Calvert Marine Museum

On a rainy Friday we joined my friend Jessica for a trip to the Calvert Marine Museum in Solomons, Maryland. It's just down the road from the Annmarie Gardens but we've never been able to fit both into one visit. It was a great little museum. There was a fun discovery room for kids where they could touch various sea creatures, play in a small boat and lighthouse, and dig for fossils in the sand. They also had a lot of fish and even some otters at the museum. The Drum Point Lighthouse was really cool but we didn't get a chance to explore outside much because of the pouring rain.

Oliver was difficult to manage and threw a tantrum at every turn. He got angry because I wouldn't let him climb into the tank with the rays. Then he got angry whenever I wouldn't let him touch exhibits. The kid can be exhausting to keep track of and keep out of trouble. He set off an alarm at one point because he touched some millions-of-years-old fossil that was behind a rope. I was happy to finally get him into the discovery room where he was free to touch things. He really liked digging in the sand looking for fossils. The girls found some shark teeth to take home.

Watching the rays and skates. I'm pretty sure Oliver was laying on the floor screaming at this point.

Megalodon!

Watching the otters and trying to stay out of the rain. Except Oliver who wandered straight outside and stood in the pouring rain before I retrieved him. 

We got to have Jessica's kids come over and play the next morning. Oliver and Maeve had fun reading books together.

speaking of fairies...

We just returned from a fantastic trip to Green Bay, Wisconsin, and my iphone is maxed out with photos. But I'm still trying to catch up with the fun that happened the week before we left so those photos will have to sit tight a bit longer.

Ben's parents stayed with us a few weekends ago but this visit was a little different. They have actually moved out here for a year and will be living about an hour away in Maryland. They are here for a church mission and we're excited to have them so close.

While they stayed with us, we made a trip to the Annmarie Sculpture Garden in Solomons, Maryland, to see their annual fairy house exhibit. We went last summer and loved it so we were excited to see what this year's fairy house entries would be. The girls loved running through the forest looking for the next house. There were a lot more this year and it was interesting to see all of the different interpretations. 

There is this fantastic area in the woods with a stage, buckets of pine cones and sticks, stumps to climb on, and lots of fun ways to use your imagination. The kids loved building and pretending and performing. It was nice that we had the place to ourselves.

I thought Oliver would love to climb around on these stumps so I set him down in the middle. He was not happy. I think he felt a little trapped.

Oliver was really into this apple. He ate it all the way down to a tiny core and threw a fit when I finally took it away from him.

Along with fairy houses, there are also sculptures throughout the woods, many on loan from the National Gallery of Art.

Amelia shows her toothless smile in front of the tooth fairy's house.

There are also bits of famous paintings hidden around the woods:

Banksy!

If you're looking for a fun day trip in the area, I highly recommend Annmarie. There is also a neat looking marine museum nearby (Calvert Marine Museum) that we'll have to check out next time.