M&D Reinhart's blog

Fort McHenry

We have lived here for almost 10 years and it took us until having an almost-three-year-old to make it to Fort McHenry for the first time.  We packed up Sophia's bike this morning and decided to make the rather short trip.  There is admission for the fort itself as it is the site for the War of 1812, but the surrounding grounds are both beautiful and included in our tax revenue.  We bypassed the tourist attraction, which admittedly sounded cool, and took advantage of the grounds.  It was the perfect day for a picnic and playing with the soccer ball or baseball, but the bike was all we had brought with us. We made note that all these activities would be fun for future visits.  Sophia enjoyed the water-side trail circling the park and requested to get in the water and swim.  The polluted brown/grey harbor water is less than inviting, so Sophia was urged to save that for when our pool opens in two weeks.  In all fairness, Sophia spends a fair number of mornings trying to negotiate wearing one of her swimsuits and going to the pool.  So, her repeated requests were not surprising.

Sophia settled instead on biking.  She got this Kettler bike for her second birthday as a joint gift from her parents and her Thio Alexi.  After some research on my mother's part, the bike was secured and carried back from London as a piece of luggage.  It was worth it.  Behold the bike and its' rider:

Running with daddy:

...and stopping to rest in the shade and pick leaves (and maybe eat them too):

We wrapped up our visit with paying tribute to the giant Orpheus statue near the park's exit.  Sophia at its' base:

After a full morning of being active and outdoorsy, a little gelato was in order.  Sophia inhaled her chocolate noir gelato sorbet (translation: dairy free) and would most definitely have been happy if gelato was an essential nutrient:

A nice nap was in order after this very pleasant morning.  Sophia fell asleep in the car headed home. 

First Orioles Game

The Orioles two biggest fans

Sophia is an official member of the Orioles Dugout Club.  At first thought, I definitely did not see the value in signing Sophia up to be a young Orioles fan.  As we settled on a turtleneck under her Orioles dress, packing jackets, and a giant diaper bag (minus an umbrella, which it turns out we needed), it seemed that maybe there was a diminishing return on giving Sophia her first taste of live baseball.  But, once we arrived, grey drizzle and all, Sophia was eager to watch the game, dance to the celebratory music, and request that she go out on the field to play too.  The door gifts, special section seating, reduced ticket prices for adults, access to inexpensive ball park food, and kiddie prizes, made the Dugout club worth it within minutes.  As bedtime came and went, Sophia remained enamored by the game, and we finally forced ourselves to leave, knowing that our child does not sleep past 7 am no matter what her bedtime.  We left with promise that we would be back.

Checking out her ticket packet, decked out in her Dugout club loot:

...after attempting a cell phone picture in her gear, Sophia makes a move towards the camera:

Photos by Nana

One of the perks of Nana's recent visit is her unflagging dedication to photography.  Sophia is rarely a willing participant in photo-taking.  Sometimes the best you can hope for is a quick cheesy smile or a shot of her looking away.  And more often than not, Sophia wants to take the actual picture, typically resulting in tears and a well-timed distraction.  As it turns out Sophia is a negotiator:  Why questions are common and like any other almost-three-year-old, Sophia likes to test our boundaries and squeeze out every last drop of favoritism, especially when it comes to rewards.  Sophia is always hoping that our answer will differ from the last ten thousand times.  

Sophia much enjoyed Nana's visit.  We attended a toddler symphony program and the girls held hands on the way back to the car.  So much love, born just three days apart:

Nana brought goodies from Florida.  Sophia's clown nose lasted minutes before she completely destroyed it:

Stopping to blow the dandelions at the park...

...that was more exciting than actually playing a little throw and catch with dad, pink glove and all:

Hanging out on the deck afterwards.  A little yogurt-eating, bubble-blowing, and quality time with dad:

On Nana's last morning, Sophia got ready for school.  The "piggies" completed Sophia's puppy-dog look according to her teachers that day.  I have a feeling that sometimes Sophia knows how to "work" a room:

 

Playing Catch Up

For my faithful blog followers, I realize I am averaging monthly blog posts and hereby promise to be better about updating.  Plenty has happened in the past month and I will let the pictures sum up all our comings and goings.  The month has been full of activities, schoolwork and celebrating Easter twice over followed by a visit from Nana.  We have been to parks, gone on playdates, and visited stores, museums, and the zoo-- pretty much the usual stuff parents do these days for their active children.  

We have taken over one hundred pictures only a handful of which are worthy for this blog.  In another life, I will practice my photography skills more and use my manual settings more.  This obviously requires more time and effort and clearly has not made it to the top of my priority list: those spots seem to be reserved for upcoming professional pursuits.

