Summer Blur

I haven't blogged in so long that I am doing a quick summer blur and then I will try to get into the fall and school beginning. Alex was gone a lot this summer with various things, so the kids and I tried to stay busy. We went to the local water parks a couple of time. This time was with friends.Christopher is gaining a better appreciation for Anna and she for him. They really enjoyed each other on this day and he was helpful in bringing her through the waterfall. It is interesting to watch that even when we go out with friends, my kids still play with each other a lot. I love that.

I never win anything. I always put my name into drawings hoping, but never. Until we put in for free Oriole tickets at the library. We actually won just the right amount for the whole family. So, we drove up to Baltimore and had a great time. They were playing the Angels, and boy did the Angels stink! We weren't sure whether we should cheer for Baltimore or LA. If it had been the Dodgers, there wouldn't have been a question, but the Angels were so bad, I sided with the Orioles, but Alex stayed loyal to LA!

It is a beautiful field with a great view of the Baltimore skyline.

We went to the museums on the National Mall a few times and hit the Carousel only once. It is a fairly pricey one, but something to do at least once.

Inside the Smithsonian Castle. It was a fairly mild summer in my opinion, but this day was very humid, so we found some relief indoors.

We also visited several farms and did lots of berry picking. Mark thought he wasn't seen since he was eating instead of picking.

Christopher wanted to make sure that he filled up his bucket, so he did less eating.

Alex had taken a last minute trip to Vietnam and I was a little worn out, so the kids and I walked over to get some pizza and it seemed that this fountain that we passed on the way home was popular. I should have taken a picture of the sign that read, "No playing in the fountain."

It was a hot day and I wasn't as prepared as some of the parents who had their kids in swim trunks!

My mom also flew out for a week at the end of July and we saw a few things with her. The National Arboretum is beautiful and a great place to run.

These are actually pillars that used to be at the Capitol Building and when they renovated, they preserved these and placed them at the National Arboretum.

And there was a very green (if you know what I mean) fountain, but Anna couldn't resist.

My mom with the kids at the farm picking berries.

My mom at one of the fountains at the National Arboretum with the kids.

And that's about it. There are lots more pictures, but I will spare you. Notice Anna's hair here though because she gets a major haircut in September!