We realized this year that because of the way our summers play out, we’ll probably always do warm weather vacations with my parents and the holidays with E’s parents. That means that when we’re in Ohio it is probably always going to be cold, raining and/or snowing, and dark. We’ve made it our goal to find as much kid-friendly indoor stuff as possible. Luckily, Ohio KNOWS it is cold and dreary in the winter so they’ve made an effort to provide us with lots of options.

We visited the Richland Carrousel Park* on Monday I think. After a brief mix up with what time exactly they opened (11 am, not 10 am) we had a really fun time. A book of 50 ride tickets costs $35, so not only did all the kids (mine plus two cousins) get to ride as many times as they wanted, the grown ups got to ride too. By the end Caroline wasn’t even saying “JUST ONE MORE PLEEEEASE ONE MORE??” There were a few other people there at 11 am during school vacation but not a lot, so the kids got their pick of fun animals. It’s a really nice wooden carousel, not the ugly plastic kind we get at the local fair, which made ME like it a lot more even if the kids didn’t care.

I took way too many pictures, as usual. Between the huge windows and the lights on the carousel and the Christmas decorations still up I couldn’t stop myself.

*Their website and signs say “carrousel”. My spellcheck tells me that is not a work, and perhaps I mean “carousel”. I did, in fact, mean carousel, so I wrote carousel everywhere else in the post but I can’t do anything about their official name. According to the internet, that’s the French spelling. I guess Richland, Ohio was feeling pretty international.

I’m late again, but it wasn’t my fault this time, I was having laptop issues and my iPhone photos wouldn’t load. I know you were really concerned.

Sunday:

Annual Nutcracker Conference

You’re “welcome”.

Teaching the children naval dominance

Monday:

Pretty pleased with his own driving skills

THE FORCE AWOKE

We play a lot of cards in Ohio

Tuesday:

Child-sized hamster run was quite entertaining

No caption needed

HEY GUYS I FOUND OUTSIDE

Wednesday:

The doc is in and she’ll fix you up…

Drive thru banking is so convenient

This is what happens when I want Linc to pose for a picture

Thursday:

Cousin Christmas is a little crazy

Trouble face

More cards

Friday:

Out?

I forgot to bring my phone inside COSI, but it was REALLY fun

Disco sparkle tree

Saturday:

So many pine needles

Post-Christmas disaster house

Post-Christmas ER trip for some face-gluing

I got both big kids out the door and off to school on time with no crying and no screaming, so reintroduction to real life is going pretty well. It’s currently softly snowing outside while I drink coffee and watch Lincoln destroy the house I already cleaned once today, so my day is going well. That’s not sarcasm, that’s a perfectly lovely day with a 17 month old.

I went a little crazy signing the kids up for activities (again) because bored kids trapped in a cold house are the worst, so this week is going to be B U S Y. Let’s hope they wear themselves out too much to whine, since I am all full up of whining children after 2 weeks off school.

We had a nice family Christmas at home, which is my favorite kind. Santa brought the kids a lot of great stuff plus E and I bought the kids a Disney Infinity so there was plenty to keep everyone busy all day (and hopefully for many many more days).

We walked to the 4:30 family service at our church. Caroline wore one of my Christmas dresses.

 Before bed we put out cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer with a drawing Caroline made and put in an envelope she borrowed from church. Then we sprinkling the lawn with “reindeer food” that Caroline made at school (oats + glitter).

We open one present each on Christmas Eve.

And then we tried to get some photos in our matching jams.

And then after the kids went to bed SANTA CAME!

And then Christmas was chaos. With bacon and waffles.

It was a very Star Wars Christmas.

Caroline is SUPER excited about her first graphic novel.

Christmas happened last week and it already feels like it was a super long time ago. I am NOT looking forward to putting all of it away.

Sunday:

Pretty sure she insists on church JUST for the cookies

Shopping assistant

Dropped the kids off for FOUR HOURS of art (clearly they did not make these)

Monday:

Toddler playdate

Warm enough for a nap-walk

This free-from-the-trash coupe is working out well

Tuesday:

ALOOOOOOOONE shopping

Good dog

Good Daddy

Wednesday:

Blech

How Linc feels about the weather

Side-eye master

Thursday:

Bare feet on Christmas Eve

Last minute Santa cookies

An angel got her wings

Friday:

The only shot I got where they are all in the matching jams

Disney Infinity for 8 hours straight

Sticking to the 4 main food groups

Saturday:

Soooooo much of this

HEY GUYS THEY HAVE CHRISTMAS HERE TOO!

Borrowing toys from his cousins

After that week of super crazy warm weather mother nature is getting us back with rain, freezing rain, more rain, and ice. It’s unpleasant. I’m REALLY wishing I had brought my Vitamin D with me on our trip, because I’ve completely forgotten what the sun looks like.

I have a hundred Christmas photos to post but by the time I do it no one will care about Christmas anymore. Hopefully they are quickly followed by a very interesting recap of my completed 365 photo project, which I am probably never going to shut up about. ALMOST DONE!

We did the Essex Steam Train North Pole Express (it’s basically the Polar Express without the trademark) two years ago and it was great. I skipped it last year because we have to buy tickets in August and last August I had a 1 month old and couldn’t get my act together. Plus E was gone that whole summer/fall and I was VERY sure I couldn’t take 3 kids on a magical nighttime train ride alone. But this year I planned to stay home on ticket day and got my fastest fingers ready and bought tickets for the last train on Caroline’s actual birthday day so we could all go. I think next year I’m going to spring for the first-class tickets. They’re a ridiculous amount of money, but I’m not throwing Caroline a big party next year so I feel like we can swing it. Plus I saw one of the elves who host the first class cars and she looked like a legit magical snow queen. Caroline would lose her actual mind.

It is a wonderfully done event full of good cheer – it’s well organized and everyone goes out of their way to make the kids feel special and really believe in Santa magic. The cars are decorated, there are special songs, they give you cookies and hot cocoa, and the whole last 20 minutes is a big dance party where the kids just go crazy in the aisles. All three kids had a blast.

p.s. In case you were wondering, the pajamas are from Hanna Andersson.

This girl worked at the station and I am not sure if she was an extra elf or a fairy or a snowflake or what, but she chatted with Caroline and it was SO adorable. She told her she peeked at Santa’s list and Caroline was definitely on the nice side. Caroline squealed she was so excited.