A Week at Nana and Papa’s House

We got to Ohio on the 26th and we stayed until January 1, 2011.  We had a blast playing with my parents, my sister, brother-in-law, Hayley and Rylee.

The cousins really had a great time together.  Hayley is 7 and Rylee is 2.  She is about 10 months younger than Lindy and Will.  Even so, she is bigger than both of them!  Will and Rylee had a lot of fun together - when they weren’t fighting over a toy.  They seem to play a lot this trip.   Hayley was a great helper and babysitter.  Lindy seemed to hang around the adults a lot more than the other kids but she’d join in for some running of the laps and for the cooking.  My parents have a kitchen and food that all the kids still play with.  Hayley sets it up as a restaurant and ‘cooks’ us food and has her ‘employees’ deliver us food.  My dad thinks it is crazy that they all got new toys for Christmas and they still spent the majority of the time playing with the old kitchen. 

On Monday we celebrated Christmas and had our Christmas dinner.  Tuesday the guys went to the movies and the girls hung out at the house.  Wednesday morning the entire family checked out the Cleveland Children’s Museum.  Having just recently been to two local children’s museums, the Cleveland one was really disappointing.  It was tiny and over-crowded and one main exhibits was closed.  The kids had fun and really that is all that matters but it left a lot to be desired.  We ate lunch in downtown Cleveland and took the kids home for naps.  The girls went and did a little shopping after we got home.  Thursday the girls went shopping and then we took Hayley to see Yogi Bear.  Friday my sister and family left and my mom and I took the kids and went shopping for my birthday present – a new coat. 

We had a very tame New Years Eve.  We just had dinner at home and we were all in bed around 11pm.  It is the first time that I don’t remember at least staying up to watch the ball drop.  We were driving home the next day and we wanted to get a good nights sleep. 

Saturday we packed up and headed out around 9:30am.  We pulled in our driveway around 5:30pm.  We had a great time but it is always good to get home. 

Here are a few (hundred) pictures from our week in Ohio.

Uncle Lee teaching Will to golf.Will liked playing with Kate.The kids watched way more tv last week than normal.  I thought I might have to detox them when they got home, but they have been fine.We played this game called Cuponk.  It was really fun and provided some ridiculous pictures!  You try to get a ping pong ball in a cup.  You draw a card and it tells you how you are supposed to do it.  With an ice cream scoop.  Bounced down the steps.  Off a couch.  All kinds of crazy ways.I straightened Hayley’s hair one morning.  She looked so different but so pretty!  She hated it!The best was when you had to put it between your feet and jump and get it in the cup.  Look at the vertical leap on this guy!A meeting of the iXL’s.We celebrated Drew’s birthday  (which was Jan. 2nd) before my sisters family left.  Hayley made signs for his chair.  It was also my sister’s 10th wedding anniversary.Trying to get a picture of these four kids proved difficult!But I got one!Pretty decent group shot done with a tripod and the timer.  How everyone is looking and smiling I will never understand.