Baltimore!

And oops. I didn't realize how long it had been since I updated. I was sick, Natalie was sick, got distracted and there you have it.

Last week was Natalie's Fall Break, so we went to Baltimore to see my family and friends. We stayed with our friends Lynette, Derek and their son Austin, as usual. Austin will be 12 in a few days (can't believe it!!) and is Natalie's new idol. He has a really neat school set-up in their basement, and he gave Natalie classes every night. He really went all out - researched kindergarten worksheets online for Natalie to complete, gave her homework, a grade, and honestly just in that week, I'm seeing an improvement in her handwriting and also math. He also made a website for his "school". Natalie had a blast!

We spent a lot of time with my grandfather, Dee-Da. This is the first time he (and actually everyone we saw in Baltimore) met Oliver. We ate steamed crabs (and crab dip and crab cakes, and I got a couple pizza subs) until they came out our ears! Oliver LOVED them! We couldn't get the meat out of the shells fast enough for either kid. We also got to attend the monthly Karaoke Night at Dee-Da's senior apartment complex. He started it, and it has pretty decent attendance each month. He sang 4 or 5 songs, and had a whole table full of fans - our AZ contingent, his nieces Ellen and Eleanor, and great-nephew Jeffrey - they usually go each month. The kids were a hit at his complex too - Natalie even scored a huge ice cream sundae just for hugging the lounge manager at karaoke. :-) Both of them were so friendly, and Natalie really went out of her way to talk to and hug Dee-Da's neighbors - you could tell so many of them are lonely and really enjoyed being around young kids.

We went to Annapolis to visit Great-Gramma Bev and her boyfriend, Tony. We had a lot of fun visiting them, and Beverly was just glowing around the kids. We had a nice lunch, and then took the kids down to the water - Bev and my late grandfather's house is literally right up the street from the Bay. The kids ran around, played on the playground and just had a blast. Tony's daughter came over to meet us as well - really, really nice woman, which is no surprise because Tony is an absolute sweetheart of a man. Bev says she's (and maybe Tony) going to visit next year, and we intend to hold her to it! Natalie loved going to her house and spending time with her. Oliver too, he just can't tell us in so many words. :-)

My godfather/Great-Uncle Bill had a stroke a few weeks ago, and was still in the hospital when we were in town. I wanted him to meet Oliver (he met Natalie a couple of times on past visits), but the hospitals decided to ban visitors under 17 starting that week. Go figure. So I took Dee-Da over there since he hadn't been able to get to see Uncle Bill yet. Uncle Bill was doing remarkably well! Sitting up, able to dress and feed himself, and was speaking really well. He'd kind of lose his train of thought at times, and that was clearly frustrating for him, but really, I was impressed at how well he was doing so soon after a stroke. He looked great, sounded the same, and was really happy to see us. He and Dee-Da traded stories for a while - some I'd heard before, others I hadn't, and it was a nice way to spend part of the afternoon. Bittersweet for sure, because many of the stories included my grandmother and godmother/Great-Aunt, but really fun to hear too. He was actually moved to a rehab facility the next day (the hospital was pushing to discharge, even though he still needs 24/7 care. Assholes), and hopefully he won't need to stay long).

We also saw my other Great-Uncle, Uncle George. He was my paternal grandmother's (Dee-Da's wife) youngest brother. He was always known as the Grouch, but I've always had a big soft spot for him. We went out to lunch, and had a great time. Unfortunately we missed Aunt Betty, but it was great seeing Uncle George. He got a kick out of the kids, and they got away with way more than my cousins and I would have at their age. I jokingly pointed that out, and he laughed. :-) Then he gave his trademark "How would you like a size 11.5 up your behind" and all was right with the world.

Went out to dinner at a good, local sports bar/restaurant, Padonia Station. My brother Rich and SIL Christie joined us. I just about got our server to spit in Rich's beer before she served it to him, but she opted against it. After dinner, I really wished she had, because Rich farted on my arm outside the restaurant. I'll get him back.

I also got to see one of my best friends, Colleen, her SO Tim, and their daughter MacKenzie. She's just about 3.5 and an absolute doll. I can't believe she's that old already - one of our past trips back there was to throw Colleen a baby shower!

I think those are the highlights. If I think of more, I'll edit. Oh and it was COLD!! Before we left, projected daytime highs were mid-upper 60s, which is tolerable. By Wednesday it was 50, by that afternoon raining. The rest of the week was 45 for the high and rain, rain, rain. I finally had to give in and go to Target to get flannel pj pants and a thermal top. When we got back to Phoenix, it was 104 - quite a change!

Have some kid updates... I'll get to those tomorrow. I also need to get September pictures up. Will try to this weekend. I'm going to go ahead and post Baltimore, since I know for sure those are all up and corrected.