Ohio

We had a good time visiting Heidi and Dave.  Daniel and I are still congratulating ourselves on flying successfully with a 22-month-old and a 4-month-old.




Heidi and Dave were so hospitable--planning for the kids so thoroughly before we got there that we arrived to find not only a pack-n-play, but also a full crib set up for Lucy, a booster seat, a bumbo, a play corner with a toy chest, and even a training potty.
 

It turned out to be really fortunate that the house was so well child-proofed and kid-friendly, because we spent a lot of our time indoors.



It was in the 40s the whole weekend, and overcast.  If you've been around many 2-year-olds, you know they usually love to be outside.   But it was so cold that even with her coat, Lucy had a definite time limit for being outside. 



Our first outing was to Lehman's, where they sell all kinds of cool stuff, like appliances that work without electricity and all sorts of kitchen stuff and old fashioned toys.



Lucy is underneath a customizable wood-burning oven here.



There was a train that went around the toy area that Lucy was a huge fan of.  Train!  Train!  Choo-choo!!!
 

Next we stopped at Hartzler's for non-homogenized whole milk from grass-fed cows... and ice cream made from that milk!  Our favorite was the peanut-butter ice cream with peanut-butter cups and chocolate chunks.  It was amazing.



Elliot has become so kissable lately.  He smiles when you kiss his neck, and it is so cute.



Hartzler's had a little playground beside it, and although it was really too cold to play long, Lucy loved the slide.



This is the awesome van Heidi rented to pick us up from the airport - complete with car-seat for Lucy.  So thoughtful, and so prepared! 



Heidi and Dave live off a small country road, surrounded by fields.  There is a small lake about 200 feet from their back door, and there are railroad tracks between their house and the lake.  It is really lovely.



This is the view from their living room window.  So peaceful.



I loved that there was not just one, but two railroad tracks close enough to their house to see the train as it passed.  Lucy got such a kick out of watching the trains go by.




We read this book (Quick As A CricketI) over and over to Lucy.



Bath time.



We kept hoping it would warm up, but it stayed really cold.



It was so nice to be surrounded by windows that looked out onto pretty things.




On our last full day there, we went out to see Heidi's favorite thrift/antique store, The Rusty Bucket.




It was really cool!  They had a lot of neat stuff, including some Robeez shoes for Elliot that were free!



We also went to see some friends of Heidi and Dave's.



They live on this huge plot of land and have chickens in their back yard!



We found this cool playground with lots of slides.



...So of course Lucy loved it and didn't want to leave.

 

And the next day we pep talked ourselves up, went to the airport, and made the flight home!  The flight home wasn't nearly as nice as the way there.  There was a flight attendant who didn't seem to like kids, and that put a damper on everything.  But the kids did reasonably well, and we made it home safely.  Heidi and Dave, thanks again--we had a great time visiting you!