Cincinnati!

We've had well-meaning intentions to visit our Cincy friends for a while, now.  We even went so far as to having a date set last summer, but alas I ended up starting a new job and life just got in the way.  But with this cold, cold winter, we've been getting a little stir-crazy and have been itching for a change, so we finally made our trip last weekend.

And, oh how much fun we had!

Because it had been a while (two+ years) since Lissie had seen her friend Lily, I started prepping her for the trip a few weeks in advance.  Lissie was immediately VERY excited to go to Lily's house, and I was happy that my shy little girl was ready to make a new friend until, at bedtime, Lissie said to me, "Mommy, I'm so excited to meet Lily.  I've never been friends with a mouse before."  It was then that I realized that Lissie thought that Lily was Lilly from Kevin Henkes' "Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse".  It is one of her favorite books, and she recently saw the play with her daddy at the Nashville Children's Theater.  

Once the confusion was cleared, and I had shown her pictures of Lily to prove that she was very much NOT a mouse, Lissie's enthusiasm was, thankfully, still very much apparent.

Fast-forward to last Friday, the day of our four-hour trip.  We decided to leave mid-morning so we could break things up with lunch at a Chick-Fil-A in Elizabethtown so the kiddos could run around in the play area and nap in the car before making it to Lily's.  Everything went smoothly.  No one was antsy, everyone was excited, and the kids were well-rested to see their friends.

Lissie (almost 3) and Lily (almost 4) became fast friends.  Xavier (2 in June) and Ollie (2 in March) not so much.  Both girls immediately took to running around and playing together, whereas the boys were a little more shy and reserved.  In fact, looking back on the weekend, I don't think the boys ever really ended up playing together much at all, haha.

Lissie and Lily riding the stick horse.

We had dinner with some other friends who moved from Nashville last year and who just happened to live only a few blocks away from Lily.  And, even though we didn't snap any pictures, we were very excited to see them and their kiddos - Julian (age 3), Laura (2 in June, same day as Xavier!), and Oscar (who was just born in January).  Dinner was scrumptious, we enjoyed catching up, and the children absolutely loved getting their energy out with their old friends. 

My biggest worry going into the trip was having all of us sleep in the same room, but the kids took it like champs.  It helped a lot that we tired them out that first night, so Xavier was content in a pack and play, and Lissie didn't mind sleeping in a travel cot.

The next day, Lily's parents graciously gave us a tour of Cincinnati - including their unique (and tasty) cuisine.  We met up with our friends from the night before, and we all headed to Sawyer Point to play at the playgrounds and walk along the Ohio River.  We went back to the house for brunch, which included sweet potato pancakes, eggs, and goetta - an interesting (and yummy) sausage popular in the area.

After brunch, the almost-two-year-olds napped in their respective rooms.  But the girls opted for a sleepover in Lily's room.  As one would imagine, Lissie and Lily did more playing/giggling/talking and not much of anything else, but it was sweet to see the girls getting along so easily and having a great time.  And, isn't that the point of a sleepover, anyway?  Haha.

Once the boys awoke, we headed off to Washington Park for more fun playing and a brief walking tour of the surrounding area.  We ended the day with more Cincy cuisine: Cincinnati chili.  Delicious.

After the kids went to bed, the adults enjoyed catching up.  Justin and I were introduced to a new game: Mexican Train.  Fun times!

The plan was to head to Mass with them on Sunday morning and leave from there, but we wanted to beat the snow and ice, so we ended up leaving after breakfast.  The drive back was much more challenging than the ride there - Lissie immediately started in the "What can I do now?" (despite all of her books and quiet car activities, of course), and it rained the entire time.

We arrived in Nashville in time for lunch, and after a special treat for the kids to eat out at dim sum (you can imagine their excitement every time they saw the carts roll their way), it was definitely time for a much needed nap.

All in all, it was a super fun family weekend adventure, and I have a feeling it won't be the last time we give it a try.  It was great seeing old friends, and it was nice that they have kids the same age as ours.  Perfect.

Thanks for having us, Lily, Ollie, and family!  We had such a great time!