Ohio Trip 2013

Last month we took our (what I hope is becoming annual) big trip out to Ohio to spend some quality time with my parents and sister.  We went out for 2.5 weeks, which is a long time to be gone BUT I think is totally worth it so that the kids and my parents can really get to know each other.  There was a lot of ground covered over this visit and lots of things going on, so I'll try to cover it all!

First of all, I somehow got talked into taking the kiddos on a red eye flight out to Ohio.  This was a poor judgement call on my part BUT they both did fantastic and there was no crying and lots of sleeping on the plane (thank goodness!).  I am super lucky but will NEVER take a flight overnight with the kids when they are so young.  The bad news was, once we got there, we were all very lacking in sleep and it took a few days to get to feeling back to normal.  My parents also experience firsthand the loudness and shrillness of Hank's screaming and acknowledged that perhaps I was right to be so worried about him doing well on the flight!

Lyla once again enjoyed her "Pa Activities", which included riding on the "tractor" this year (as well as eventually attempting to DRIVE it), gardening, sampling any and all delicious fruits and vegetables from the garden, and spending some quality time out on the dock in the backyard feeding the fish, going fishing, and trying (unsuccessfully) to catch a frog.

A lot of time was spent with Aunt Emma aka my temporary nanny.  Emma was great about stepping right in to help feed Hank, put Hank to sleep, entertain Lyla, and spoil both Hank and Lyla rotten.

Lyla got her hair cut for the second time this trip.  We had Emma's friend Caryn cut her hair.  I was a little concerned beforehand since Lyla seemed nervous and kept saying "Just a trim Mom!", but when we got there she was easygoing and even told Caryn she could cut more off!  Her hair looks so much more evened up and thick, and most importantly, Lyla loves it! 

We got some time to explore some of Cincinnati's great treasures too! This visit we made it to Graeter's for ice cream, Jungle Jim's to check out all the amazing things they carry at the grocery store (I can't believe they built one in Eastgate!), going to Skyline Chili for some cheese coneys (Lyla's new favorite food - she had three while we were there and probably would have went every day if we let her!), and having our first "Pink Cow" (thanks Grammy for making it special!) at UDF.  I never thought I would miss the food of Cincinnati until I left, now I feel like I have a checklist of places to go and things to eat when we visit!

Lyla had dates with both Grammy and Pa this visit for some special time.  One day Grammy took Lyla to work with her for a little bit, followed by some shopping at Target, a trip to visit all the animals at the pet store (apparently Lyla now wants a hamster), Chinese food for dinner (per Lyla's request), and some chocolate donuts for dessert.  Another night Pa and I took Lyla to see "Monsters University", followed by dinner at LaRosa's (another great Cincinnati eatery!).

Hank was a bit of a terror while we were visiting.  I'm not sure if he was sick, growing, teething, or just being a diva, but the kid would NOT sleep and seemed totally not like himself most of the time we were there.  I was getting a little frazzled with the additional nighttime wake ups and extra (what seemed like hours) or screaming and fussing during the day.  My family was great about helping out with him and giving me breaks, and my saintly mother put Hank in "Grammy Boot Camp" and got up with him the entire last week we were there.  She even got foam from the craft store and made him a makeshift foam mattress to put on top of his pack-n-play he slept in just in case he was sleeping poorly from being uncomfortable.

On a better Hank note, he got super mobile while we were there and is so close to crawling!  He also unleashed his desire to eat his weight in food and is a very happy and eager eater.

Dustin and my brother, Aaron, came out for the last weekend we were visiting.  The first night our good family friends, the Stegemanns came over for a cookout.  It's good to visit people when I'm there, but unless my parents plan it, I don't manage to see many people!  The next day Dustin, Emma, Aaron, and my Dad went to a NASCAR race in Kentucky.  It was Dustin's first time and he was curious.  The first day the race ended up being rained out but the weather held off the next day and they got to see (from what I hear) a good race.  Meanwhile, my mom and I took the kids out for an ENTIRE DAY that included outlet mall shopping, regular mall shopping, and dinner.  All things considered, they were fantastic!  I can't think of many babies and 2 year olds who can suffer through shopping all day, but they did and I was very grateful. :)

I was sad to see our visit come to and end, but it was a good one.  I hate taking my kids away from their grandparents and it makes me sad to think it will be months before they get to see each other again, but in the meantime, thank goodness for Facetime!  We had tons of fun swimming, hanging out, and just relaxing.  We're already looking forward to next time!

The flight home was pretty uneventful - thank goodness!  Hank did manage to poop THREE TIMES, but no blowouts.  He and Lyla both slept on the plane and on the car ride home.  When we got back to our house Lyla said "Mom, it's good to be home".  I couldn't agree more.