Annapolis (3 weeks ago)!

I told you I'd share pictures from our little Saturday trip to Annapolis three weeks ago, and here they are!  But, first, a quick synopsis of the day.

I think it was only on Friday that we decided to visit Annapolis the next day.  We hadn't been since we went to the football game last November, and I was itching to go.  The weather was going to be gorgeous, we had no other plans, so why not?!  Friday evening Chet and I attended a work social (his work, not mine...because I socialize with the three little people I work with all day long), and one of his co-workers (and fellow Academy grad) mentioned that Saturday was also Fan Fest at the football stadium.  It started at 10 a.m. (perfect timing!), and sounded like fun, so our first stop was the stadium.

It cost $5 to park in the stadium parking lot, but besides that, everything was FREE!

There were wide open, Astroturf spaces for the kids to run:

Plenty of food for hungry little boys to eat:

Plastic footballs (the squishy kind) for little boys to throw (free blue and gold pompons for the girls not pictured):

Face painting:

Face paining lady: "What would you like to be?"

Lorelei: "I want to be a cat." (Of course she does.)

Face painting lady: "What do you want to be?"
Sydney: "I don't know."

I didn't get any pictures of the moon bounces or the DJ (playing GOOD music), but trust me when I say it was a super fun event.  We left around 11:30 (the event only lasted until 12 p.m. anyway) for the Academy for lunch.

(Oh, there was also a chance while at the stadium to to get a t-shirt autographed by all of the Navy football players, but I think we have a few years before we need to do that.  Plus, the line was really long, and we avoid long lines in general if we can.)

Next stop, Dahlgren Hall for a quick lunch at Drydock Restaurant.  I couldn't help but get all nostalgic while ordering a Muelheissen sandwich from the impatient ladies behind the deli counter.  The kids happily played in what used to be the indoor ice rink for Navy's hockey team after we ate.

Can't miss getting a picture with Bill the Goat:

Then we headed over to the Visitors' Center to shop (the mid store is usually closed on Saturdays).

Everyone got a little cranky at this point, because it was nap time:

So we loaded Ford and Lorelei into the double stroller (sorry, Syd), and walked into Downtown Annapolis.  Ford fell asleep right away.  Lorelei decided to stay awake (she was holding out for ice cream).  So we had ice cream.  While we were parked outside the ice cream shop, we heard a loud bang (it sounded like a gun shot).  We didn't know what it was, until a lady sitting near us pointed at our stroller tire, which had popped.  Ford didn't even flinch.  So the Downtown Annapolis portion of our day was cut short, which is probably best, because it was getting warm, everyone was still cranky (even/especially after ice cream), and it was super crowded downtown, making it hard to navigate with the stroller.  So we headed home.  But it was a great day.

Oh, and here's one of our Visitors' Center purchases.  I'm a sucker for a Navy cheerleader outfit (click here and here for proof):

We're headed back to Annapolis Labor Day weekend to celebrate Chet's 10-year reunion!