A Blast in Baltimore!

We recently went to visit our good friends, Jason and Carrie Lampman, in Baltimore, MD! The last time we saw them was June 2008 for a trip to Martha's Vineyard, so we were definitely due for another good visit! They were INCREDIBLE hosts, making us feel like we were on vacation by just being at their house! They have two sweet boys, Ben (3) and Conor (1), and they played so well with Katelyn....they were so sweet giving her hugs (although a little more aggressive than she is used to!), teaching her about dump trucks and tractors, and sharing their room and toys with her! I think the cutest thing about watching the kids together was that they all slept in the same room for both naps and night time. They went to bed together, they woke up together, and they loved every minute of it! Sometimes we would just hear them all laughing in their room! Some kids sing themselves to sleep....these kids laughed themselves to sleep! We loved experiencing the sense of community the Lampmans share with their friends and neighbors, and we really just enjoyed getting to live "a day in the life" of their family! Thank you again Jason, Carrie, Ben, Conor, and Baby #3 (coming in September!!) for a wonderful and memorable trip! Here are a few additional highlights/pictures from our time....

We enjoyed some neat local parks and walking trails...

Group pic at park

Dave and Jason

Katelyn and Conor

We/the kids enjoyed lots of reading, playing, and singing time together....

Ben and Conor--Katelyn's best buddies!

Singing before bedtime (notice Katelyn and Ben jumping on the bed in the background!)

Bedtime story

All the kids loved to read....

Dave reading to Conor

Kristen reading with Ben, Conor, and Katelyn

We enjoyed celebrating Ben's 3rd birthday....HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEN!

Carrie made this amazing Lightening McQueen/Racetrack cake, and she put me in charge of dying the frostings green and black. Making the cake (and eating it!) was so much fun!

The Birthday Boy

All the kids eating (and loving!) the cake

Katelyn didn't leave even a crumb on her plate! I'm not sure where she gets her insatiable appetite for desserts....

Family pic at the party...Katelyn loved her some watermelon too!

We enjoyed a visit to the Kid's Room of the Maryland Science Center located at Baltimore's Inner Harbor in downtown Baltimore....

Katelyn loved the interactive water table. They even had little smocks for the kids to wear so they didn't soak their clothes! So smart!

Jason and Katelyn at the giant pinscreen. Katelyn loved pushing the pins in and seeing the shapes she made with her hand.

We (Dave, Katelyn, and I) also took the Metro Rail into D.C. for a day trip to see a family we served with in China who just moved back to the States and now live in Virginia. We all met at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and spent the day playing and visiting!

The Kennedy Family

Katelyn at one of the interactive airplane exhibits

Katelyn looking at the moon

Family pic at Smithsonian