From Ohio to Washington - What a Ride!

I spent last week on Ohio with my sisters and their families (minus Jeremiah of course - freakin' intern!!!). It was a lot of fun to hang out with my sisters again and see their kids after such a long time. Here is how it all went down: Cole and I flew to Chicago and then on to Cleveland. I tried giving him Benadryl before the flight, but, of course, it didn't work. Why would it?!? It was just me on a four hour flight with Cole - Murphy's Law states that Benadryl won't work in this scenario. Anyway, it was a full flight (again, Murphy's Law!) but luck was on my side, and because I had a baby in my lap, the only vacant seat left on the plane was next to me!! A really nice old man sat by the window, leaving Cole to seat next to him and me. He was very nice to Cole - and very patient with him. I got really lucky by the people who sat by me. Of course, Cole didn't sleep at all on the flight and cried for about an hour. The stewardesses gave Cole every snack they had, which I'm sure they thought they were being helpful, but all he did was make a mess of it all. In fact, I went to the bathroom to change his diaper (Southwest has a changing station on board!!!) and saw that, for the last half hour, I had Ritz cracker cheese under my nose (thanks to Cole and his plethora of snacks) and it was way obvious. How embarassing! Anyway, we survived the flight (barely) and at the layover discovered the wonderfulness of "moving walkways" in airports. They kept Cole busy for an hour (although I was bored to death and the people we kept passing probably thought we were crazy). And, of course, Cole fell asleep on the 45 minute flight from Chicago to Cleveland. It was good to be there and finally be on our way to Carissa's house where we could scream and cry - and no one rolls their eyes at us. On Sunday, Kelli and I watched the kids while Carissa and Adam went to his graduation ceremonies. It was a long day, but to brag about our awesomeness, we had all six kids (Olivia was with Carissa) asleep at one point! Woohoo! Monday was awesome! We went to Cedar Point and rode crazy roller coasters all day! My favorite was the Dragster and Millenium Force. We then went to Olive Garden to gorge ourselves with yummy food since we hadn't eaten all day (park food is EXPENSIVE!). Tuesday we went to the outlet malls and helped Carissa pack and clean, which is what we did on Wednesday too. We got to go to Mitchell's, which is Cleveland-talk for "best ice cream EVER!" and eat yummy burgers and fries at a Cleveland hamburger place. The 4-day drive home was looooooooong, and made even worse by my non-traveller Cole. The furthest we had ever driven with Cole was to IKEA - like 45 minutes away - so this 3000 mile trip was a little extreme for him, but we made it in one piece! We stayed at Hamptons the whole way home, and I need to put a plug in for them. Hampton Inn beds are AWESOME! And we even stayed at one that had a water slide inside! It brought the kid out in us again! This trip taught me to love cruise control, GPS, sleep, and an extra set of hands to hand Cole off to when I'm done with him (i.e. Bryan!). My dad was a huge helper with Cole, and Cole is Papa's biggest fan. My dad and I shared a room at the hotels and Cole slept in a port-a-crib. The first night he refused to sleep in it, and ended up falling asleep in my bed (unheard of for Cole until that night - he is NOT a snuggler at bedtime!) and then the next morning he woke up early and fell asleep with my dad (I didn't even hear him wake up, I was S-O T-I-R-E-D!). And although the ride was long, the scenery was beautiful. I got to see the Mississippi River and the Yellowstone River in Montana (so pretty there!). Anyway, the Poyfairs are now official residents of Washington, and I'm glad to be home in my own bed with my husband and kids. Here is a ridiculous amount of pictures for you to enjoy! Carissa didn't have a high chair, so we used the Bumbo with the tray. Cole loved it!

All the kids playing. They got along for the most part - as much as can be expected for four and two years olds!

Carissa showing off the graduation cap. I think she looks French!
Adam after graduation. Congrats Adam!


Cole learned to tolerate "girl" toys!


Playing on the toys at the outlet malls. Thankfully Cole doesn't know yet that these toys move with quarters!

Watching the ducks at the outlet malls.
Kelli and Roman
Cole became VERY attached to mommy on this trip.


Aubrey and Madelynn keeping each other company. They actually did a lot better together than they did apart. *sigh* Best friends already!

Aubrey loved the ice cream! See the video below:



Olivia and Hayden at Mitchell's.

Cole loved the ice cream, although he had issues eating it by himself.

Me and Roman before they left back to Toledo. I convinced him to come home with me!
Me, Kelli, and Carissa before the tears were shed. I miss you Kelli!

My dad directing traffic from the moving van. Nice diapers dad!! Haha!
Carissa and I saw this truck on the way home. I thought it was funny. What is he carrying?? Bibles? Liquor? Who knows!

Cole loved (and I mean LOVED) driving the moving van.




Me going down the water slide at the Hampton. It was way fun!

Cole had awesome hair when he woke up from a nap.
Cole riding the suitcase - it was his preferred mode of transportation.



While I was in Ohio (and all the states in between!) Rix and Bryce stayed home and were watched by lots of friends (thanks a million times over!) and by Bryan and Nana. Thank you for taking care of them and making sure they had a good time!