For a few years, I have wanted to go to the Maryland Renaissance Festival. However, the timing never seemed quite right. This year was the year. Thomas had no interest, in fact, he didn't want to go at all. However, he is a good husband and once I said it was something I really wanted to do, he was on board. We tried to explain the concept to the kids, but I don't think they quite knew what to expect.
I wanted to get there when they opened, which meant leaving the house around 8:30. We got there shortly after 10 and the place already seemed very crowded. All the kids were free, which was nice (under 7). I had mapped out what shows I wanted to see. Actually, I had mapped out which shows I thought would be good for the kids. It is amazing how things change when you are a parent. I think there is a lot Thomas and I would have enjoyed, but it would not have been entertaining for the children. We saw about 5 shows. When we got in the car to leave, we asked the kids what their favorite was. They each chose a different show, which was unusual, but gratifying, because it meant almost everything we did was special to someone. Kara liked a Fairy Tale themed show, Anna chose an acrobatic one, and Jack liked a Human Chess Match. The best part for Thomas was the food, he had a meat pie that he absolutely loved. I liked the Acrobatic show and just walking around. It covers a huge area. We were there for about 6 hours and I could have stayed much longer. But, the kids were getting tired and I was getting tired of feeding Luke on public benches.
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| Watching the human chess match while enjoying some ice cream |
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| Jack and Kara both tried rock climbing (Anna wasn't interested) |
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| Jack on stage during one of the shows. |
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| Kara in the same show, poor Anna didn't get to volunteer. Oddly enough, this wasn't anyone's favorite |
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| Luke alternated between his stroller and the carrier |
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| This magician was pretty awesome. He is the same guy who does the library shows in the summer, but he was much more impressive at the Festival |
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| Enjoying a snack |
When we had Jack and Anna, we basically stayed at home, unless we were going to a park or the zoo or similar a place. Then, we had Kara a short 16 months later and there was no way we were taking any trips! It was difficult to bring them places and generally not worth the hassle. I can probably count on one hand the number of times we went to a restaurant in those first few years. Life seemed to revolve around nap times, which was fine because it made all of our lives so much easier. We really did stick to a very strict schedule. It is amazing how different it is with just one baby. Poor Luke gets carted about like an accessory. Fortunately, he likes to be out doing things. The poor guy still doesn't have a regular nap schedule and the only thing I can say we are consistent on is when he goes to bed each night. Such is the plight of the youngest child, I suppose. Often, we have to pause what we are doing to feed Luke and I am sure to the older kids it seems like a huge adjustment, which of course it is, but really I am pleased with how easily we were able to incorporate him into our family.
One of my friends made a comment about how the older kids will be better people because they will have to learn to compromise and adjust more because of Luke. With 3 kids who are the same age, their interests are very similar. They are all in the same stage of life, which makes it easy to entertain them and find fun things to do as a family. Now, we have Luke who is going to be in the Sesame Street stage while they have moved on to Nickelodeon (or whatever preteens watch). I think it will be good for all of them. I felt like it was good for our kids to have each other. Out of necessity, they have learned what it means to share and how to take turns. Having each other has taught them a certain degree of patience and I think that having Luke will expand upon that. Luke will make us all better people. And, it doesn't hurt that he is just so darn sweet!
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