She Knew What I Needed.

Two typewriter notes in a row...maybe I should re-brand this blog...I'm far enough behind that it could be just the fresh start we all need! Haha. Anyway, I kind of hesitated to share this one because it's...I don't know, it's special. This morning was another rough one...I have a group of kids who are sooo behind on sleep, like 4 weeks worth of summer fun behind on sleep, a month with little to no actual schedule and two specifically who are going through phases which pretty much involve wanting little or nothing to do with each other and a lot to do with screaming, fighting, hitting, kicking and just being mean. It's a blast! Anyway, rough waters were navigated and we rallied to get out of the house and to the Y for a Lincoln refresher swimming lesson. Heading into a week in the pool I wanted to kick him back into gear so I could breath just a little easier because Otto is going to have me on edge near the water the whole time. I was feeling gutsy afterwards and threw in a trip to BJ's to stock up for next week. We made it through relatively unscathed and the kids were happy to have some input into what snacks we're taking with us! The weeks is cruising along and it always feels like there's a lot more on the to do list than I have the time or energy for and the FIGHTING and the WHINING and Otto keeps eating markers!!!! In short it was another rough afternoon...then Nora sat down at the typewriter for a while, and there was peace, and quiet...and then...this. And I cried. And Nora smiled a soft smile and gave me a big hug. This will go in a frame, because it is exactly what I needed at that moment and in this weird season we're figuring out...and because it "iz hord wrk!" and she sees that.. Anyway, this helped a lot today and tomorrow is another day. Here's hoping I can apply the Emerson quote on my wall and "begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense"

Finished and in Florida!

Guys, we made it! I (we) left Tim & Meg's a little after 8 this morning and got home a little after 1 this afternoon! The kids, Cortland, my new typewriter...we all made it! Otto slept a lot, Lincoln slept some and Nora hardly slept at all, and did quite a bit of whining all the way home. BUT, we made it and I even started unpacking! Due to the fact that there was NO food, and NO milk in the house we also climbed back into the car and stopped at the grocery store to get some basics to get through the next few crazy days. By day's end we were struggling and my typed text messages to Kyle started to look a little more like pleading for help. Not going to lie, I eventually ended up losing it before Kyle got home. Lincoln and Nora were banished to her room to wait until he got home - milk was then spilled - seriously it just kept getting better. Thankfully some list-making on my typewriter helped to calm me down. I'm going to chalk it up to juuuust one long day too many with them on my own. Hats off to all the single parents out there! BUT, Kyle did make it home to free the two tornadoes and handle the milk/bed mess they managed to make. So there you have it, another road trip success, another summer of fun in Ohio and we're all back safely. Now we just need to survive the packing and readjustment period!

Just a Little Further Down the Road

We tackled another 4 hours of driving today and rolled into to Bluffton mid-afternoon. Tim set up the waterslide for the kids and they went to town running all of their pent up car energy off and had a blast playing with their cousins. We had a tasty dinner together, the kids all crashed out eventually and I've even managed to get some photos edited! Tomorrow really really early, Tim's being kind enough to drive Kyle to the airport so he can fly out of Savannah for a work meeting and I head the rest of the way home with the crew. Kyle will fly into Orlando later tonight and we'll all be reunited under our own roof for the first time in a month...for 3 days or so. Haha!

Bye Bye Ohio

While Kyle and I were busy packing up the car this morning. Liz stopped over so we could say goodbye - TEARS - and so Nora and Liam could play together for a bit and my parents kept the kids busy. The boat became a playpen of sorts over the last couple weeks we were there. That said...we eventually got the Asleighdia all packed up, loaded up and all that jazz and got on the road this afternoon. The kids were excited to be heading towards home and Kyle and I were both feeling pretty good despite the fact that his flights were delayed and he didn't get to my parents until around 4am.

So, after a dinner stop at Bob Evans (one of our go to eating locations en route to or from Ohio) we decided to push to Charlotte NC to stay at what will probably be our new hinge pin hotel location for trips. While we got in a bit later than is ideal, it wasn't too terrible and we have a suite. Having the kids sleep in one room and us in another it seems to be working waaaay better than hotels typically do. Tomorrow we're not in a big rush either...taking our time working our way back home.

Missions Accomplished!

This morning was so much fun! I got to meet up with Liz and fam and do a little photo-shoot. We'd talked about it before they got here and I was really excited we actually followed through! Despite a tired mini it was fun practice/play for me (plus a much needed break from my own kiddos) and hopefully I got a couple pictures of all of them together - something that seems to be a rarity for just about every family I know. This afternoon was rough back at my parents - Lincoln is so overtired and at this point just wants to go back to Florida - he doesn't want to do "ANYTHING!" We did have big plans for the evening - perhaps Nora had the largest plans...she was on a mission to make it to the Avon Lake Summer Market where she was going to meet Kelsey from Kelsey Elizabeth Cakes. We made it to the market (Lincoln too, despite a major meltdown as we were leaving) and as is typically the case, Nora accomplished what she set out to! I didn't want to embarrass her by taking a picture, but Kelsey did take a picture of Nora and the boys, AND there was this later on...

After a quick (very quick) spin through the market where there were SO MANY cute things by sooo many talented makers (I could have spent HOURS and lots of dollars) we went and got dinner at Beardens.

The food was alright, Nora got her milkshake and the train was a hit! After that we really pushed the envelope and stopped by my cousin Amy's brand new house to wish her a happy move in day. Kyle gets in tonight and we start our drive back South tomorrow. Hard to believe July is over, oh and there's so much packing still to do!

At the Helm

After a month of bad timing and lousy lake conditions, this morning was finally perfect to take the boat out. Lincoln got to put all of his Maj Dock lessons into practice as he got to take the helm. Nora did too. In addition to cruising off the shoreline of Bay Village we also did some tubing. Nora rode with me and Lady and Lincoln took a turn for the first time too! He went with me and did great, even willing to speed up quite a bit and managing to continue enjoying the ride even when we got stuck outside the wake for a while. Otto was antsy at times and was ready for a nap but overall did pretty well his first time out on the water thanks to Lady's wrangling skills. We made it in just in time to beat the rain and headed with my mom to Huntington to get some ice cream to cap off the outing. Despite the wait to get out on the water...I think we'd all give today a big

Out of this World!

Today was Children's Museum of Cleveland day! Liz, Jose, Liam and Olivia met up with us at the new Children's Museum and we had a lot of fun! It was kind of crowded but not completely overwhelming and there was just the right amount of "stuff" so that the kids remained completely engaged the whole time we were there, they were able to experience and test out everything before they got cranky and tired but I think there's still enough variety left that they could go back again and it would still feel fresh. We had lunch there too. It's a pretty well thought out place that isn't too over the top and has a lot of great free-play, loose object and parts play and a pretty diverse range of areas for kids to explore and engage in and with. There was a great balance of mental & physical activities and a lot of fun sensory touches thrown into each area. I was happy with the whole experience! Having never been to the old museum I can't compare the two but I'd recommend a visit to anyone visiting and looking for something fun to do with their littles! Bring extra hands if you can though because there's a lot of space to move about and with varying ages it's hard to keep the ones who need to be, on the radar but the staff is really attentive, so that was a comfort. This afternoon Nora and Lincoln played in the sprinkler while Otto took another long nap into the evening. We had dinner, my Aunt Patty stopped over and as I was being cried at from every direction as I was starting bedtime at a very resonable hour tonight my parent's neighbor called over to see if Nora wanted to come check out the planets in their telescope. While I battled a VERY tired Lincoln to bed my dad snuggled with an awake but fading Otto and my mom took Nora over to see the stars and planets. After a little over an hour I finally got Lincoln down, Otto was sooo ready for bed and went right to sleep and I snuck over to the neighbor's too.

Nora was totally into it and we were able to see Saturn - rings included, Jupiter and 4 of it's 79 moons along with the moon (I took that picture with my phone through the telescope) and Nora was checking out the big dipper too. We also spotted some satellites cruising overhead. Pretty cool way to cap off a fun day of learning and play! Also, a few things worth noting... 1) HAPPY BIRTHDAY JODUMS! 2) Happy Half Birthday to Nora (she was very aware!) 3) Merry Christmas in July and 4) It must be a Christmas in July miracle - because I am caught up on the blog for the first time in what feels like a year...or at least since like actual Christmas time! It only took me nearly the entire month of July but here we are, back on track...for now anyway!