The Gypsy Tour, Final Chapter: Chillin' with the Greats

We had a jam-packed couple of weeks but the best part was being able to spend time with family. Rory and Milo were definitely spoiled by their great-grandparents! We miss these guys so much living far away so visiting them was a big treat! Nothing beats family and we can't wait to see everyone again.

The Gypsy Tour, Chapter 2: Maple syrup-ing

My favorite adventure from our trip was the Saturday we spent at the Cincinnati Nature Center during their Sweet Maple Days event. Being an avid lover of all things outdoors and everything maple syrup, this day was a treat for me. The snowy atmosphere made for a very pretty hike that soothed my Yankee soul which has spent the past three years languishing in the humid steam pot that is Louisiana. We had so much fun and learned all about how maple syrup is made.

 Cincinnati Nature Center has the cutest all-natural children's discovery area. Rory enjoyed playing in the tree fort.

 The maple syrup tour included a tasting of fresh syrup. Rory would not take his tongue out of the sample cup. No more Mrs. Butterworth for this boy!

 And what better way to end an adventure than with peanut butter chocolate malts from UDF! This malt was supposed to be shared with me but I had to wrestle it away from him to get a sip.

Portraits of 2015: Weeks 2, 3, & 4

Time to play catch up for the last 3 weeks!

Week 2

I love this sweet picture of my boys and their daddy. Even if Milo looks like he is plotting something.

 Also love love love that I was able to capture this moment of Rory kissing Milo's head :)

 Week 3

 Their relationship grows daily and it is a beautiful thing to watch.

 Week 4

Sassafras! He gets it from his mommy.

 

 Milo and his Poppy.

The Gypsy Tour, Chapter 1: In which my children are introduced to hotel rooms and snow.

Rory, Milo, and I just returned from a 2 week visit back home. My mom was kind enough to fly down in order to accompany us on the 15 hour drive from Fort Polk to Cincinnati, Ohio. This trip had been in the works for a long time and my mom had entitled it the "Gypsy Tour" because 2 women and 2 babies road-tripping across the eastern US in a Toyota Tundra is practically the same as living in a caravan. Here is a picture of us prior to departing. Notice the smiles and the lack of screaming? Yea that didn't last long. All I can say is thank God for portable DVD players, Goldfish crackers, and Starbucks coffee.

We had to split the drive north into two legs, thanks to both boys losing their cool around 7 hours in. Thankfully we were able to find a hotel that wasn't chockablock full that also had an indoor swimming pool. We got up to our room only to discover that Rory is apparently terrified of hotel rooms. As soon as the door opened he took one look and started screaming. 30 minutes later, after some hugs and assuring him that this was a Comfort Inn and not the Bates Motel, he settled down and we all got some shut eye. 
The next morning we woke up early (some of us bright eyed and bushy tailed, others not so much) with plans to burn some energy off swimming. This was Rory's first time swimming in a pool and he loved it. He also enjoyed the tasty chlorinated water that he drank when mommy wasn't looking.

The second leg of the drive went well except for one major Milo meltdown where he decided that the car seat was trying to kill him. We reached Cincinnati right before the snow hit. Living in the deep south, my boys haven't been introduced to Winter so I wasn't sure how they would react to the cold. Never fear! Rory loved it! Milo thought it was ok too, so long as he was snuggled up against a warm body.

The next 2 days were spent enjoying the white wonderland and spending time with family. More pics to follow from the rest of our trip tomorrow!