Day Trip to Annapolis!

Ever since the Buerstattes moved back to the area, we have wanted to get up to Annapolis for a day trip and take advantage of having Scott as our very own tour guide (he went to the U.S. Naval Academy)!  We FINALLY managed to get it scheduled a few weekends ago.  It was not a very long trip time-wise, but Josh and I were SO ready to get out of the car so Jackson could finally see some big boats up close and personal :)  He was not shy about letting us know what he was excited to see ;)  We all were prepared to endure the HOT temperatures, and Brandi and Scott did an excellent job of alternating the tour between air conditioning and outside.  We started our day by wandering around Downtown Annapolis (DTA).  

Photo ops by the water:

We decided to stop for an early lunch at Mangia Italian Grill & Sports Cafe.  Yes, the below picture was taken only after being pushed in the strollers for a little while--it was THAT hot!  Lunch was delicious!  We sat at a table by the window so KK and Jackson didn't lose out on any precious boat-viewing time...  This was the beginning of an AWESOME day for a newly potty-trained toddler!!!  Jackson had been doing pretty well leading up to this little excursion, and I knew this would be our final frontier.  Jackson did great going potty in many different public bathrooms.  Needless to say Mommy was quite relieved (and proud!).  

After lunch we got in the car and did a little driving tour of the U.S. Naval Academy.  After seeing some of the campus, we parked and wandered around in and out of some buildings.  We started at Tecumsah Court outside of Bancfroft Hall.  Bancroft Hall is the largest single dormitory in the world, and it is where all of the midshipmen live.

  

Inside Bancroft Hall

Jackson checking out a sample dorm room

Memorial Hall is inside Bancroft Hall.  Memorial Hall has lists of alumni and naval personnel lost in battles.

We couldn't resist a little photo shoot on the steps in the rotunda of Bancroft Hall!  There was also an especially wonderful cross-breeze to enjoy!

Sneak peek at future wedding picture???

A quick kiss!

 A pretty fountain :)

 While we were wandering around campus, it looked like it was going to rain.  We took the opportunity to sneak in and get a little snack :)  The kids also got to run around in a big gymnasium-type area.

 Liam was such a trooper all day!

 We drove back to DTA and parked for a bit.  We walked down the streets a little, but our main goal was ice cream!  We went into Kilwins, and we definitely enjoyed the cold treats!  We really wanted to get a picture of the kids in front of the big boats since they were SO excited to see them, but I think they were a little pictured out :(

From this point on, I don't have any more pictures.  We did want to stick around to have dinner in Annapolis, but we weren't really thrilled with the prospect of continuing to walk around in the heat.  So, we headed to the mall so the kids could play at the play space.  This would have worked out even better if the air conditioning was actually effective in the mall, but the kids did get to run around and that was good.  We cleaned them up and headed to dinner.  We tried to go to a really yummy looking spot, but the wait was ridiculous!  We ended up back in DTA at McGarvey's.  It was good, but I think everyone was getting tired and the kiddos were definitely tired of being on their best behavior all day.  

We made excellent time home, and we now know the lay of the land so we can go back on our own--the drive was perfect for a day trip :)