First Trip of the Year

The family spent a few days up north in Akron and Cleveland, Ohio this past week. It was wonderful. First, we spent Sunday afternoon and over night with our friends, Jeff, Carrie & Jackson Neitzke. They were absolutely wonderful, fun, and as, always, the most tolerant and lovely hosts (Thanks for sharing all of your neat toys, Jackson!). Thanks guys, we had a blast and loved seeing you all!

Monday morning, we started out in search of a Denny's since we don't have any in Columbus (how crazy is that?), but ended up at local little diner instead. Best part? Machines which were only 25 cents filled with real toys and candy, like the good old days. They each got a handful of candy and a small trinket, which is a great way to start the day if you are three and four and on vacation!

Then, we spent the next several hours at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. It was small, but perfect for the kids at this age. They were scared by the Mythical Creatures Exhibit (Griffins, Unicorns, etc.), loved the real dinosaur fossils, and raced through the 2 acres of outdoor live animals (hawks, otters, and assorted other birds). Here they are hugging the Stegosaurus "hello."And here, Jack is fascinated by the fossil skeleton of the T-Rex (his personal favorite). As nap time approached and meltdowns were imminent, we left the Museum and had lunch on the road toward our hotel back in the direction of home. After lunch and falling asleep in the car, the kids rallied in time to check into the hotel and get a look at the reason you stay in a hotel with pre-schoolers: the POOL! Geoff did a great job with that and the enormous pool was perfect for this family.

Happy happy kiddo after a nap in the room and on our way to the pool!

One more happy one of Nora Kate!

So, on the way home, we stopped at my favorite local cheese place, Grandpa's Cheese Barn. Those of you who know me, know that I force this stop whenever I pass through Ashland, Ohio. I take visitors from out-of-state there. I, of course, take my family there. We spent at least an hour there on both Sunday and then again on Tuesday, thanks to a Christmas gift certificate from Pam & Scott. We should have brought you something, but shamelessly spent $50 on chocolate dinosaurs, salad dressing, and 1/2 pound of Canadian Cheddar and 1/2 pound of Smoked Gouda; plus some more treats including black raspberry spread and chocolate and graham sticks for the dipping instead. Thanks for the gift certificate! And, sorry we suck.

We had so much fun together and cannot wait for the next family vacation. June will take all of us to Chicago for a few days, and who knows after that! Oregon family, we have been looking for cheap flights, but alas, I do not think such a thing exists anymore. We will get there for sure, just not sure when.