Zoo Day Number Two!

We got really lucky today! It would be REALLY lucky, but we didn't get to see Nora the polar bear. Our crew did however get to see pretty much everything we wanted to see at the Columbus zoo before the sun came out and the temperatures soared to crazy heights. It was predicted to be a stifling day but some rain storm related clouds kept the sun at bay. By 3pm we'd seen a pretty decent number of animals and had some pretty tired kiddos. After the zoo we rounded up the dogs and headed up to Bay in time to pop over to the neighborhood block party. Nora had a BLAST playing with the other gazillion kiddos on the street behind my parent's and apparently even has plans for when we're up in December. She's just now taking her dirty feet to bed after partying hard! We'll see how she holds up tomorrow! Hard to believe that our trip is coming to a close already...soo much packing left to do too!

Sun Up to Fun Down!

Another busy day in the books! I've been intending to get my butt down to the beach to see a sunrise for weeks now and today, as my days are dwindling, I finally did...and as expected I loved it and am now kicking myself for not having been down there nearly every morning...what a perfect way to start the day! After watching the day wake up it was time to pack up for an overnight trip to Columbus. We got down there in time to stop at a park that was on my list for a mini adventure - Topiary Park at the old School for the Deaf. It was pretty cool, lots of people shaped bushes. It looked like some could use a little trim but still a GORGEOUS park with a lovely trail, lots of benches, flowers & tress. We found one magical tree that we hung out under/in for a while. After the park I managed to get us to Marty and Kristin's house (3rd time around a block to get on the freeway is the charm!). The kids had fun playing together and we took them all out to dinner. Tomorrow Kyle arrives and we head to the zoo!!

Creek Walking

Everyone was a little antsy today so we headed out into the woods late this morning before the heat really kicked in. This was Nora's first time loose on the trail and she did great and showed her bravery and caution spending most of her time playing in and along the creek with Cort but also navigating some tricky trail and climbing some steep hills on her own. She even managed to stay upright and dry until the very end. Lincoln was content as could be, aside from the time I didn't duck low enough to get under the downed tree and bonked his head...whoops! Cort did well, flushing birds, running, prancing and listening; until he scared the bejeezus out of a poor un-expecting girl who apparently was terrified of dogs to begin with. He was attempting to just say hi but it wasn't received that way. Any who, it was a fun and overall very successful hike in the woods with the kiddos!

Do the Zoo!!

Today was a zoo day at the Cleveland Zoo and my Aunt Ann came with us!! It was perfect weather, a lot of the animals were out and about (the grizzlies were in the water and the one in the background here was washing with a rock!). Nora saw what she wanted to see - elephants and zebras included and both kiddos did well despite pressing through lunch/nap time. Another fun day on our vacation!!

Summer Day

Today was a great recovery day! I dropped Kyle off at the airport this morning and the rest of the day was spent relaxing a bit and catching up on sleep. We spent time out in the yard enjoying the weather. I made Nora a daisy crown which she wore while we enjoyed a little picnic - she didn't want to put her yogurt down to pose for any pictures. Tomorrow is an adventure day with a new guest star!

Solid Sunday

We had a lovely day in Fremont today - Kyle, Nora, Ken & Susan all went to church while I stayed home with a napping Lincoln, who clearly needed his nap because it lasted the entire time they were gone!! We headed to Woody's for lunch, enjoying hotdogs and root beer floats, Nora scoped out the work of a real live very busy spider, and shortly after dinner we got on the road and headed back to Bay so Kyle can fly back to Florida first thing tomorrow morning. This was definitely a whirlwind and jam-packed weekend but oh so much fun!! The plan is to check a few more outings off the list with both kiddos this week! I can't believe our last week in Ohio is here already! It's gone sooo fast!

Space, Salsa & Sorbet!

One adventure day, followed by another! The campout was a success - it ended up raining - which was not forecasted, and we did get wet, but we all slept pretty well, Nora (and Cort) included. This morning it continued to rain only over Bay Village but eventually cleared in time for us to go on a mini hike while on the way to the Nature Center where we showed Katie around, checked in on the animals, watched a planetarium show that was a little less cool than what we were expecting. After learning about comets we headed to the West Side Market to explore. This stop has been on my Ohio list so I was excited to go and take Nora. The market had enough people there to feel festive but wasn't overwhelming for Nora and I think she really liked the atmosphere, and our lunch of chips and salsa from the vantage point high above the bustling market floor. And, like any adventure, we topped it off with a trip to the Cleveland location of Mitchell's where we got to see them making ice cream AND made a super quick picture stop at the Greetings from Cleveland mural! After our jam packed morning we headed to Fremont this afternoon, getting there in time to go to the church carnival thing with Greg & the kiddos. Nora got to manage her money, ride a pony and a weird little train thing and then we had a cookout and bonfire at Burroughs'. Needless to say, Nora will probably benefit from some serious sleep tonight!