Oh, the humidity

The unpacking while working & having the kids at home with me was a bit too much to handle. We were very happy we scheduled our midwestern grandparent visit when we did.

This year, we spent a day in Cincinnati visiting a college roommate. She unknowingly helped cross off a summer bucket list with french kiss martinis.

Charlie was a bit bummed to learn that the only boy in the household was a teenager. He shouldn't have been worried - JP treated Charlie like a king. 

There were lots of giggles & piggy back rides among the girls. 

Nick loves the food in Cincinnati. He picked all the restaurants. First stop - Montgomery Inn for ribs.

Four kids + one radio + one embarrassed teenager = car karaoke. Current car favorite? "Payphone" by Maroon 5 (and yes, we were asked what a pay phone was). We heard this song at least 6 times in less than 24 hours.
Second calorie loading opportunity - Graeter's Ice Cream. They have the best "chips" out there. Nick picked black raspberry chocolate chip in a generous serving size.
After sleeping off dinner & ice cream, we spent one hot, sticky day at Kings Island amusement park. This was the premier field trip when I was a kid.
Poor Ella had a hard time because she is so much shorter than Elise, but we managed to get her on several roller coasters.
This was a crowd favorite! We made it about 6 hours in the park before we couldn't stand the heat any longer. Next visit, we will have to hit the water park. We made a wise choice & stopped at the pool on the way home. 
After refreshing dip, Nick capped off his culinary tour of Cincinnati with a stop at Skyline chili. 


This little one was out before we crossed the Indiana border.


What a great start to our vacation!
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