Okay, we have been back from vacation for 3 days now, and I think I am finally rested up. I didn't think this trip would wear me out, since it was going to be so low key, but any trip with three young kids is exhausting! Am I right? You know I am! ;-)
We went to Toledo, Ohio to visit my mom's side of the family. We arrived on Thursday the 9th, and the very first thing we did was jump in my Aunt and Uncle's pool. Very refreshing (and cold) after a long drive. Of course, I needed the water to make me feel clean.
You see on our drive we were heading through the Chicago area traffic and Josh kept complaining that he had to go to the bathroom. My mom was driving, and she wasn't able to pull over any time soon. So, I took my large McDonald's cup to the back and had Josh pee in the cup. He was a little unsure of this idea, but I reassured him it would be fine. Was I wrong! My mom had to hit the brakes, and she says she told me to brace myself, but I missed that warning completely. So, the cup and I flew towards the front, and Josh kept peeing. He wound up peeing on me. Ugh! I cleaned myself up with wipes, but I still didn't feel fresh. The chlorinated water took care of that, as well as helped relax my body. We need a pool!
After our swim, we went out to dinner at The Barn Restaurant, which is located in Archbold, Ohio. It is right outside the historic Sauder village. The food was very tasty. It was a buffet, and I had a fajita, mashed potatoes, bread pudding, salad, and cream of mushroom soup. Yum! Next time I hope we will get there early enough to walk through the historic village too.
Friday morning Aunt Cathy and Uncle Rodger took us to Grand Rapids, which is the town that my mom, dad and I lived in before we left Ohio when I was 5. We drove around trying to find our old home, but we had no luck. The problem was that none of us remembered what street we lived on back then. After driving around, we walked through some of the shops downtown. I was very excited to find a coobook put together by the American Legion ladies in Grand Rapids. It's the little things in life!
Once we were done there, we dropped my Aunt Cathy and Uncle Rodger back off at home, and we went to visit my Aunt Barb, cousin Barbie, and cousin Angel and her three girls. I can't even remember the last time I saw my Aunt Barb and Barbie, and I had never met Angel or her girls. My kids got along great with her girls, and I learned that I have quite a bit in common with Angle...we both have three kids, like to cook, and struggle to keep our homes as clean as we would like. ;-)
Here is a picture of Angel's and my kids together. From left to right we have Meghan (with her lip whistle Angel gave her), Mary Jane, Abby, Buggy (which is obviously her nickname), Ali & Josh. When we were leaving my kids kept saying, "Bye Buggy! I love you Buggy!" It was sweet!
While we were visiting, I spotted this really cool plant arrangement hanging from Angel's front porch. Her husband made it for her out of a large shephards hook and terra cotta pots. I am so going to do that next year! Such a unique idea.
Friday night was a fun night. My mom, Aunt Cathy, cousin Cindy, and I all went out to bingo. We split our winnings between the four of us, so we each walked away with $15. Of course, Cindy and I only mentioned about 20 times that we were the only two to actually call bingo that night. We wouldn't want to hold it over their heads too much. LOL!
On the way home from bingo somebody tooted, I can't even remember who, and we all were laughing so hard. I didn't even know bodily functions could be that funny. I had to pull the car over because I was laughing so hard. I couldn't see the road, and I am only slightly embarrassed to say that I dribbled a bit in my pants. Once the laughter subsided, I started driving towards their home, and this is what we found when we got there...
They were all sacked out. Aren't they just precious?
The next day we ventured out to...
This is a fabulous zoo! Way cooler than our local zoo. Here are some pics from our day.
My mom and her sister, Cathy, had way too much fun. They are a hoot!
Okay, call me a dork. I don't care. I had to take this picture because I never knew a zoo would have such good food. I thoroughly enjoyed my Blue Cheese and Bacon Burger. Oh, and the chips and salsa they brought out was fantastic. The salsa had almost too much heat for me, but I was not complaining.
Doesn't Josh look thrilled to be a butterfly? Love it!
He is much happier here being a more "masculine" animal. Silly kid!
Ali liked pretending she had a bird on her shoulder. She is a hoot!
The zoo has a new kid area, and in that area is this cool stream. I fought the urge to take off my shoes and walk through it too.
Inside the "forest" we found a huge honeycomb, trees that we could talk through, an ant tube, and this spider web. Notice the little boy that I couldn't crop out of the photo. I think he was a little miffed that he had to wait until we were done. I promise we didn't take super long!
Next to the "forest" was the "home." My kids crawled through the doggy door to get into the house. Very fun! I didn't have to fight the urge to try that. I was too afraid I would get stuck LOL! Here I am giving Ali a big ol' smooch on her cheek while we chill for a bit.
They also have a small goat petting area. I was surprised my kids weren't more freaked out by this, since it took Josh and Meghan days to warm up to my Aunt Cathy & Uncle Rodger's dog, Molly.
While we were in the zoo, we went into the Toledo Museum of Science building. There were some really creepy bugs in there. I was fascinated by this one water bug though because it swam like a turtle. Quite cool!
I just love this picture of Meghan hammin' it up with the T-Rex replica in the museum. She is such a ham bone!
After the zoo, as well as all the next day, we were fish. We swam in the pool, played in the hot tub, and we even had a hobo dinner. That is where you boil a pot of water outside and add ham, kielbasa, cabbage, onions, carrots, and potatoes. Usually everyone that comes to the shindig brings one of those items. It is very tasty, and it is something that you can munch on from early afternoon to late at night. Of course, you will also end up gassy from the cabbage. Trust me on this!
Here are Josh and I enjoying the hot tub.
Aren't my girls cuties?
I absolutely love this picture of all three of my kiddos. I want to frame this somewhere in my home.
Ali was enjoying being flipped off a raft by her cousin, Corey. Good times! My cousin, Cindy, brought her goddaughter, Maya, over. Maya and Ali took turns getting flipped. They were lovin' this.
Josh found a car that he was way to big for, but he insisted on playing with it anyway. The boy loves anything on wheels! Meghan was enjoying riding the bike.
She also got a turn in the car too. It was just her size!
We left Toledo on Sunday morning. It was a great trip, but I admit I was ready to get back to our routine. I got to do some shopping on the way home, so that made the trip back pretty enjoyable for me. I didn't even get peed on! ;-)
I found this fun houseplant. It's called a ponytail palm, and I fell in love with it right away. I especially love that the tag says this plant wants minimal attention, because that is about all I give my other plants. 
Do you go to Sam's Club? Do you ever find cool things you can't pass up? Do tell!
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