Annapolis Vacation

Despite the odds (and the odds were not in our favor, believe me!), we had a very special-- and forever memorable-- vacation with our Illinois family in Annapolis, MD in the middle of July.  With all the craziness of putting our house on the market, we were in need of a vacation!  We rented a beautiful house right on the Severn River, just minutes from downtown Annapolis and a short drive to both Baltimore and Washington, DC.  Joergen had an inexplicable fascination with the "creepy sun" (as he named it) medallion over the front door, but otherwise, it was lovely.

What wasn't lovely, however, was the fact that the home hadn't been cleaned by the time we arrived that Saturday.  What especially wasn't lovely was that when we all went outside to allow the cleaning crew space to do their thing, the kids all ran down the steps-- 91 of them, to be exact-- to go swimming in the river, and our poor niece Kate promptly broke her ankle after taking a flying leap off the dock into the very unexpectedly VERY shallow water.  Thirty minutes into our vacation... and it was off to the emergency room they went.

Feeling overwhelmed and hungry, and unable to get settled into our vacation house for a few more hours, we set off for Cantler's Riverside Inn for a waterfront dinner.  With a great meal, great views, and great company, it was just what the doctor ordered.

Grandma, Daddy, Joergen, and Toni

Joergen, Toni, Abby, Liam, and Aidan

On Sunday, we headed into DC to see a Nationals game.  They were playing the Padres (and won, 11-7), and it was Joergen's very first time at a major league baseball game!

Joergen and Mom at the entrance to Nationals Park

Once inside, Joergen made a new friend.  Will someone please explain to me how the sun medallion on the rental house was considered "creepy," but this thing somehow was not?!

It was a very hot and sticky day, and we were fortunate that our seats were in the shade.  Even with that, though, we found ourselves in search of sno-cones and cold lemonade before long.

Papa, Liam, and Uncle David trying to beat the heat

Aidan, Joergen, Dad, and Toni

Aidan, Aunt Lyn, Joergen, Toni, Uncle Andrew, Liam, and Grandma

That night, we all gathered back at the house for some family time to present Grandma with a special gift in honor of her retirement.

Abby, Liam, Aunt Lyn, Toni, Aunt Beth, Aidan, and Kate

Papa, Uncle David, Dad, and Uncle Andrew

Aunt Beth had compiled letters, notes, poems, and cards from Grandma's family, friends, co-workers, and students into a beautiful book that took her by happy surprise.

Watching Grandma read those sentiments was so special and touched everyone in the room.  It was one of my favorite moments of the week.

I also loved this little moment between Liam and Papa that evening:

After tucking all the kiddos into bed, the "big kids" gathered around the dining room table for a spirited and very fun game of Left-Right-Center.  We had so much fun around that table during the week!

In the midst of some wonderful times together, we were devastated that day to learn that our dear Aunt Vicki had lost her short and brutal battle with cancer.  She was such aspecial part of our family, and we will remember her always for her sense of humor, her incredibly generous spirit, and her love for all of us-- and especially Liam, Joergen, Toni, and Aidan.  Our memories together were many, and some of our favorite times were here and here.

Between the loss of Aunt Vicki and the news that Kate would need surgery to repair her poor ankle, our time together as a group would be cut short-- so we made every moment from that point on count for extra! This beautiful and serene view out our little "porthole" bedroom window was the perfect reminder to Just. Keep. Swimming.

And so, in no particular order... some of our favorite moments from our Annapolis vacation.

The kids caught a crab... how very Maryland of them!

Kate was a warrior-- even a very painful, very broken ankle couldn't stop her!

Hey, does anyone know where I can find an iPad?

Joergen, taking the cap off my travel-sized hairspray: *Gasp* "I did it!"

Joergen and I on the Harbor Queen tour of the Annapolis Harbor

Touring the Naval Academy with Uncle David, Papa, Grandma, Aunt Lyn, and Joergen

John Paul Jones?  JOERGEN Paul Jones!

:)

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" -Lao-tzu

Joergen watering the beach

Fishing with Papa

More fishing with Papa-- this was one of the kids' favorite activities

And look!  Papa even caught one!

Chilling on the beach

Bros in a Boat

Uncle Andrew, Aidan, Toni, Liam, and Dad taking the canoe out for a spin

"Awww... they forgot ME!"

Dad and sons-- Joergen gets his boat ride after all.

Checking out the dolphins at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. It was a first for both boys!

Watching the Dolphin Show with Uncle David and Aunt Lyn

Ice pops!

Rainy day Play-Doh fun with Aunt Lyn.  Liam and I also had a blast going to see "Despicable Me 2" with Uncle David that day!

Move-Out Day... Liam was such a big help!

A special thank you to Uncle David and Aunt Lyn for all their extra help with me and the boys on our last couple of (rainy) days of vacation while the rest of the family went back to Illinois. We couldn't have made it without them!

And thanks to all of our Illinois family for so many great memories and for making the trip out East.  We love you all and can't wait for our next visit!