all be able to play together even more. Fred and Erin did great too - no fights over toys!

It was so much fun. I think all of us left the island thinking, "so how many lobsters do you have to catch every day to live here full time?"
Check out more pictures here.

Off to Maine

Tomorrow morning we'll pile into the van and head north for Portland, Maine. If we can leave around 6:30, hopefully we'll arrive by 5:00. You never know with I-95 and Friday summer traffic. We'll hope for the best, and bring lots of DVDs and snacks.

We're headed up for our friends Carolyn and Adrian's wedding, and then a week-long vacation with the Wengles and Bowerss's on an island in the Casco Bay. We're so excited, but I think Jake is the most excited. There's a great book we read a lot called "The Story of Ferdinand" about a bull who just wants to smell the roses, but winds up fending off the Matadors. He lives in Spain. Well Jake has been telling his friends and teachers at school that he's going to Maine to meet Ferdinand. Maine, Spain just one consonant away, really. He's excited about Ferdinand and lobsters and catfish and the ocean and a pool and all sorts of fun things that may or may not actually be related to our vacation plans. But he's excited. Yesterday, we started to prepare him by saying that when we left on Friday, we'd need to get up early for a long drive. So this morning (Thursday), he stumbles into our room at 5:01, ready for the trip.

Sadie is excited, because Jake is. She's such a great combination of a little sister and her own strong personality. She looks up to Jake so much, and closely observes all his actions and emotions and mimics quite a bit. But she's definitely got a mind of her own.

Anyway, we're excited for the trip! Cousin Lyssa will be coming up with us for the weekend to help watch the kids during the wedding, and the kids are really looking forward to that. We've had a lot of fun with Lyssa this summer, so it'll be nice to see her again. Lyssa, we owe you big!

The island where we're staying is car-free. We'll take a ferry, and then have a golf cart to ride around in. There are only about 15 or 20 houses on the island, and one quickie mart which I think sells hot dogs, milk, beer and lobsters. We should be just fine.

By the way, tripdub readers, I've been trying to decide what to do about the Facebook vs. blog issue. I think the solution is to stick with tripdub and post links to tripdub on Facebook when I make posts, which will hopefully be more frequent.

Hope everyone's having a great summer. Stay tuned for photos of our lobster wrestling contests.

Sadie update

Sadie is now well into her second year and is developing a very different personality from Jake's. Where Jake needs to connect with his friends, Sadie is just fine working on her own projects. If Jake might be a little timid on a moonbounce, Sadie will jump right on. Jake tends to back down from confrontation in favor of reaching some agreement, and Sadie is......different. Sadie is determined and stubborn and patient and will.....get.....her........way. At two, she is our little CEO. And I love all of it. She is Daddy's Little Girl about 5 minutes a day. I can count on at least one genuine hug a day, but the rest of the time she is focused and has no time for that stuff.
But Sadie has a funny side too. She might have to work at it, but at two, she must already realize she needs a sense of humor to survive in this family. She and Jake share jokes all the time now. She does little dances to make us smile, and she'll stick out her tongue in staccato rhytyms at dinner if we're too serious for her. And she knows how to get what she wants and already plays Ali and I for our weaknesses. Most of the time, that means crying at Ali and being goofy with me.

Sadie is so stubborn we bought her a book called "Little Miss Stubborn", mostly for our own amusement. The other night she ripped it out of my hands and insisted on "reading" it. She wouldn't give it back no matter how many ways I tried to explain that she needed help with the reading business.

I love this picture of Sadie. She loves you, and she wants you to love her, but, get out of her way.

Happy Father's Day!

We had a pretty relaxing day today, after the craziness of Jake's birthday party yesterday. Actually, it wasn't that crazy. Jake was great, and seemed to have fun with his friends, and his family, and that made Ali and I really happy. Gram and Poppy came early and took the kids out Saturday morning to the Corcoran downtown so Ali and I could do our arts and crafts projects. We made a giant robot for the door, a racecar for pin the wheel on the racecar, robot cupcakes and robot costumes for a robot dance party contest.

So, if you're a regular tripdub reader, you'll of course rememeber this photo from last fall:
We had a great time with Stacey Mike and Lily at some farm thing, but this photo cracked us up because it makes Ali look like a tiny little leprechaun next to GIANT STACEY. So here's the photo-revenge shot where little leprechaun Lily gets matched up with GIANT SADIE!
Ok, not quite as dramatic, but a little chuckle, no?