new year's day

Our new year started with warm chocolate croissants and hot chocolate. We spent the afternoon with Grandma and Grandpa Black in Maryland. We had lunch at their place and then went to a fun playground nearby (Adventure Playground). It was chilly but the kids didn't mind and it also kept the crowds away. Oliver has serious playground radar when we're driving around. He can spot every playground and gets so excited. As we pulled into this one, he couldn't contain his excitement and started screaming "playground!" "playground!" and made a run for it as soon as he was out of the car. After wearing out the kids, we went back to Grandma and Grandpa's place for snacks, games, and a movie.

adventure playground

After hiking around Sugarloaf Mountain we wanted to take the kids to Adventure Playground since it was nearby. We were running out of daylight but were determined to surprise them with a stop at a park.

And then we ran out of gas. Waiting at a light to turn into a gas station. It was too far (and uphill) to push the car so I hung out in the stranded car with the kids while Ben ran to the gas station and bought a gas can. It was incredibly annoying to run out SO CLOSE (and have to pay for that overpriced gas can) but also incredibly lucky. We were so glad we weren't stranded on the top of Sugarloaf Mountain (where Ben first realized the tank was well below E).

But we made it! If you ever find yourself around Germantown, Maryland, you should make a stop at the Adventure Playground. It's pretty amazing. A huge castle, ship, animal statues to climb on, and fun swings. We arrived just as it was getting dark but it didn't stop the kids from playing like crazy until we couldn't see anything anymore. We were near Ben's parent's house so we got to stop by for some dessert after the park. A great way to end our day.