Baltimore

Somehow it's already been a few weeks since we went to Baltimore for the weekend (May 14-16) to re-live the glory days of Summer 2008 when we lived up there while Austin interned for Hopkins. Fortunately we didn't have to re-live the mouse infestation and some of the other more painful parts of that summer. And we got to stay with our good friends Dona and Matt and their three girls, who lived here in NC until a few years ago when they moved (several times) and now they live inside the belt-line on the northern side of the city.

We drove up Thursday, and the kids were remarkably good in the car (meaning Rippy wasn't a total disaster). Which gives me some hope for the longer solo road trip to PA and NY at the end of July. Friday we went on a little hike (meaning a walk through the woods).

Then we went to a nature center and in the afternoon we had grand plans of everyone taking naps. Guess how many kids actually took naps? At best 2 of 5, maybe really 1 of 5. The reason naps were important was because that night we went to the Orioles game and we were hoping to stay for the entire game plus fireworks.

Pre-game:

For us, there are few places nicer than Camden Yards on a summer night.

Unfortunately, a thunderstorm popped up exactly at game time and they cleared they stands. Austin's candy stash came in handy for the hour-long delay.

With the even later start, we didn't have a hope for making it with the kids for the full game. But we sure did have some fun in the meantime. Ainsleigh and Eliana were a riot dancing to all the music. I'm not sure how they didn't make the jumbo-tron. They were very funny. Also the Dads were in charge of game food, which resulted in chocolate doughnuts with chocolate icing with sprinkles. Yeah so icing melts at some temperature less than what it was outside that night. The girls weren't complaining.

Before leaving we needed Rippy's picture with the 8 (his namesake's number). The girls didn't want to be left out. Dona and I took the 5 kids back on the train and Matt and Austin stayed for the rest of the game and the fireworks.

Saturday we went to the Maryland Science Center, where we walked to at least once a week when we lived there. Ainsleigh has talked about it ever since and she had a great time, and it was nice to see Rippy cruising around the place since last time he was just a little nugget.

Refining her already advanced paleontology skills:

Afterwards we had lunch right outside the museum along the Inner Harbor. Another one of our favorite places on the planet.

That night Dona was supermom and kept and put to bed 5 kids so that Austin, Matt, and I could go to another game. The boys with Austin's candy stash. We're hoping the kids have Austin's cavity-proof teeth.

Sunday we drove down to DC. We were deciding between some of the Smithsonians and the National Zoo. We opted for the latter because it was such a gorgeous day. We walked around for a few hours before heading south.

We're heading back up the weekend of June 25 for another round of O's games and Baltimore fun.

Also, if I had more time or really any desire, I would post some of the pictures from 2008 so you could do the side-by-side comparison. But I don't have either, at least definitely not the latter, so here are some links to the pictures of the kids 2 years ago. Here is Ainsleigh and here is Rippy. Wowzers. Meaning a) they were so little (Ripken was only 4 weeks old when we left) and b) I was nuts toting them around Baltimore that summer. Also, my favorite recap of our life in Baltimore is here. Ahhhh, those were the days (read--partially sarcastically, partially not...it really was a memorable experience).