Back Home (part 2 - more pics)

First post is below, here are some more pictures:

Faith, Zayde, and Mari (can't see her) on the Little Dipper

Tooks finally got on a roller coaster! This kiddie coaster at Memphis Kiddie Park is actually the oldest Steel Roller Coaster in North America - who knew? Anyway, this was Tookie's first roller coaster and she LOVED it! When she rode with me the first time, when we got to the top of the hill she said "Are you ready for the fast part?" So cute! And Steph was watching and said she had the biggest smile on her face the whole time. Faith rode in a seat all by herself this time. Hard picture to take.

This picture is so cute and perfect it's almost sickening - it either belongs on a greeting card or a commerical for some kind of antidepressant:


Long story:

Basically, I exiled myself to keep the kids amused so the other adults could converse in peace. They had already exhausted all the possibilities of hide and seek, ring around the rosie, and even done a pretend concert. All there was left was a bag of paper cups.


You know your daughter's bangs are out of control when they get full of ice cream:


Summing up the trip in a single picture:

Back home

Sorry about the odd post - it looks like the Fairfield internet connection had some kind of block on the word "girl". Anyway, should be fixed now.

To sum up the rest of the trip - it got a lot better. Everyone finally decided to behave themselves. The dinner event went smoothly, the girls were good, even adorable at times, we had a wonderful breakfast at Jack's Deli this morning, and are now back at home with a pound of corned beef and a half a loaf of good rye bread.

Aside: Anyone reading this who knows of a good Kosher or Kosher-style deli in Cincinnati, please let me know. We literally have to drive 4-5 hours to get corned beef. And don't say Izzy's. No offense to the good people there, but saying Izzy's serves good corned beef is like saying Taco Bell is authentic Mexican. Anyway...

So we're back home now in that post-drive daze, just trying to get ourselves to bedtime. Our BIG summer trip to the Smokies and Chattanooga is in a couple weeks.

Here (and in the next post) are a few of the best pics:

Artificial bliss:

Now, I feel the need to clarify. I am not a big fan of the in-car DVD player. I want my kids to look at their surroundings and actually have the getting there be an active part of the trip. That said, the drive from Cincinnati to Cleveland is genuinely boring. There is nothing to look at. So this time, I didn't mind. The girls know that when we go to Tennessee, there will be lots of times when they are not allowed to watch a movie.


For a Cincinnati family, this is a weird sight:


Took 'driving':

This is funny too - when Faith first went on 'car rides' like this, she was super serious and we're pretty sure she thought she actually had to steer. Mari on the other hand doesn't even try to pretend. Just free-wheelin' it.

After government cuts, this is all that's left of the space program:


Just before the skies opened up and we all got soaked:


more pics soon!