First Family Vacation, Haircut Take Two & Tantrums

Enjoying our packed lunch at the outdoor seating of a McDonald's!

(Mommy bought a Diet Coke so we were legit customers)

The three of us packed up the car, dropped off the dog, and headed down to Cincinnati, OH on Saturday morning, September 4th...and we had a blast!!! We actually drove straight to the Newport Aquarium in Newport, Kentucky first and only ended up spending about an hour there. Labor Day weekend had attracted some big crowds and you weren't allowed to have strollers in the aquarium until after 4pm, so we had to take turns wrestling the fully-energized Noahman. But, nevertheless, we saw some pretty amazing things there, take a look...

These froggies were a life saver since we couldn't have the stroller, finally, something Noah was allowed to climb on!

Check out the cool pictures below - he definitely was not supposed to be standing in the little observation bubble, but there were some pretty neat sea creatures swimming around him!

This is a shark petting area, that's the shark right below Noah, his little arms were too short to reach, but he splashed in the water and almost got us all in bigger trouble!

We had a great setup in our room, it was a suite, so Noah slept in the pack 'n play in the "living room", we were able to create a barrier with the closet and bathroom door from noise/light, and then the bedroom was in the back. This was especially good news for me, who is a night-owl, and wanted to be able to watch tv after 8pm. He slept like an angel both nights at the hotel and we were right next to lots of restaurants where we could order in and just enjoy being together!

On Sunday we headed to the Cincinnati Zoo, what a beautiful day it was for walking around outside. Again, the crowds were definitely apparent, but once everyone got through the gates and spread out, it really wasn't that bad. We packed our lunches and after playing all morning and enjoying a yummy lunch, Noah fell fast asleep in the stroller so Mommy & Daddy could walk around for awhile longer and enjoy the atmosphere! It was so fun to just be on our own time schedule and not have any obligations. Although I will take a sidebar here to mention that, although vacation was in full swing, so was training for the half marathon. We were actually able to figure out a 2-mile route around our hotel-area for me to run and I did manage to complete 9.5 miles after returning from the zoo that day!

Mommy got sunscreen in Noah's eyes...or wait, it really was more like, Mommy tried to put sunscreen on Noah, he wanted to help rub in onto his arms, and then he decided to rub his eyes, it was fairly tragic for about 30 minutes. This picture is after turning him upsidedown so we could rinse his eyes out with a water bottle.

Check out our fearless navigator...Binky and all!

PIGS!!! Or, at least, in Noah's World they were...

Hi Elephant, Hi Zebra, Hi Giraffe, Hi Tiger! Not sure which animal we were observing, but he waved at them all and said "HI!"

Watching the lions sleep...Zzzz...

Out little Monkey, isn't his angel face just precious?

The Zoo is exhausting...he fell asleep right as we got to the barn animals and petting area, which was kind of disappointing, but it was still a great visit to the Zoo!


We ordered in again that evening and went for a swim in the pool, then Noah took a splashy in the tub while Tony ventured across the parking lot to Graeter's to get us some yummy ice cream, and then it was lights out for Noah and ice cream for us!

Running down the hallway, ready to jump in the pool!

Patiently waiting for the elevator to take us to the pool...

Yep, he's in a flower floaty, we borrowed his little cousin's floaty, he was happy in it for a little bit, but he really just wanted to splash!

So, he did!!!

So much fun swimming with Daddy!

Catch me...1...2...3...jump!

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Noah also discovered a new talent while at the hotel...

Oh, my!

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He also enjoyed his Sunday morning cartoons in the luxury of our King-size bed!

On Monday, we hit the road toward Eaton, OH to visit my sister, Dave, and Baby Abbers Cadabbers! We had so much fun just chillin' at their place, enjoying the kiddos, and helping out with meals and Abby cuddle time! Our visits with them are always way to short, but Wednesday morning came quickly, and it was time to head home. Tony and I had completed a couple other training runs while at my sister's house and decided it was time to invest in new running shoes.

So precious!

Out little lefty...coloring away! He LOVES coloring!!

We came straight up to Second Sole from Eaton, OH on Wednesday and were fitted for shoes...our official last spoiling of the trip!

Noah & I picked up the crazy Puggle the next day, and we are all back under one roof again. We were all definitely ready to get back home and sleep in our own beds, but vacation was a blast and we feel so blessed to have been able to enjoy that time together just the three of us, it's good to touch base and be reminded of the things that matter most in life.

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Haircut take TWO!!! Look at how adorable his little boy cut is...his hair has really filled in, although it is still curly and unruly, especially around that double cowlick of his!!!

I couldn't keep his hand out of his mouth...apparently teething is serious business!

It looks so cute in the front and on the sides, the back is a little mangled from the ride home, but I love it!

Check out that crazy red hair, those big, beautiful blue eyes and adorable, pinchable cheekers! Priceless!!!

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Tantrum Time!!!

Just imagine these pictures as a film strip...and yes, I took pictures of my child's entire tantrum...you have to capture these moments!

Enough said...