Baltimore Aquarium

Last Thursday we continued our vacation week with a trip to the Baltimore Aquarium.  This was the boys' first time there and they really seemed to enjoy it.  We spent about 4 hours there looking at many different aquatic animals and having lunch.  Both boys said their favorite animal was the shark.  They also really enjoyed the stingrays and the dolphins.
 
Here is a link to more pictures from our day: Baltimore Aquarium

Hershey Park

Tuesday morning we continued our vacation with a trip to Hershey Park about 30 minutes from Dutch Wonderland.  The weather was still nice (low 80s) and we had another long and fun day!  We arrived around 10:30am and stayed until about 9:30pm.  Kyle was thrilled because he just barely made it to the next height level so he was able to ride some new roller coasters including the Wild Cat, Wild Mouse, and Lightning Racer.  He also rode some old favorites from last year like the Comet and the Super Dooper Looper.  He also tried out a water ride that he was tall enough for this year called Tidal Force.  He got quite a bit more wet than he was expecting.  Jason went on with him and they were SOAKED.  It took them a couple hours to dry off.  Max also tried standing in the observation splash zone and got soaked as well.  He said he wanted to get wet and cried when the first boat came down and he didn't.  However, the next boat down he got soaked and cried again.  He did however enjoy watching other people get wet and said it's one of his favorite rides even though he didn't even ride it. :)  Max also just barely made the next height level and was able to try a new roller coaster this year called the Comet.  He enjoyed it but once was enough for him.  He also rode the Trailblazer several times.  This is a roller coaster that is more his speed.  He also still enjoys all the kiddie rides and rode them many, many times while Jason and I took turns riding coasters with Kyle.  We also visited the Hershey Chocolate Factory and rode the chocolate tour ride twice.  We drove straight home that night and arrived home around midnight.  Max slept the last half of the ride and Kyle finally fell asleep about 20 minutes from home.  Thankfully they both slept in till almost 9 the next morning so we all got a fairly good night sleep.    Here are more pictures from our trip:  Hershey Park.

Dutch Wonderland

We started our vacation week last Monday with a trip to Dutch Wonderland.  We went last year and the boys had such a great time that they asked to go back.  Max specifically asked every night for an entire year if we could go back so we've known for quite awhile what our vacation this summer would include!  We had a great time.  Max was tall enough this year to ride the Kingdom Coaster which is the biggest thrill ride they have at this amusement park geared for the kids 12 and under.  Both boys could pretty much ride all the rides there which was nice.  Some of the favorites were the Kingdom Coaster, Log Flume, Twister, Wonder Whip, Turtle Whirl, and the train.  We also saw a diving show at the aqua theater called "A Dragon's Tale" which was quite impressive.  It's such a nice park - not too big and very family friendly.  The weather was perfect - high 70's and breezy.  It was the perfect day to go.  We arrived around 11am and stayed until it closed at 8:30pm.  Then we stopped at Friendly's on the way to our hotel for ice cream.  It was a very long, but very fun day! Here are more pictures from our trip:  Dutch Wonderland.

Max's last day of preschool

Max had his last day of preschool last Wednesday for the year.  He still has one more year next year but he is done for the summer.  They celebrated with a Teddy Bear Picnic.  The kids sang some teddy bear songs and we had an indoor picnic.  Max really enjoyed his year, his teachers, and his friends.

Frederick Keys Baseball Game

Saturday night we took the boys to a Frederick Keys baseball game.  The game started at 6pm.  We arrived a little early and spent some time in the kids area where the boys played in the moonbounces, played games, and hit a few baseballs.  Then we got some hot dogs and dippin dots and watched some of the game.  Later we took a break to go back to the kids area for more moonbounce fun as well as a few rides on the carousel.  They also had some hula hoops for the kids to try out.  Kyle is actually quite good and Max gave it his best effort!  Finally we watched the rest of the game and some fireworks while munching on popcorn and the boys got to run the bases!  Max kept calling it a "special" night and we all had a great time.  They were thrilled that we didn't get home and into bed till 10pm - late night for them! 

Dulles Air and Space Museum

After Max's field trip we went and picked Kyle up from school and headed to VA to meet Uncle Mike at the Dulles Air and Space Museum.  The boys were super excited and we all had a great time.  We started with lunch at the McDonald's they had in the building.  Then, we looked at lots of rockets, airplanes and helicopters.  Uncle Mike treated us to a simulator ride into space.  I think this was Max's favorite part and he truly believes we went into space :).  The boys got to sit in a real airplane and pretend to fly it.  They made coins with a rocket/airplane on them.  Then we went up in a tower and watched airplanes come in to land at Dulles Airport. The boys got to choose some souvenirs on the way out as well.   It was a fun afternoon!

Max's Ridge Road Park field trip

Max's preschool class had a field trip to Ridge Road Park this morning for a "Science Day."  They played at the playground, made pine cone bird feeders, erupted a volcano, and went on a scavenger hunt.  It was a fun time and Jason and I were both able to go and spend the morning with him and his friends.