The boys and I just spent the last 12 days visiting my childhood stomping grounds in Westerville, Ohio.
I took them to a few of the places I went a lot growing up like Innis Woods Metro Gardens and COSI, but we spent a lot of time just hanging out with my Grandma Rae and my cousins and their kids.
Luke loves to be read to and was excited to have Grandma read to him at bedtime outside on her awesome porch!
Excuse Grandma's Pj's, but this is a classic morning with her - sitting on her porch eating breakfast. Her breakfast EVERY single morning? A single serving bag of low fat popcorn and a diet coke. Seriously. My boys had a blast eating popcorn for breakfast (When in Rome, right?) and Luke even filled an empty coke can with water and drank "just like Grandma!" Ha!
Of the 16 years I lived in Ohio, this was the house I lived in the longest.
My cousin Ian's girls, MacKenzie and Campbell.
On my side of the family, since none of my siblings are married, my cousins kids are the closest thing they have to cousins and they LOVE them all!
My cousin, Leslie, reading to her kids and mine at bedtime.
ALL IN ONE DAY:
Aunt Kelli's birthday breakfast at Scramblers,
COSI,
a movie,
slip n slide
&
a campfire to make Smores!
Needless to say, the kids CRASHED that night!
(Here are a few pics from the day!)
We took a day trip to Indiana for 2 friend's wedding reception and so I got to taste that feeling of going "Home" a SECOND time. I got a picture of our old house there in Carmel. . .
Boy, I was nostalgic on this trip! Both of my 'hometowns' in one trip was surprisingly emotional for me. I must be getting old, but a tiny part of me longed for those good old, carefree days.
Aunt Kelli introduced me to a new singer while I was in Ohio: SARAH JAROSZ! Her CD was the soundtrack for my roadtrippin' and it was AWESOME!
On the drive back to Westerville from Carmel I saw a true, amazing midwestern sunset in all it's glory out my window. I thought to myself as I looked out on the green farms around me,
"I am a Midwest girl through and through!"
(Whatever that means! :)
