ARRRRRRRR

Last night we made the trip to Baltimore to visit Aunt Beth and Eric.  We were excited to see them and finally get to see their new apartment.  They overlook the harbor- it's really neat.  The boys were in heaven! We got take out and I think I had the best crab cakes ever!!!  Then we walked around trying to get the boys to burn off some of their energy and excitement.

We stumbled upon a band playing outside and Adam insisted on dancing with Aunt Beth.  It was pretty funny.  I love his free spirit!

We woke up bright and early and went to eat at the famous Jimmy's diner for breakfast before embarking on our Pirate Ship cruise around the harbor.  If you ever get the chance to visit Baltimore with kids, I highly recommend doing the Urban Pirate Cruise.  It was awesome.

We really need to remember to put sunglasses on Owen.  His eyes are so sensitive!

 

During breakfast, Adam drew a treasure map.  He couldn't wait to show the pirate where the treasure was buried! 

First, they give you pirate gear to wear.

You are given a pirate name and then you get to pick out a tattoo.

Aunt Beth did not get to pick her name

The actors and actress on the ship were really funny and made the entire experience magical.  They teach you pirate words and you take a pirate oath and become a real pirate!

They tell stories, play games, sing, and dance.  Owen was a little out of his comfort zone with the singing and dancing part, but the finding of the treasure part was totally up his alley.

They had a treasure chest full of treasures and when they go to open it they realize it's been taken and there's a note inside that gives a clue as to who took it.

Then, out of nowhere, a bad pirate appears in the harbor and the kids have to shoot him with water from the cannons.  They play all sorts of pirate-y music throughout the ride along with other fun songs.

The pirate said he wanted Eric's Raven's t-shirt in exchange for the treasure.  haha!  So we devised a plan to trick the pirate into giving us the treasures without Eric having to give him the shirt.

And our plan worked!!

What a fun morning.  We had high hopes of heading over to the aquarium after lunch, but Adam was tired, cranky, and in desperate need of a nap after his late night the night before.

Who needs a stroller when you have Daddy's shoulders?

So we headed home with our two sleepy pirates.

Tonight, after baths, Owen said it was a lot of fun, but probably not the MOST fun thing that ever happened to him.  He said winning 1,000 tickets at that darn arcade was probably the best.  But he agreed, the Pirate cruise was a close second.

** Mike and I were laughing so hard about this last night.  We tried hard to make sure our boys had a great summer and did a lot of fun things, however, we are almost positive that when his teacher asks him to write or tell about his favorite summer memory he's going say, "Winning 1,000 tickets at the arcade."  Go figure!  And I'm certain he won't elaborate and say that he was at the beach with friends.  I guess it's all about perspective :)  She'll probably think all we did all summer was take our kid to mall arcades.