Tour de Ohio, 2011

July 29th- drive to Ohio with little issue. Lily slept for 2 hours...a personal and family record. My favorite Michael quote came when it was his turn to pick the movie and he picked The Little Mermaid. Lily was so excited. Mike told her very seriously, "I'm just a boy...who loves mermaids."

July 30th- Jeff and I get all gussied up and pose for pictures like it was prom all over again. We leave the children with my fabulous in-laws and head to Cleveland for my cousin's wedding. I see all kinds of family I don't get to see much, enjoy a beautiful wedding service that reminds us of our own, drink, eat great food, drink some more, dance, and enjoy a hotel room all to ourselves. A lovely lovely 24 hour date.

July 31st- Wake up and realize that we are getting too old to stay up until 1:30am. Curse the children for prematurely aging us. Go out to eat breakfast just the two of us to try and stretch out our date day a little longer. Head back to Mt. Vernon and jump in the car to go fishing and ride a pontoon boat with the kids and in-laws. Catch nothing. Get adorable videos of the children taking turns driving the boat and playing with the worms.

August 1st- Go to the random Amish Farm, and wander happily looking at and feeding animals. I even had a giraffe wrap his tongue completely around my arm...several times. That night we had dinner with my sister and her husband and sat around the fire pit cooking s'mores.

August 2nd- Leave for Cincinnati...without Jeff, who was working from his parents' house for the week. We visited with my Aunt Jeannette a bit, and then went to visit my Memere. The kids were fabulous at the nursing home and it was nice to see her smiling. Went to the library and out to pizza.

August 3rd- It was a stormy day. We went to the mall and played at Pottery Barn Kids and the Lego store. Children were spoiled ;) That afternoon, we took the kids to see The Smurfs. Dinner was a birthday feast for me (even though my birthday isn't for a few weeks), complete with presents and a homemade German Chocolate cake. Jeannette and "Uncle Buck" stayed to celebrate with us.

August 4th- Went to a park in the morning and let the kids run around and feed ducks/fish. In the afternoon, we went to the pool with my cousin and her son. It was refreshing and relaxing. The kids watched Fox and the Hound while I ate dinner quietly out on my parents' porch.

August 5th- After a quiet-ish morning, we headed on the road again. We stopped in Columbus to have lunch with Andrea and Dave. It was...a fast lunch. Going out to eat with tired children is never a relaxing venture. Once back in Mt. Vernon, Jeff's parents shooed us out the door to have a pre-anniversary date. We got back in time to help put the kids to bed and then retreated into his parents' hot tub and ate Graeter's.

August 6th- Jeff and his dad went zip-lining, Linda went to a shower, and I stayed back and ignored the children while I finished my book (The Paris Wife...very good). That afternoon we went to the water park in town and had a blast. I think Andrew went down the water slide 20 times. And off the diving board the same amount. Came back home and had another birthday dinner and cake and presents (still 2 weeks before my birthday). Great-Grandma and Dottie stayed to celebrate.

August 7th- Jeff and I celebrate 12 years together while driving back to Philly. Michael slept 45 minutes. Favorite Lily quote came when she was mumbling and I complained I couldn't understand her. She said, "I. Am. Speaking. English." Tee hee hee. Got home to a house empty of food, but we were too lazy to go shopping.

August 8th- I avoid the piles of crap in my front hallway and bedrooms and kitchen counter by writing an unnecessarily long blog entry. Must take all 3 grouchy children to the store. Must hide all sharp implements and rope so I don't do myself in instead. Ugh.