Maryland - Day 2

On Friday, the guys had to go to work so the kids and I took a slow start to the morning.  We ordered room service for breakfast and watched a show.

And then we began our trek over to the National Aquarium.

This adorable park was on the way

We only got to play for a few minutes because we had a specific entrance time (thanks to some tips from the hotel staff).

As we continued on our way we passed this giant crab.

The aquarium was pretty amazing.

This was probably my favorite part.  We could look down and see all this aquatic life.  This big tortoise was a rescue one with a damaged flipper.

The girls are at a fun age where they can read the signs at museums and learn more on their own.

This was an amazing jelly fish sculpture in the jellyfish section.

These tiny jelly fish were my favorite.

While we were staying in a very pedestrian friendly area, we were not staying in an area with tons of kid friendly food options.  As we left the museum there were some definite meltdowns happening and I didn't have any great options for kid friendly restaurants.  We ended up at Cheesecake Factory.  It was super tasty, the kids did great, and I think the fun drinks made it better for them - that flavored lemonade with sugar rim was a definite distraction from the mood!  I got annoyed with Kayden's hand being in the picture and said I was going to take another.

She's a sneaky one.  I didn't see this one until I put them on the computer.

As we were walking to the restaurant we'd passed some paddle boats and I told the kids we could go back.  So fun!  Not maybe the best decision to take 3 kids out on a paddle boat as the lone adult.  Especially not with a 3 year old.  But I'm definitely glad we took the risk!

After the museum, the restaurant, and the paddle boats all by myself and all walking around, I needed a rest.  We headed back to the hotel.  I ordered myself some hot tea, got the kids cleaned up, and got them a snack while they watched a movie and I read my book.

It was a great first day but we were definitely excited to explore with Dad the next day!