Baltimore

The final day of our summer trip was spent in Baltimore, Maryland. The last time we had been there, Sidney wasn't around yet and Regan was only 10 months old. This was a "kid-themed" day with plans to visit the Baltimore Aquarium as well as spend time at the inner harbor...turns out us adults had just as much fun as the girls!

This aquarium is like none I have ever been to before. It is more than words can explain! The center area of one of the "piers" contains many many sting rays, a few GIANT turtles and some other random "amimals". We happened to be in that pier during feeding time. What a great experience to watch the divers feed each one from their hands!

The dolphinS show (yes, there are 4 dolphins in this show) was definitely a highlight for all of us. Their ability to learn and follow commands simply amaze me...maybe I should hire a trainer to get my girls to follow directions :)

Sidney was trying to mimic the dolphins noises and movements. Man, it was so cute to see her!

A new area of the Baltimore Aquarium is "Jelly Invasion"; Ryan's favorite. A whole room dedicated to various jelly-fish. They made for some great pictures, but I won't go overboard and post all of them!

After spending FOUR hours inside the aquarium, we ventured outside to the inner harbor and climbed aboard some paddle boats. Regan simply loved it...unfortunately, Ryan had to do all the paddling and wasn't so much in love. Remember, it's HOT here! He got quite the workout in just 25 minutes around the harbor. But the girls were all smiles so it was all worth it, right Ryan?!

A meltdown later, we opted to pack up and head to the airport a bit early so we could ensure to have plenty of time for dinner. Clearly, Regan had posed enough times during our vacation. She requested I take this photo (notice her arms?!):

While I realize that having the girls read the emergency card in the seat pocket might not have been the best idea, it kept them busy for a few minutes on the plane. Until they started asking questions. It was "mom, why are they going into the ocean?", or "mom, what are these masks for?" and finally "mom, why is there a slide?...can I say weeeeee when I go down the slide?".

And after I scared the dickens out of Regan by flushing the plane toilet and Sidney attempting 3 times to go potty in the plane but refusing (that aversion to strange potties), I wished over and over that I would not have wanted her trained by 2 years old. Here we were, with a 2 1/2 year old who was scared out of her gourd to potty on the plane. Ultimately, she pottied during landing, on her seat. Lovely. There isn't a Parenting Book on how to deal with that one!