Family Visit 08/04 to 08/11

This past week, we were excited my family was able to visit us in Baltimore! They flew in (which is saying a lot since my parents haven't flown commercially in a while) and Addie I drove to the airport to meet them! We had a tremendous time just being together and did venture out to do some "Baltimore" types of things.

Addie was thrilled to be able to show them our apartment - especially her room! She is so proud of it! My Mom and Sister were busy taking pictures of everything, and Addie wanted in on the action. So, we let her take some pictures of us...she did a GREAT job! :)

On one of our days together, I took them to see Justin busy at work in the hospital.

We also ventured to the Inner Harbor one night for dinner at the Rusty Scupper! Good food but even better views!


Addie and Allison (aka: Tata) before heading to church.


We had to visit Ft. McHenry -no trip to Baltimore would be complete without that!


More than anything, we enjoyed simply spending time together and catching up. My Dad has always taken Addie outside to play, whether we were in Georgia or Maryland! We don't have a backyard anymore, but we have the next best thing...a rooftop deck. Addie loved spending time with "Gandy" on the roof!

Time passed too quickly while they were here and since they've been gone, I've thought of so many things we didn't get to do together. So....you know what that means....time for another visit! :)

Fun Day Out...7/27

Today, Addie and I had the car, so we ventured out for a little fun. I had heard of a new kids club in our area, and we had to go try it out. They just opened last week, so they are still growing, but it was the cutest set-up I have ever seen! There is a theatre (not pictured), a Whole Foods grocery store, and a diner. We had an excellent time, and we will certainly be going back!

Imitating...

As Addie approaches 3 1/2, I am amazed at how mature she is getting! We no longer have a baby in the house, we have a little girl. She has become increasingly independent. For example, she is able to get her breakfast (yogurt and a spoon) by herself as well as dress herself.. I am so proud of her! :) She is also using her imagination a LOT more! She pretends that she is a mommy, a teacher, and a doctor...wonder where she gets that from :) She also creates her own stories, and let me tell you, they are VERY imaginative! However, I have been most astonished with how good she imitates me! I often laugh when I hear her teaching or getting onto her babies/animals. She sounds EXACTLY like me...oh my! As I was putting dishes away this morning, I noticed Addie folding the laundry..she really did a great job! It reminded me once again that she watches me all the time, whether I know it or not!

This situation also brought to mind Ephesians 5:1- "Therefore be imitators of God as dear children." Do I imitate my Heavenly Father as much as my earthly child imitates me?...ouch! Praise the Lord for grace and forgiveness!

National Aquarium....July 9,2011

Justin had call from home today, so we decided to head back down to the Inner Harbor to visit the National Aquarium. We left at 8:00 this morning and were the first ones through the door! :) The exhibits were good, but not as good and interactive as the Georgia Aquarium...of course I might be a bit biased. However, since we were the first ones in, we were able to see the exhibits really well.

Behind us is the skeleton of a whale...I was amazed at how big it really was!

Loving on Daddy in the Australian exhibit.

My favorite room..the JELLY FISH!! We have a love/hate relationship, and I still bare the scars of our last encounter!

After we went through the entire aquarium, there was a play area for kids! Addie made a little friend and they put on a puppet show for us!

They also had dress-up clothes for the kids to enjoy! Addie was so cute as a crab and then as a turtle.

She then dug for some seashells with some new friends.

Being silly :)

Getting a hands on lesson about amphibians!
After the aquarium, we wanted to ride the paddleboats on the bay. At first, Addie didn't like it because we weren't going fast enough and she didn't like having to wear a vest...my little daredevil!

She quickly warmed up to it and enjoyed snuggling with Daddy.

All smiles on our way back home.

4th Of July Fun

We have had a tremendous 4th of July weekend!! It all started earlier in the week when Addie and I made some decorations for “America’s birthday”. We also made these Lemon-Blueberry Ice Cream Cupcakes..yummy!

We then treated Addie to her first ever movie theatre experience. Cars 2 was playing down the street from us, so we HAD to take her. She did very well and we will most certainly be doing this again!

On the fourth, we ventured down to the Inner Harbor for some Baltimore-style fun! We thought it would be a fun experience to ride the train into town, plus, then we wouldn’t have to find a parking space. Addie loved this adventure!! We’ll take any excuse to get on a train!


We got off at Camden Yards and made the short walk to the Inner Harbor. While we were there, we decided to grab lunch at a Baltimore staple – Phillips seafood! It was wonderful. Addie even drew a picture of the American flag while we waited!

After our lunch, we explored a bit of the harbor, including looking at the U.S.S. Constellation, the last existing Civil War era naval vessel.


We then boarded a water taxi and headed to Fort McHenry, which was where Francis Scott Key was inspired to write what is now known as the Star Spangled Banner. We were very excited to go today since they were having some reenactments, a fife and drum corps, as well as the public reading of the Declaration of Independence. We even helped” Addie fill out a Scavenger Hunt at the fort to earn her Junior Ranger badge!

We then headed back to the Inner Harbor via the Water Taxi and this was our view….

After all the fun was had, we boarded the train at Camden Yards and rode back to our home station. Addie was so exhausted, she fell asleep on the way back.

We ended the evening on our roof-top deck with our neighbors to watch the Firework shows in the neighborhoods around us as well as the big show over Chesapeake Bay! All in all, it was a fantastic Fourth!