Ice Cream Crawl 2016

Correct me if I'm wrong, but being able to eat as much ice cream as you want, any time you want it has got to be one of the top ten best things about being an adult. Un-policed dairy consumption somewhat makes up for all the taxes and yard work and junk. And so, using our adult prerogative Josh, Kate, Dylan and I made the VERY mature decision to hire a couple of babysitters for our collective six children and spend an entire evening eating all the ice cream in Cleveland without them. 

First stop: Sweet Moses.

The turtle sundae with the salted pecans is a pretty good reason for living.

We also hit up Mason's Creamery for the very first time and I give it soooo many thumbs up. Kate got an Affogato because she's a good decision maker and I got a side of churros with my ice cream cone because so am I. They also show movies outside in the green space behind the building in the summer time.  Now that we know that we definitely need to plan a return trip with plenty of time to stay for the show.

Our last (but certainly not least) stop of the night was Mitchell's in Ohio City.  We took ours to go and walked the neighborhood a bit and enjoyed a pretty perfect summer night. 

Kate finished hers first and thus became the 2016 title holder of the first Ice Cream Crawl championship. (A true champion in a literal city of champions #gocavs).  And this will undoubtedly become an annual event because as I mentioned before we are adults who make great decisions, and this night is definitely deserving of a repeat. 

Ice Cream Crawl 2016 over and out!

Life Lately

It's March! It's March, it's March and tomorrow it's supposed to be 55 and sunny! We've spent the whole winter slogging through with out much to do and then as if with the flip of the calendar month life somehow got the message that spring is on it's way and life picked up the pace. We actually managed to leave the house the last couple of weeks for reasons outside of school and work. And looking at the month ahead and all that we have planned, things are, dare I say, even beginning to look busy?

We'd been feeling bad for the boys, having been cooped up inside for so long with it being such a cold winter. (-20 degrees was the norm there for awhile.) So we decided to surprise them with a trip to an indoor water park in Columbus. We didn't tell them about it ahead of time and I managed to sneak the bag full of swim suits and towels into the car without them noticing. We just told them to put on shoes because we had a surprise for them. We stopped first for lunch at one of the few places around here that you can order a hot dog off the menu because Wes had been asking for a hot dog for weeks (I think he was craving summer as much as we are). Then we headed south for the big surprise :) They had no idea where we were until we actually got inside the building and then holy cow were they excited. Wes's jaw literally dropped when he saw where we were, it was so cute. Needless to say they had a blast. We could hardly keep track of them because they were so excited and running in a million different directions. We actually did lose Oren a couple times (of course) but overall it was a total success. Ever even seemed to like splashing around in the shallow end although I think she was a bit overwhelmed by all the people and noise. It was just what we needed and the boys fully wore themselves out, which was perfect for the long drive home.

We also got to celebrate Josh's sister Nicole's birthday a few days ago. We finally got to try out 3 Palms, which everyone has been raving about. I now see why. It's the only place I know of in the area that's making traditional style pizza like the kind you get in Italy. Gosh, it was good. And their meatballs? Amazing. I wanted to try everything on the menu - and I intend to over time (we will definitely be back.)

And Lauren came to visit! And her husband Adam and they brought superhero LEGO sets for the boys (because they're geniuses) and that occupied them practically the whole day while we got to lounge around chatting and catching up. This was her first time meeting Ever and I think they hit it off quite well ;) After lunch we made sure to stop by Mary Coyle for ice cream because one can not come to town without partaking of the Coyle. We even let Wes get his very own sundae for bringing home an excellent report card the day before (I usually make the boys split one). This was basically the best day ever.

These kids of mine. Man, they're just the sweetest. Oren has turned into quite the little kitchen helper. He wants to help with everything when I'm cooking these days, and I'm more than happy to oblige. I like the one on one time it affords us while also teaching him practical skills and responsibility around the kitchen. Also, the sooner these kids can make meals around here, the better IMO. Let's just hope this interest sticks. 

And how cute is that picture of the boys together in Wes's bed? They decided to have a sleepover together friday night. They are best friends and I love it so much. Not to say that they don't fight over toys or what tv show to watch, but for the most part they are the best little brothers. I'm so happy they have each other. Built in best friends. 

Then we have Miss Ever. Growing and developing by leaps and bounds these days! She rolled over for the first time (from belly to back) the day before she turned four months old. She laughs, blows raspberries, has found her toes and started eating solids. I'm just completely enamored with her. See that little face up there? When she flashes me that smile I'm a total goner. You want the car keys? A whole new wardrobe? A trip to Europe? Your wish is my command and you may have whatever you'd like. Resistance is futile.

How is March treating you guys so far? (Anything's better than February, amiright?)

Another Weekend Recap

This is just a little collection of photos from this past weekend when Adam, Julie and Jordyn came to town for a visit. There was a lot of time spent at home curled up on the sofa or in chairs with blankets and good conversation while the children occupied themselves. But the sunny day required we get out of the house a bit on Saturday despite the cold temperatures. We stopped by Akron's most fun vintage shop and the kids picked out comic books and rode in the fire engine while the adults dug through the stacks of records and even brought home a few gems. Then we took ourselves out for ice cream sundaes, squeezed in a quick jaunt through a local pet store and then finished the day freezing our faces off at the playground. It was maybe a better idea in theory. Spring, whenever you want to come back again we are ready for you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Columbus for a Day

On Saturday after Wes's soccer practice my dad and Patty picked the boys up and took them on a trip up to the cleveland natural history museum and then back to their house for a sleepover. This was the first time both boys have gone for an overnight together and we really wanted to take advantage of that day to ourselves and do something a little special. So we drove down to Columbus and had lunch at Lindey's (oh, that lobster bisque. I get googly eyes just thinking about it.) and then spent the rest of the day walking around german village and the short north. We got ice cream cones at Jeni's (sweet corn and black raspberry is back in season!) and did some window shopping and thrifting. It was so nice to eat lunch with both hands and no booster seats. We got to take our time and pop in and out of shops with out worrying about anyone breaking anything or needing a diaper change. And we even slept in the next morning until after 9am! It was a really nice break, but also a little weird having such a quiet house.  To be honest I was so ready to get the boys back the next day. I missed them!