O-H!

I-O!"

We went to Ohio last weekend to visit Bryan's family. We had a great time and Jill loved visiting with her Grammie, Pa, Aunt Erin, and Aunts and Uncles Tim, Raean, Kevin, Becky and the rest of the gang.

The flight to Columbus was surprisingly easy. Bryan had Peter front facing in the carrier where he fell asleep while I read "Goodnight Gorilla" to Jill for nearly two hours. As usual things started to fall apart when we got to the rental car pick-up. At the end of a long trip getting the car, installing the car seats, and loading the luggage and the kids seems to take way too long. At one point Bryan left me in the rental office while he picked up the car. Peter started crying and we were doing OK until I looked up and realized that everyone in the place was staring at us. At least some looked sympathetic! Just then Patty and Rich arrived from their flight and Patty mentioned that the brown and green color scheme of our stroller are "Zen" colors. I said, "Well, I don't feel very Zen right now!"

Saturday we went over to Uncle Kevin and Aunt Becky's where Jill spent the entire time playing the piano and singing with her Grammie. Patty can actually play and Jill banged away to accompany her. They were both very happy! Later that night the whole family came over to Tim and Raean's house to watch the Ohio State v. Penn State game. Sadly a late turnover by the Buckeye's freshman QB ended the game. We all handled it pretty well. Now I really really want Penn State to win out and restore Big 10 pride.

We got a chance Sunday morning to visit with Kevin and Gina and their children Maren, Ethan and Aidan. Kevin used to share an office with Bryan and me when we first starting working (age 23!) so it was crazy to see them with 5 kids between us. Jill loved five year old Maren and they walked around holding hands. During breakfast at Bob Evans when four year old Ethan said something like, "Jill is spilling her milk!" Gina said dismissively, "Oh, Ethan is always tattling. I tell him that I don't want to hear it unless someone is bleeding or looks like they're sleeping." That's one of the funniest things I have ever heard.

Sunday evening we went to Uncle Kevin and Aunt Becky's house to watch the Brown's game. Jill resumed her spot at the piano and played with stuffed animals, again with her Grammie. Anytime Patty left us, Jill would say, "Oh no! My Grammie!" until I reassured her that we would see her soon. Patty and Rich had to leave early Monday morning. Later that afternoon, Jill looked at me with big brown eyes and said, "I'm wery sad. (Like the Count, she says "wery" not "very.") Grammie and Pa go to Mississippi." She started to tear up and I said, "I know, I'm very sad, too. But we'll see them soon." Then I worked fast to distract her. It would have been the first time she cried out of sadness rather than anger or frustration and I couldn't take it!

Bryan had recruiting events at Ohio State on Monday and Tuesday. Then we had to get the kids up at 4:00AM on Wednesday to catch our flight home. That went better than I expected but we were all exhausted. The plane was small with two seats, the aisle and a single seat. Jill and I sat together while Bryan held Peter. Jill wanted to read "Goodnight Gorilla" again. I was catatonic and flipped the pages silently. Jill stopped me and scowled as if to say, "That's not how you read it!" I didn't have the strength to repeat the performance I delivered on our flight out, the difference being a 6:00AM vs 10:40AM departure.

Later in the flight, I fed Peter who fell asleep in my arms while a sleepy Jill snuggled next to me. Bryan sipped a coffee (I was dying for one!) and said grinning, "You have all the kids and I have none of the kids!" Eventually I handed Peter off to Bryan and the four of us snoozed, Jill with her head in my lap. She always sleeps in her crib so hugging my sleeping toddler was a rare treat.