My cousin Sandy and her kids Penny and Paul came out for a few days this week so her hubby could study for his big medical exam without distraction. Yay for us!! It was especially awesome because it just so happens Sandy was a resident here in the DC area for nine years so she's pretty familiar with the area and pointed out a few things to me, even brought me maps with little stickies on the hot spots I need to check out. She's awesome! We both look for the same features in any outing with kids: nature, history, free or cheap, kid-friendly, and enough interest to hold our attention as well as theirs. We went to two parks while they were here. I took them out to Gilbert Run Park, which is always a hit with my kids. The leaves have started to fall onto the trails and oranges and yellows are beginning to show, but for the most part it's still pretty green for October in Maryland. We soon discovered the stroller wasn't going to ...