March 11 - 13, Ohio

iPhone photos again.

D+M's family flew into Columbus, OH on Sunday afternoon for a conference and some meetings about where they'll move for work after this Stint in Orlando. They've l-o-v-e-d- Orlando--the good weather, the steamy weather. All of it. But, at the end of June they will move on. That could mean more time in Orlando, Budapest, or somewhere in Ohio. Or, somewhere entirely yet unknown. The time has come for decisions to be made.

So, I was invited to join the family for a few days while they were in Ohio, but Mr. Shingles and the resulting narcotics got in the way and I had to cancel. Then, on Friday, after a terribly painful Thursday, all of a sudden the pain was greatly reduced.

CA was talked into having practice for his soccer team on Saturday and canceling Monday. We got up very early Sunday morning and drove 6 hours to the Dayton area to meet D+M's family.

We had such fun. We took along the big Christmas present for the little girls that didn't fit into the car for our beach trip--we took RvH along, instead. :) Inside was a puppet theater, and there was also a bag with three puppets--one from Melissa and Doug and two from Folkmania.

Can I just interrupt myself to say these puppets are of the very best quality and construction. They are detailed and fanciful. We have a prince, a princess, and a very large friendly dragon called Smoulder. I love Smoulder the best, but the fantastical prince and princess are very special, too.

So, Sunday afternoon after some fun at a playground playing pirates with Izzy 1, Izzy 2, and Izzy 3, we went to our motel, the little girls opened the Christmas-wrapped puppet theater, and Papa put it together. The resulting show had some fairly chaotic choreography and dialogue. Fun. And then, we walked next door to a Pizza Hut for dinner, delivering the girls back to mom and dad about 7:15pm.

Honestly, I was asleep before 8:00pm and CA was not far behind.

CA peeked out the window early on Monday morning and said, "Our day just got a lot harder... It's raining!" Yep! Hadn't thought about weather constraints. So, after meeting early we took the little girls to a mall in Beavercreek, making a wide U-turn when we spotted Elé Cake Shop.

We o-o-ohed and ah-h-hed and imbided. KF was determined to have one very specific cupcake, while everyone participated in choosing a special St. Patrick's Day Bailey's cupcake for daddy (who it turns out is enjoying Weight Watchers), and cake pops around. KF explained to me as we exited the shop, that she was especially interested in the icing and didn't care for the chocolate cake! Surprise!

Our time at the mall was so very special. NJ is talking a lot more now, and when she spotted my Starbucks iced tea, she wanted her own. She drank every drop of her kids-sized tea and then co-opted some of LG's Icey.

Back in the car I spotted a Sonic and directed CA. NJ was asleep and KF had decided she'd rather sleep than eat, so we opted for a stay-in-the-car lunch at Sonic, delivered on roller blades. Perfect.

CA and I took a bit of a break while the little girls joined up with the children's activities at the AIA conference, and then we all got together for a good Mexican meal at Los Mariachi's.

After some more time at the playground--again playing pirates and climbing and swinging--we all decided on an early night. Hugs and kisses around. We need to get together again soon.