Sophia and Julia at the tulip garden, both pensive and mischievous.  We only made it once this year, and it happened to be on one of our colder spring days (note the winter coat):

Out to lunch afterwards with Yiayia.  Sophia loves special treats and special dates, namely meals that do not involve any vegetable appearing on her plate:

Back at the B & O Museum with Yiayia, Papou and daddy, complete with train ride.  The one mile journey turned out to be pretty relaxing:

Easter morning.  We, unfortunately, never got a picture of her Easter basket, but it was well-equipped:

Sophia donned a second "princess" dress for Greek Orthodox Easter, which again went undocumented. But, I assure you, Sophia is in full princess mode, and requests to wear various fancy dresses to school and beyond on a regular basis.  

We Borrowed a Baby

We borrowed a baby on Saturday.  Literally, we watched Soren for one hour until his mommy got home from work.  Sophia loved every single second.  The five pound difference between her and Soren did not stand in the way of her mothering; she wanted to hold Soren in her lap, rock him, and give him baby toys.  Any toy deemed too dangerous was quickly yanked away.  Soren much preferred snuggling in adult arms.

Soren is a completely happy baby and smiles quite a bit.  But, the minute I pulled out the camera, he put on his serious face and begged with his eyes to be removed from Sophia's ever-loving lap:

 

Jack is Back!

I realize that this blog may have turned into "Sophia's Life and Times at the Train Museum," but the greatness of this place warrants a weekly visit.  This week we took Jack and Aiden with us.  Sophia had a blast running wild after Jack exploring the train cars and play areas as if she has never seen them before.  Unfortunately, I do not have a single picture of Aiden since Sophia was on the move and Aiden was mesmerized by the train tables.    

These two make quite a pair.  Sophia adores Jack and will pretty much follow him to the end of the earth.  Every once in a while, there is a scuffle, which results in tears.  But, the two of them quickly reconcile and move on to happier times:

"Hey, look!" Where else can we run?

Sophia takes a short break, to color on the train paper:

Hope you have a great week ahead!  Ours promises to be productive.  

Zoo Adventures

We mixed it up a few weeks ago and paid the zoo a visit with Sophia's ever-popular friend, Julia, her brother, Cole, and buddy Liam (not pictured).  The girls decided to take a stroll through the Woodlands section, stopping to chat with the geese, look at the otters, and go down the huge tree slide.  Liam and Cole obliged.

Sophia and Julia discover the giant, iron nest:

...and decide to roll around in it:

 The girls chat with the lone goose (who got a little loud and mouthy shortly after):

Giant tree slide.  This is the first time Sophia had the guts to go down by herself.  Julia has been doing so for months:

As we circled back, the girls admired the otters, who were busy swimming:

******

The coats and heavy pants pictured here have been traded in for short sleeves.  Let's hope the recent early summer weather turns right into spring.    

A Photo for You

Just because a photo is worth a thousand words...

Sophia says: Happy Friday night!  Ours involved the playground, Chipotle, foosball, and television. Maybe yours was more exciting?

Just Another Ten Days

Just another Friday at the railroad museum, but this time with Nana and Papa (not pictured). Sophia really enjoyed showing them around and was even treated to a carousel ride from her Nana.

Playing with trains never gets old: 

 

This blue train is only 25 cents per ride.  That's hard to find in present day.  Bright buttons, flashing lights, and a rocking motion- hits all the right notes for our 2.5 year old.  

Beautiful weather = outside play time.  Raisins provide good fuel for playing:  

Eskimo Sophia.  It was a little colder than we originally thought:

Peek-a-boo!

Sophia has loved, loved having both her grandparents and her Yiayia visit over the past ten days. Not a single morning has passed without Sophia dodging out of her room and running into the guest room to see who was available for her morning wake up call, "it's get up time!"  There is no such thing as sleeping in when you stay at our house.  She has scored lots of special treats and extra attention.  Our little attention monger can never have enough.

Taken by our visiting photographer:

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Hope there is a great week in store for all of you!

 

Train Museum

As part of our Christmas activities, we visited the B & O Railroad Museum for the first time.  It was such a hit (complete with a real train ride) that we decided to buy a membership and add to our list of child-friendly activities.  With ample parking, good indoor and outdoor space, we use our membership on average about once a week.  

Luckily, Sophia's friends like it too.  This picture sums up Sophia: wild hair; yelling "JULIA!"

Julia peeks from the other window:

Baby Cole.  Not so much a baby anymore as he is fast joining the ranks of walking toddler.  He is most fun to photograph because he looks straight into the camera.  Cole's begging eyes call me to hold him:

Sophia ponders her next move, after brushing up on her railroad history: