It all started on Sunday night when we packed the car for our trip. We would be gone for three whole days and we figured it would be a good dress-rehearsal for Christmas. We learned that we are really good packers as long as our only space limitation is a mini-van with one of the seats removed. Otherwise, we are in trouble.
Monday saw us on the road to Columbus. We decided on this particular destination for no other reason than the simple fact that it was not Cleveland. Don't get me wrong- we LOVE our home here- but it feels more and more like a vacation the farther you get from everyday life. Our first destination was originally meant to be COSI, but on arrival we learned that it was closed for the day. This was a bummer, but don't worry because it all works out in the end.
Instead we decided to check out the Columbus Zoo which received the very prestigious "Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award" this year. It was actually really cool because they also had an aquarium with sharks and sting rays and stuff, as well as a manatee pool. Have you ever seen a manatee? Well, I have. They're endangered, you know. And I think that when God made manatees, he was probably trying to win a who-can-create-the-fattest-ugliest-animal award. Evelyn loved the monkeys and gorillas. After reading the book Caps for Sale (see last week's blog), monkeys have become all the rage in our home. And it turns out Adalie actually has a penguin named after her (but they spelled it wrong- Adelie).
Eventually our sweet children spontaneously decided that they had seen enough, and all three of them broke into a chorus of screams and tears. Evelyn was especially effective, since she has mastered the secret turn-to-jello move that kids use when they want to draw extra attention. Rachel and I gathered them all up and tried to make a quick getaway, but got lost in the labyrinth that is built in the monkey habitat. Finally, we were able to get to the car and drive to our hotel before anyone could call CPS on us.
Just a word about our hotel. Instead of Columbus, we were originally going to go to a large indoor water park for our vacation. Plans changed, but we thought that we could retain some of our original plan by getting a hotel with a pool/jacuzzi. So we did, and the hotel was amazing. Our room had 16 foot high ceilings! Unfortunately the jacuzzi was being cleaned, so we couldn't use it, and the swimming pool was too cold for Evelyn to enjoy. Oh well. We tried.
On Tuesday we got back in the car and drove about an hour to Dayton, which holds the title as the #1 medium sized metropolitan area in the nation for growth and expansion, as well as the home of the Wright brothers (the ones with the funny names). But we didn't care about any of that. We were here for the Boonshoft museum. (It was named after Oscar Boonshoft. It turns out that Dayton has a long history of funny names.) The Boonshoft museum is an amazing museum for kids, and Evelyn loved it. They also had a planetarium there and I took Eva to a show while Rachel fed Jack and Addy. Evelyn is turning out to be quite the astronomer. Something about stars catches her attention, and she was thoroughly entertained for the duration of the show. Not even 101 Dalmatians can beat that!
On Wednesday we went back to COSI. It actually stands for the Center Of Science and Industry and is the #1 science museum in the country according to Parenting magazine. It was really cool. I don't know that Evelyn appreciated this place quite as much as the others, but it was mine and Rachel's favorite place on the entire trip. There were over a thousand hands-on exhibits and all were fun and unique. In Rachel's words, "It's what I'd imagine I'd make if someone gave me an unlimited budget and an unlimited amount of time to make a science museum." That evening we packed up the car and said goodbye to Columbus and headed home.
Thursday, of course, was Thanksgiving. We had a very relaxing morning, and then had Thanksgiving dinner with the Tippits and the Bonds, some of our good friends here in Cleveland. Between all of us we were able to create quite the feast. We also found that we enjoyed the intimacy of a small gathering instead of the big group party that we have done in years past. After dinner we played some games and divided up all the leftovers. I am thankful that we only have to eat Turkey once a year.
On Friday I paid homage to the Retail gods my making my pilgrimage to Target at 4:30 in the morning and standing in line in a frigid wind with a bunch of crazies (yes, I realize that I was one of them). I actually failed to mention that on Wednesday, our last day in Columbus, my coat was stolen with our camera in the pocket (unfortunately you all missed out of the picture of Rachel wrestling the Gorilla at the zoo- it was great!). The silver lining for us was that we were only a few days away from the biggest camera sale of the year. Later that day, we just relaxed and watched Pixar's "Up", which gave us inspiration for this year's gingerbread house (look for more on this in upcoming posts).
On Saturday I decided that I hadn't been to enough museums this week, so I took Evelyn to the children's museum which is just down the street from our house. Later that day, Adalie had a major breakthrough as she rolled over for the first time. I always knew we had an athlete hiding under all that baby fat. Jackson still just moans into the floor if you put him on his belly. Add that to the fact that he looks like a leper (eczema) and it actually makes for a pretty sad sight. Also, that evening we gathered with a bunch of our friends and enjoyed eating brats, ribs, and wings while watching BYU beat Utah. Go Cougars!
And now it is Sunday. We have had a relaxing day, and a great week. I go back to school tomorrow, but Christmas vacation ("Winter Break" if you want to be politically correct) is coming up in just three weeks. This vacation has been wonderful and I will miss all the time that I have been able to spend with my family this week.
Here are some pictures we took with our new camera:
This is my sweet little girl. Very nice.
Tummy Time
These were taken during the football game
Wow, what a trip! You guys are always so fun and adventurous, I am jealous!
ReplyDeleteGreat trip! Do you guys ever get tired??? The babies look fantastic. Can't wait to hold them at Christmas.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Dad