Spring Break Fun

Over spring break we were able to set up a little mini-trip to the Inner Harbor in Baltimore so that we could take the kids to the Aquarium.  It also worked out perfectly that we were able to time our trip with good friends of ours who often make blog appearances.  We were really excited as we haven't done something like this in awhile. 

 

We timed our trip almost perfectly so that we could meet at the rest stop in Delaware and follow each other the rest of the way to the zoo in Baltimore.  Thanks to technology and a traffic-free ride, our kids were really good in the car and were really happy to see their friends.  However, this picture came very shortly after Kailey broke a piece of jewelry in the rest stop gift store that was thankfully was written off as "damaged goods". 

 



 

Chris and I really made a big mistake as we forgot an essential item for a place that requires a lot of walking...the umbrella strollers.  Generally, they are really good about walking, however, Colin doesn't have the same stamina as other kids his age and often tires a bit more easily.  

 We knew we didn't have much of a choice so we were just going to "wing it".  It wasn't as bad as we expected however, Kailey was wearing newer shoes and got a pretty big blister while walking around.  I felt guilty after I told her several times (after she was clearly limping) that she needed to walk when she kept asking for "up".  We did have to alternate carrying the kids but for the most part, we made it. 

Kailey really enjoyed the animals but Colin has a legitimate fear with animals and even though they were behind fences and blocked from him, he still was very nervous and often wouldn't go to close (he stayed AWAY from the giraffes and elephants.  I guess they were just too big for him). 

After the zoo, we hung out in our room while the kids happily ran around playing.  It's really, really, really nice that our kids get along with each other so well.  My kids especially liked the novelty of going over to their "friend's room" to play.  We were right next to the Orioles stadium, so it was about a 10 minute walk down to the inner harbor where we got dinner.  Considering we were rolling with 5 kids, they were really good and dinner was exceptionally yummy.  Colin even tried Chris' shrimp and ate a lot of his pasta dish!

 With MUCH THANKS to our friend Jorie, she was able to get a lot of great pictures of the trip.  I especially love this one as it caught a cute moment between Zach and Colin. 

 After dinner, the plan was to tire the kids out and let them run around to ease the transition to bed that night.  We have had some past "not so good" experiences with sleeping in the hotel room with the kids, but after a busy day and an active evening, we really didn't have any troubles at all. 

 When I look at the next picture I have to laugh...it is by far one of my favorite pics from the whole trip. 

The next day, after an early breakfast, we braved the pouring rain and made it down to the Aquarium. 



Overall, this was a much better experience for Colin because I think he felt more comfortable with the animals being more "contained" than they were at the zoo. 



He was much more interested in checking out the different tanks and even talking about the things he saw inside. 

After lunch together, it was time for us to head back home but we had so much fun on our little mini-vacation.  We are so grateful that the kids have such great "lifelong" friends in Liam, Kaia and Quinn.  When I look at some of these pictures, I can't get over how much they look like mini-adults! 

Thanks guys for a super fun time together!  We love you!