Road Trip! (a few days with the J's)

After saying goodbye to Kim Turner and the kids, we headed off for a short drive to Millersville, MD, just outside of Annapolis, to visit my sponsors, John and Renee Jolicoeur.  Since almost everyone who goes to the Naval Academy is not local to the area, families volunteer to sponsor midshipmen to give them a home away from home on weekends.  I spent many a Saturday lazing about on the Jolicoeur's couch, watching their TV and eating their food.  So I thought I would re-create the magic, this time with a toddler and a baby in tow!

Mr. and Mrs. J graciously opened their home to us for four days and we had a great time!  They live about a block from an elementary school so Dan and I went to the playground at least once every day (and most days, twice).  Even better, they live in the final approach path for BWI, so large jets flew over every few minutes, making Dan a very happy boy.  Ben was less impressed with the playground and the planes, but he had a good time too, getting lots of extra attention from the J's.

Here are a few pictures from our playground trips:

On Saturday morning, Mrs. J found a hayride with Santa at a local park so we bundled up for some frigid fun!  Dan recognizes Santa but isn't quite sure what to make of him.  He's not exactly afraid but he also doesn't want to get too close.  He was much more interested in the tractor pulling us than in the jolly fat guy with the beard.  Before and after the ride, we hit the playground at the park, which was just as fun as the one close to the J's house.  Meanwhile, Ben slept through the entire experience.  I'm pretty sure that I could just use the exact same picture for Ben in all of these posts, since he was bundled up in his stroller the same way each time.  

My two boys:

A huge thank you to Mr. and Mrs. J for a wonderful few days at their home.  From the steamed crabs one night to Midnight Madness shopping in Annapolis to driving through the Christmas lights at Sandy Point State Park, we had a great time and I hope to get up there again while we're still on the east coast.

Next stop: Solomon's, MD, with the Lynch family.