B and Buddy visited the highest point in Ohio in January 2010 in the snow, on their own. They got certificates. This has been a bitter subject for Princess Sparkley who is all about certificates, but turned down the chance to go on that trip. On the way home from Ohio, we were on a county trip in the area so we stopped again for the entire family to get this high point.
Little Guy is very adamant that he does not want to get counties. We usually give high fives to each other when we get a new county. Little Guy makes sure each time that we understand that he does not want us to give him high fives. He feels the same way about high points and having to raise his hands in the air. I usually have to bribe him with candy. This time, I tried Peanut Butter M&Ms to which he said, "I don't like peanut butter." (How is this kid mine!?!) So I had to promise him that I'd dig some plain M&Ms out of the trail mix for him. (Because he loves trial mix but without all the "yucky stuff, only M&Ms.)
He and PS were both thrilled with their certificates. Hooray for the high point in Ohio!
Now that Buddy has graduated from T-ball, he's been wanting to practice hitting pitched balls. Luckily he has a dad that loves baseball as much as he does, so we've spent a lot of time at Grandma's playing baseball. (Videos coming.)
Contrary to what these pictures may lead you to believe, Little Guy had a great time at Grandma's pool. His favorite part, squirting Grandpa with water. The big kids also had a blast. There were two water slides that dumped into three and a half feet of water that they were just tall enough to go down. Buddy was brave and agreed to go after I told him I'd pay him a quarter if he went right then. He spent the rest of the time (hours) going down the slides. Princess Sparkley was promised a quarter from me and another from Grandma. It turned out to be her favorite part of the pool. Even B, Grandpa and I went down a few times. (Video coming of the big kids on the slide).
The grandparents were trying to take us to their local minor league game, but they were sold out. Then they decided if they took us to a Friday night Cincinnati game there would be fireworks, and we wouldn't have to make a crazy stop on our way home to see a fireworks show in West Virginia somewhere.
At the beginning of the game, Princess Sparkley, who isn't as excited about baseball, asked if I'd ever been on the giant tv at a baseball game. I explained to her that we've been to a lot of games and never known anyone on the jumbo tron. Flash forward several innings, the jumbotron pans across Buddy's arm (he says he's sure he saw it and it was waving) to Little Guy, me, Grandma M and PS before it heads to the baby Reds fan next to PS. Very fun!
And the fireworks afterwards were awesome! We tend to hit baseball games around the 4th of July because we're already going to be in a a crowd, why not skip the 4th of July fireworks viewing crowd and just enjoy the fireworks at the game. This show was really long and super impressive. Very loud as well, which PS didn't enjoy.
Also, I have a cousin who lives in Cincinnati. I figured there was no point calling his family when we'd only be in the town for a short period of time during which we'd be at the game. I found out the next day via Facebook that his family was at the game! Based on their pictures, they were a few sections to our left and down.
What was going to be just our family of five, B's parents and B's little brother with his wife and new baby, turned into a family reunion with all 23 Ms present.
The kids had a great time with their cousins. I saw Buddy for about ten minutes each day. Usually for a food request, or because he needed to use a bathroom and they were all occupied. He was in the basement playing the Wii or in the "Lego Room" building Lego creations.
Little Guy got along great in the Lego room, or hanging out with his cousin Danny, just 6 months older than him.
Princess Sparkley was in heaven with her two girl cousins and getting to hold the newest girl cousin, 4 month old Amy.
We over packed on shoes and socks because we barely left Grandma's house. B went and played football with Grandpa's ward Thanksgiving morning and went on a 10 county solo trip to Indiana on Black Friday. When he got back, he and I hit a few stores. And we went to church on Sunday. That's about it for leaving the house. Otherwise we played games, played Rockband, chatted and ate.
Grandma/Grandpa and their 13 grandkids. B and M family. H and G family. B and N family. Not pictured: B and L family.
After traveling to B's parents' in Ohio last January and dealing with cold and snowy driving, we decided this year we'd make our holiday trip to Ohio in November, hoping to miss that. And we did. No snow. Yea.
B skipped his Tuesday night class and we left Tuesday morning around lunchtime. Because it's B... we of course picked up counties on the way**. 10 of them. (12 for Little Guy.) And we got a new highest point**: West Virginia's Spruce Knob (4,863 feet), the tallest mountain in the Alleghenies.
After winding up and around this mountain road past deer hunter after deer hunter, we finally made it to the top. And it was windy and COLD.
Here's the lookout tower.
Here we all are celebrating on top of the lookout tower. And freezing. And almost being blown off.
Since there was no clear marker for where the high point was, at least that we could find, we also took our celebratory pictures with the sign.
We listened to every Weezer album on our drive starting with the Blue Album and ending with Raditude. (We got to our hotel before we could listen to Hurley, and their two newest albums (released in November) are only on our cell phones). B gave them the behind the scenes info on the band (like how there is a big space between the Blue Album and Pinkerton because Rivers (the lead singer) had surgery to lengthen one of his legs).
We stopped for the night in Bridgeport, WV. Little Guy got to sleep on a chair.
*B keeps track of how many counties he's been to. **And now we are trying to go to the highest point in each state.
The last time we drove through Columbus, Ohio and saw the Capitol, it was the middle of the night as we drove from Kansas to Pittsburgh for Great Grandma M's funeral. The picture, being taken in the dark, wasn't very good, so we took another on this trip.
This bottom level had a huge water exhibit and a huge space exhibit (which I didn't take any pictures in), along with a cafe, theater, gift shop, etc.
Buddy peaking out of the submarine. PS peaking out.
This was a huge statue of Poseidon with squirting fish that the visitor's could control, etc.
We had a great time, and Grandma M bought a grandparent membership, so we'll be sure to visit again. The kids were disappointed that we did this on our last day in Ohio because they wanted to know about it so they could have done it again and again.
B and I went to the Columbus Temple, and then Grandma and Grandpa M drove the kids to Columbus and we met them at COSI, the Center of Science and Industry. It's basically a science center or science museum. B's family went there several times when he was little, although it's since changed downtown locations.
The temperature was 18 degrees when we got out of the car.
This keyboard makes a different human sound for each key. Buddy and Grandma tested it out.
Then Princess Sparkley had a turn.
Then Princess Sparkley performed lazer eye surgery. This was a lot like that "game" you play at the eye doctors when you have to hit a trigger every time you see a red dot, except you had to line up your lazer with the centers of big, bad circles and fry their centers.
This first wing of the museum was all over Baby X's head. There was a part of this floor just for babies to kindergartners, but we didn't make it there.
This exhibit was called Progress. This part was old timey with brick roads and carriages.
The next section of Progress was the mid 1960s with diners and such.
An ice cream parlor.
Baby X checks out the mustard while PS and Buddy play diner.
Outside the "hardware shop" was this rocket ride for 10 cents (with a few dimes sitting there for use).
Baby X especially enjoyed this ride. And kept running back to it after we'd moved to other parts of the "city."
The kids really liked this internal combustion engine exhibit.
Baby X trying to make his feet push the cylinder in.
Buddy pulling his own weight on a pulley.
Baby X spent a long time chasing after all these balls.
B rode this balancing unicycle across the second floor on a tight rope.
Sorry, this one turned out blurry.
This is what it's like trying to get three kids to pose in one shot.
