Cincinnati- Vacation Part Two

I wrote earlier today that our vacation was nine days. In fact, it was ten. We left last Wednesday around 3pm to head to the airport to fly to Chicago. We spent Wednesday night through Sunday morning there then drove to Cincinnati to rediscover Jays roots. We spent Sunday evening through Thursday morning there.

Being that I started the posts with our flight home, I'll continue working backwards....so Part Two is the Cincinnati portion of vacation.

We arrived Sunday evening after driving from Chicago. When we got in, we had a drink and apps outside then walked to a local playground in Auntie Maris and Auntie Jennifers neighborhood. The park was a BIG hit with Remy. It was nice to get outside and stretch our legs after the drive.

We played it pretty low key after that. Jennifer made us a wonderful dinner and we sat around talking for a few hours. Maris announced that she and Jennifer are engaged and will have a commitment ceremony next spring. We toasted the announcement with champagne.

Monday morning we headed to Auntie Lindas farm. She has all sorts of animals there...horses, dogs, cats- you name it. Remy and Jack were lucky enough to enjoy a ride on one of the horses. They also spent lots of time with their cousins- Isaiah and Farrah. Jay and I caught up with some of his relatives. Auntie Linda and Uncle Mike cooked up a storm and showed us all a good time.

On Tuesday, we made our way to the Cincinnati Zoo. We met Auntie Maris' friend, Katie, there with her two boys. We toured all around to the different animals and had lunch and ice cream. Great time for the kids.

Tuesday night, everyone (with the exception of Nate and I who enjoyed an early bedtime) went to a Cincinnati Reds game. I am told that everyone had a wonderful time- lots of souvenirs and fun snacks like cotton candy and pretzels. yum.

Wednesday morning, we headed to another playground. Nate loved the swings, Remy the monkey bars and anything she could slide down and Jack made up timed obstacle courses for himself.

After the park, Jay went home because he wasnt feeling well. Never a good thing- especially on vacation. He was very bummed that he had to miss the kids trying Skyline Chilli- a Cincinnati tradition- for the first time without him. They all loved it. Especially Nate who couldnt get enough. Auntie Maris and I literally had to pull him away from the table.

Auntie Maris then took us to a toy store. Remy remarked that "Santa must really like this store" because there were so many cool toys there. Maris let each child pick out a special toy. Jack got a hex bug ant that kept him entertained for hours. Remy a Littlest Pet Shop snake. Nate a wooden car that is just the right size for him to hold.

We thought Auntie Maris was done then- but no. She took us to the coolest childrens clothing store and bought Nate some much needed shoes. They are very cute.

After that, we drove back to Maris' neighborhood and had ice cream and treats at an ice cream shop. We basically ate our way through that day.

When we got home, Jay was feeling a little better so we ordered take out and watched a movie. We also attempted to get all three kids to bed early but they werent having that after so many previous late nights.

Thursday morning we woke up and had a quick breakfast then headed back to Chicago. We spent the night at a hotel near the airport. It was draft night so we watched that on tv and Uncle Bri came over to hang out with us. Friday morning, we headed to the airport (see previous post)...