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| A real-live B&O train conductor! |
Video of Fort McHenry: (Click here for video)
Even though we went to sleep around 4 this morning, we all rested very well. It must be the hotel beds. We are in an Aloft hotel and it was very loft-yish and pretty modern and neat. Anderson even had to ask how you turn the water on in the sink. Anyway, Campbell did stir this morning around 7:30 and surprisingly she went back to sleep. We all stirred around 9 and had to move fairly quickly to make it to McDonalds before they stopped serving breakfast at 10. The mention of pancakes always seems to put the kids in full speed so we were there in plenty of time.
We divided up the pancake breakfast and headed towards the B and O Railroad Museum. The only place I have heard of the B and O Railroad was on a Monopoly game but it looked neat so we thought we would give it a try. And it was well worth the stop. They had a huge roundhouse with a turntable inside. The roundhouse building was very impressive that even the kids noticed. And the turntable was so shiny that we had to tell the kids that they could walk on it-Reagan didn’t think that they could get on it.
They had lots of trains to go into, a huge train play area with lots of train tables and train legos, a model train inside and a model train outside. But the highlights were playing on the playground equipment shaped like a train, riding the real train and riding the small train. The real train ride was only 2 extra dollars to our ticket and it went a few miles down the track and then turned around. The scenery wasn’t much but they were enthralled by it all. And Reagan was all about taking her picture with the conductor as he walked by. After that, we played on the playground and the they rode the kiddie train. We buckled Campbell up as tight as we could and then crossed our fingers that she would stay seated. And she did. She just sat there and smiled and waved as she passed us.
By the end of the visit, the kids were getting hot, thirsty and tired. The weather is warm in the sun but absolutely perfect in the shade. I had to find my Christmas ornament before we left and after we found it in the gift shop, Robby splurged and the let the kids pick out a bottle of bubbles shaped like a train. Of course, he didn’t see that it was also a whistle!! A very loud whistle. They found that out as soon as they touched them and the whole museum heard us. We let them blow them again in the parking lot and then I confiscated them-I told them that “we don’t want to spill the bubbles in the nice car” which really means “Mom and Dad would like to keep their hearing intact.” Don’t worry, they will get to play with their bubble whistles when we get home….at Nonna’s and Grannymom’s houses!!
Next up, we found a grocery store on the GPS to stop by and pick our picnic food. It was about 2 blocks from the railroad place and it was closed. The next one we located was across town but still on the wrong side of the railroad tracks if you get what I mean! But it was open and Robby headed in. Campbell snoozed in the car while everyone else watched a movie. Robby had to do some power shopping-bread, mustard, cheese, turkey, cokes, milk, juice boxes, cookies, chips, ice and strawberries. Unfortunately they didn’t have an ice chest to buy so we had to look elsewhere.
We didn’t have room to pack our trusty ice chest nor did we want to pay to bring the pack n play so Campbell is just sleeping with me. It worked fine last night and she is asleep tonight so we will see how it goes for the rest of the week. We just turn off all the lights and I practically lay on top of her until she falls asleep. Back to the ice chest, Robby dropped me off at a nearby CVS and I ran in to find one. The first option I found was a huge ice chest but soon found one that would work. I didn’t think it would fit both of the gallons of milk but it actually fit those and had plenty of room to spare. And it is foldable enough to bring home and take on other trips. Those two stops took about an hour but it did give everyone time to cool off and rest a bit.
Next up was Fort McHenry. We stopped there last year and it was raining cats and dogs. They were also building a new visitor center so we wanted to see it. But first since it was 2, we needed to eat our picnic. They had a perfect spot under a big shade tree and we all gobbled down our food and the kids even ate one of the 2 container of strawberries Robby bought-which was supposed to last the whole trip-oh, well. We forgot to buy diapers anyway so will have to stop somewhere tomorrow. I probably could make it the rest of the trip without buying diapers because I shove so many in my back pack for the plane ride-trust me, I do not want to be stuck at an airport or on a plane without diapers so I bring plenty. And while I am thinking about it-if you are ever flying you need to bring Nerd candies for the kids. Seriously, I pass those things out one at a time and this keeps Campbell busy forever.
After our picnic, we went into the visitor center. Everything was super high tech and interactive so it was pretty cool. Anderson and Reagan were too into touching everything to listen to us explain things to them but Graham takes it all in-like the spy glass that Key used to look at the flag with. We talked about it and then he noticed it on a statue and later in the movie.
Robby and I really enjoyed the movie at the visitor center in the past (even though we usually don’t watch visitor center movies). It told the story and then at the end of the film, the Star Spangled Banner plays and the window curtains open and you see Old Glory still waving high above Fort McHenry. I get teary eyes every time. During the film, Reagan saw the flag flying during the battle and said “that is why it looks like that.” But today as Robby and I watched the film, we both thought wow this fancy dancy huge video screen is nice and all but were disappointed that we wouldn’t see that flag flying at the end of the film. But we were wrong, this film ended and the entire wall of screen raised and there it was-that flag waving proudly over the fort. And man, when everyone stands up-just gives me goosebumps.
Anyways, next we walked out to the fort because they were about to change the flag. I just thought it would be something to watch but the kids were able to participate. Reagan noticed that the number of stars was less when she saw the flag. The ranger lowered the flag which was pretty huge and everyone caught it and then helped fold it. The kids listened intently to the ranger and took the job very seriously. When he asked how many stars were on the flag, you can hear Graham counting “one, two, three…” Then they were able to help unfold the next flag that they were flying over the fort and watch it be raise. We explored the fort for awhile (the big 3 and Robby explored a bit last time but since it was raining pretty hard, I kept Campbell inside). We walked along the water and then back to the van. My crew was getting cranky and tired again so we needed juice boxes and a time to rest our feet in the car.
Oh, here is some flag trivia but we didn’t really know what “spangled” meant. I just though it meant sparkly or shiny-I was wrong. Spangled means (or at least meant during Francis Scott Key’s day) that the stars were all positioned at different angles so it looked like they were waving.
We then headed to the Inner Harbor and drove around for awhile before finally parking. We actually drove around for a very, very long while-Campbell and Graham were sleeping so we let them have a decent rest. At the harbor, the first thing we saw was the dragon shaped paddle boats. The kids could tell we were thinking about it and started begging. Campbell couldn’t do it since she was only one so I had to stay with her. Which was probably a good thing, otherwise, we would have had to take 2 boats out and Robby said that I would have struggled peddling that big old boat. And I didn’t mind hanging out on the nearby bench.
We had to wake Graham up to get on the boat and when we mentioned “boat” he hopped up and was wide awake in a flash. They all had a turn to help peddle even though none of them could really reach the peddles. When Anderson came off of the boat, he said “Awesome!” It even made me a bit jealous until I saw Robby hobbling off of the boat!
We watched a performer for a bit and walked along the water and then finally headed back to eat at a Panera. The kids again ate everything we had for them and we realized why when we saw it was nearly 8.
Back in the car, we headed to the hotel. They all had showers and watched a movie before bed. Campbell spent her time putting on Robby’s socks-which she did completely by herself. And Reagan even fell asleep during the movie. Poor things. After we pottied again and brushed teeth, they all laid down and were out within a few minutes. Well, Campbell wasn’t but it didn’t take her too long to fall asleep.
Tomorrow we head to Virginia Beach-the long way across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and tunnel!
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