A Day at the Maryland Renaissance Festival

In celebration of Sarah's mom's birthday, we ("we" being me, Mike, Will, Chris, Amy, and Catelyn) took her to the Maryland Renaissance Festival, one of her favorite things to do every year. If you are unfamiliar with the Renaissance Festival, just picture walking into a wooded area that has been transformed into the medieval period. There are knights in full armor walking around, maidens wearing wreaths of flowers around their heads, pirates, and even a king and queen. There is also a jousting arena and a sword-throwing booth (where the boys spent a good bit of time!). It is definitely quite an experience, and a really good time.

It was very warm that day, so we made sure to stop periodically and rehydrate with some water or slushees (Catelyn is trying one for the first time in the first photo below). There was even a large wooden boat that had been made into a playground for the children so we took Catelyn there to get some energy out. One of her favorite things to do was to try to catch the bubbles of the "fairies" in one area of the park. She hopped up on Uncle Will's shoulders to get a better reach of them -- and to not get knocked over by some of the bigger kids who weren't very aware of the smaller munchkins around them. She was pretty bushed by the end of our big day and rested comfortably in her stroller. It was a great way to spend a day with family!