Super Nanny and Pap Pap

At the end of October Nanny and Pap Pap made the trip to visit us in Cincinnati. I didn't take many pictures, but I took a bunch of pictures of us hanging out on the couch. We had fun while they were here and wish they were closer so we could spend more time together. 

It was super fun to spend Halloween with them and take Pap Pap trick or treating for his first time ever. Sophia also enjoyed showing off her dance moves for them.

The picture below is one of my favorites. Sophia needed to get her 'reading glasses' (just like Nanny and Pap Pap) when it was time to read bedtime stories.

Road Trip! {part two}

My parents live a little less than two hours from Dave's parents, so we drove out for a quick visit. I wish we could have stayed longer, but the girls and I were getting a little road weary and missing Dave and our pups.

After a mere twenty-four hours with Nanny and Pap Pap we drove across the state and spent the night in a hotel.

We ate breakfast in bed and headed off on the last leg of our journey.

The girls did so good on our almost 1,200 mile trip, but we were all so happy to be home and back in our own beds. 

Sesame Place

During our time visiting with family, we took a day trip to Sesame Place. Prior to our visit, Sophia had never watched an episode of Sesame Street, but that has changed since then. If I am being honest, I was not excited about going, but I am so glad we went. We were hoping to visit on a weekday, but the weather forecast was a little more favorable for us to visit on the weekend. The lines were a little longer, but we were able to visit most of the rides we wanted to.

As we are walking into the park Sophia saw the Vapor Trail roller coaster and immediately wanted to ride it. My dad took her on all of the traditional rides and I tackled all of the water rides. I was nervous for her, but she LOVED riding her first roller coaster.

Our next stop was the lazy river, which was a big hit as long as we weren't going under the fountains or waterfalls. Thank goodness I brought her baseball hat - the brim kept some of the water out off of her face.

I tried to get her in Ernie's Waterworks, but she wasn't really interested, since her face would have gotten wet.

We waited in our first long line for Slimey's Chutes. We both loved the slide but Sophia would have rather ridden in a single tube (mainly because it was pink) rather than the double tube with me.

Our next ride was the Sky Splash which had a ridiculously long line. Neither one of us liked this one. The drop from the giant slide was fun, but getting there involved a lot of spinning that left us a little dizzy.

We took a break from the water rides after lunch and Sophia rode the carousel...

climbed in the Monster Clubhouse (which seemed much friendlier than the nets I remember from when I was a kid)...

and enjoyed some of the spinny rides.

Thankfully the whining and pouty lip only surfaced a few times. She was upset that she was too short for a few of the rides and tired of waiting in line for the ones she could ride.

After a quick picture with Ernie, we rode the Sesame Streak, which I loved as a kid. Sophia enjoyed it just as much as I did.

Our last ride of the day was a trip back to the Lazy River since there wasn't much of a wait to get back on it. Sophia was feeling a little braver and put her legs through the tube instead of just laying across it.

We were able to catch the Parade and I took a slew of pictures on my phone, but they aren't the best quality.

Special thanks to Nana for keeping the little one cool and entertained while Sophia enjoyed the rides and Grandpop for taking a ton of pictures for us.

On the way out, I realized that we hadn't taken a group picture so we snapped a quick selfie with my phone. Lousy quality picture, but great day!

Sophia had some money to spend in the gift shop and (of course) she picked (another stuffed animal) Snuffleupagus. He has a spot in her bed, except now his name is Rosie.

I hope we get to visit again next year!

Road Trip! {part one}

A few weeks ago the girls and I took a road trip to Pennsylvania to see family. Our ride there was a little more eventful than I would have liked it to be with Sophia getting carsick twice. Add that to stopping for rest breaks and feeding the babe, and our ride ended up being quite a few more hours than I expected.

We spent the majority of the time visiting with my parents and relaxing. I was able to get some sleep at night while Grandpop and Nana woke up with Emma for her frequent feedings. We were also lucky to meet up and celebrate with friends. I didn't take anywhere near as many pictures as I wanted to, but I am so happy that we were able to make the trip.

Sophia's favorite parts of the trip were helping to take care of the garden at Nana and Grandpop's house and take care of the birds at Grandmom and Grandpop's house. She also had her first trip to Sesame Place while we were in Pennsylvania. My dad was our photographer and did a great job documenting our day. Stayed tuned for pictures soon!

F-A-M-I-L-Y {part 2}

The last post had a few too many pictures, so here is a little bit more from our adventures with Grandpop, Nana, and Uncle Buy-in.

Dave was off on Sunday and we headed over to Krohn Conservatory to check out the butterflies.

Had the weather cooperated, we would have enjoyed a picnic at Eden Park, but it was raining so we went out to lunch and then spent the rest of the day playing at the house.

On Monday we said goodbye to Grandpop and Nana and our swagger wagon. Sophia was rather upset to say goodbye to the Grands, but she was also quite sad to say goodbye to third row seating and her very own cup holder. I, on the other hand, was quite happy to get back to my compact little hatchback.

After lunch at Dave's restaurant, we visited the Children's Museum for the first time. I'm not sure who enjoyed themselves more - Bryan or Sophia. I was happy to cuddle Emma and be an observer. 

Tuesday brought an end to our adventures with family. Sophia was thrilled to bring Uncle Buy-in to watch her at gymnastics before we brought him to the airport. Don't be too fooled by the picture below. Sophia was genuinely sad to say goodbye to her uncle, but at this particular moment she was over tired and wanted chocolate more than she wanted to give him a hug.

The best news of this whole post is that the girls and I are headed to Pennsylvania to visit with family. Not thrilled about the price of plane tickets so we are taking a nice long road trip. Wish us luck!