This Weekend Roundup!

Friday I had the day off so my cousin and I took her kids (11 and 6 months) to the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum in Baltimore. There are three major downfalls to this place.

1. It's in Baltimore and pretty much in what most would consider "the hood".
2. They don't have a dedicated parking lot. We've not had a problem finding parking but some people aren't comfortable parking on the street. 
3. I've mentioned before about this place - it is underfunded. The price is $13 for adults, $12 for college students, and $11 for children 3-12. Under 3 are free. Considering that the money goes to keeping it running I'm all for paying it. 

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this place before so I'll keep this brief. I loved it as much this time as last time. And seeing it through the eyes of an 11 year old was great. But seeing how little of the information she already knew about the history of African American's in this country was heartbreaking. Not to mention that she didn't know that America was not the only country that used Africans as slaves. (though I'm not as surprised by that - it isn't routinely taught here) As was realizing that her reading level is probably that of a 4th grader and she's headed into 6th grade in a few weeks and is at the top of her class. That is a PROBLEM! All summer she's been reading books. But it didn't occur to me to have her reading them out loud. Now I know better. She's a bright kid, and my cousin and her boyfriend (the girls father) are worried about the quality of the school system she's in. They are hoping that her mother will allow her to come live with them for 8th grade and beyond. Time will tell how that'll work out. We finished the outing with a late lunch at Chipotle! Then it was time to get home and finish the laundry and begin packing for our vacation! I managed on Thursday to find a couple of new swimsuits. Both from JCPenny

This bottom and top

And this one piece! It's super comfy and very flattering. Especially since I still have a bit of a tummy. I didn't get one with the suck in shaper because I feel swimwear should be comfortable. There is NO REASON to have spanx in swimwear!! (imo) I tried one of those suits on and I gotta tell you - it was so tight (even a size larger than what I wear) I felt like if I ate a jelly bean I'd bust out of it! But my tummy did look super flat so at least it did what it said it would. Saturday we did went to Outback Steakhouse for dinner. Nothing special about that. The one nearest to us has great service and we enjoy that there are hearty and fairly healthy menu options. Did you know they can do the wings baked and not breaded? Yup all you have to do is ask - it takes a little longer but it's worth it. And a variety of grilled veggies just ask them to hold the oil or butter. Now on to the part of this meal worth talking about - the now serve BLUE BELL ICE CREAM! I don't have to go to Hill Country BBQ in D.C. which is the only other place I've been to thus far that serves it. If you haven't had the pleasure and you're in a place that sells or serves it. Give it a try. I personally think they have the best Homemade Vanilla ice cream. It actually reminds me of my grandmother's ice cream! I had a delicious milkshake and after having told our server how tough it is to get Blue Bell here, she also brought a big scoop with hot fudge and oreos on top for us to share. I was in ice cream heaven!! Oh and Hubby just had to take a pic of me in ice cream heaven attempting to get the last little bit out! Oh and I love the glass it came in. I want to find them and use them for a milk-a-holic themed baby shower! (featuring Blue Bell Ice Cream shakes and treats!!)

After all that yummy goodness, we stopped by Kohls looking for a sundress or two and instead grabbed a cute top and some white jeans! And then visited the newest member of our MD family. Born just 2 weeks ago Cambria Renee is the most adorable little girl! And big! She weighed in at 9 lbs 2oz! So awesome! Babies all around! Our weekend was fantastic. Sunday was a lazy day spent finishing the packing and making sure the house was ready for our departure! 

So I'm going to leave you with a pic of this cutie! Little Cambria at one week old!