A Birthday in Historic Annapolis....

...Romero-style. We wanted to do something fun and memorable for Jonny's 8th birthday, so we took a drive over to Annapolis, Maryland's capital. We spent the hour drive teasing the children about our unknown destination. I think Jon may have had tears welling up in his eyes when he thought we were going to Ikea.

Annapolis has an nice, historic downtown area, with cobbled streets and narrow alleyways between quaint buildings. You know it's a cute town when you think your metered parking spot is adorable.


But the real draw for us was Ruth and Chick's Delly. Ever seen Man V. Food? Our kids have dreamed of taking on any of the many "food challenges" faced on that show. ...and so, when we saw the DC area episode, we knew this was the challenge for us.


You can't forget you're in a historic building while you're squeezing through a crowded diner, but everyone was friendly and they seated our giganti-family right away.


Instead of chips or bread on the table - pickles.


Boo was a big fan. Yes, his bin was full of pickles when we got there.


Cozy tried to hate the pickles (I think she was just feeling contrary.) but I saw her eating them...her nose all wrinkled up with feigned disdain...and sourness.


"Hi. Our names are Tony and Lia, and we like to eat food...even better if we think it's funny." So, we didn't take the exact challenge Adam (food host guy) did. We just ordered whatever sounded good...and 2 giant, 6-pound shakes. Mint chocolate chip for the birthday boy. Peanut butter cup for the rest of the family.


There were a lot of straws in that cup.


I think the serving sizes were pretty normal when you divided the shake between 7 people. It didn't take us long to finish it off.


Jonny, on the other hand, was determined to see how far he could get solo.


Not bad for a little guy. (We're just glad no one threw up.) Happy 8th birthday, Jonny!