Ohio or Bust: My First Solo Trip with the Kids

Happy (belated) August!

O-H-I-O with my mama the fair!

I'm slowly emerging from the whirlwind that was my 1st solo trip with the kids to my hometown of Columbus, Ohio this past weekend. 

Despite a few tears at the airport, it went really well!

Ohio Was Just . . .

I'm in recent nostalgia mode thinking of all the fun adventures we had this summer that I still want to recap here. I've shared before how I see this space as a digital scrapbook of sorts and sharing Grayson's first trip to Ohio, my home state, is definitely worth sharing. We traveled there last month and made the most out of our 4 day trip to Columbus. Seeing Nia cry on the last day when we had to leave made me realize we really need to aim for an annual trip going forward instead of the biennial trip we've been making (yes, this was my first time using the word biennial and I had to look it up!). Although it was a bit sad, when Nia cried when asking if we could move to Ohio it made me thankful that she's growing an attachment to her roots.  

Now for the pictures! 

We met up with my BFF Julie and her family once we got in and overindulged in pizza and wings

We arrived bright and early at the fair Friday morning

Cousins

So. Much. Food. (a lot of it fried)

Of course we had to get an ear of grilled sweet corn for Grayson (remember Nia's first Ohio corn here?) and Uka got his usual turkey leg...

Then we did a few rides including the infamous giant yellow slide. Nia was a pro on her first ride but got a friction burn the 2nd time. Ouch! 

Puppies, kids and smiles:

The dairy barn was a must visit after the kids milked the cow out front. Of course we had a reverent moment with the butter cow then enjoyed a bit of ice cream.

Then this happened:

We shuttled the kids back to the hotel for some quiet time and thanks to my dear cousin Aminah, Mr. Lovebird and I returned that night kid-free for the Dru Hill/Blackstreet concert. It was fuuuuuunnnnn! We ended up doing a bit of Wikipedia research cause we had no idea that Teddy Riley was so young. What talent! And yes, Sisqo's still got it, Thong Song and all.

We saw my Grandma Mary at the fair before heading into the concert!

On Saturday I was up bright and early to pick up a special cake for Nia's 5th birthday. It was from Resch's, my favorite bakery growing up and it was so nostalgic being back there. My Aunt Thelma's house is nearby and as my Grandma Emma's only surviving sibling I took Grayson there to meet her for the first time. 

A few tentative steps with Uncle James on my Aunt Themla's lawn

Later that day along with cutting Nia's mini-cake, we also celebrated my Grandma Mary's August birthday. It was such a blessing to see everyone who came to support especially as my grandma's had a bit of a health scare lately. When her brother, my Uncle David showed up, I literally jumped! It was such a beautiful surprise for all of us (I hadn't seen him in years). 

Blurry but sweet

Uka's face!

Brother and sister

Love my mommy cousins!

Suits him, right?

If you only knew what it took to get this one photo! LOL!

Of course Uka and the guy cousins had to show off a bit . . .

We were in bed early so we could head to church the next day:

It was Grayson's first time at my childhood church he and Papi were looking dapper. Mr. Lovebird was on a super early morning flight, but the kids and I flew back after dinner feeling all the Ohio love! 

Until next time Ohio...

Have you taken your kids to your hometown before? Any special events like the Ohio State Fair where you're from?
 
 

O-H-I-O 2013

It's been 2 years since we were back in Ohio for the Ohio State Fair, and with my Grandma Mary and my Lil Lovebird sharing August birthdays it was important that we return. We had a packed trip of family and friends to visit, and I'm so glad we got to see so many loved ones in essentially two full days  - I'm a super efficient visitor!

After a nearly 2 hour delay she was more than ready to go! She hopped right in her seat and buckled herself in - I was quite impressed since she hasn't been on a plane since flying back from Nigeria in January '12.

We stayed with my Aunt Angela and Uncle Willie during our trip - our late arrival meant we received an awesome rental car upgrade! When we arrived at our family's home Nia immediately looked up at the sky and exclaimed, "Mama, the stars!" She was in awe, and I may have had watery eyes as a result. Definitely something I forget about living in the city!

Up early!

It was a perfect day for the Ohio State Fair with my Aunt Angela, her sons and Grandma Mary . . .

She was so immensely frustrated here and abandoned the tractor to do another activity then came back to it several minutes later to complete the maze - I was a proud mama!

And of course no trip to the Ohio State Fair is complete without a visit to the Dairy Barn to see the sacred Butter Cow and to get some yummy ice cream:

That night we stopped by my Great Aunt Thelma's for a visit . . .
 

Then it was off to my middle/upper school alma mater nearby for a young alumnae reception . . .

Nia wasn't a fan of the mascot - the "angry unicorn," as she called it//I loved seeing the new pool facility; I think I would've been more eager to fulfill the swimming requirement if this had been the pool!

It was a strange feeling to see Nia walk up these iconic stairs; she was curious about my former teachers on the wall - the one in the bow tie by her head was one of my favorites, Jack Guy (the reason why I listen to NPR, love bananas and limit my "pop" intake)

After we picked up some yummy snacks, and we had family over my aunt and uncle's for an open house then we were up early again the following morning to visit Julie, my BFF (since 5th grade!) and her kids out in the country . . .

We were up the next morning at 3a.m. to make our 6a.m. (non-delayed YAY!) flight back to NYC. Nia wasn't too thrilled, but hey, it was an $844/ticket we got on Priceline for only $282/ticket!

Thank you to my family and friends for making it such a wonderful visit for me and Nia - we hope to be back next year with Mr. Lovebird in tow!

clockwise l to r: with my BFF since age 5 Heather, my cousin CasSaundria, my Aunt Angela and my silly girl!

And a happy early birthday to my Grandma Mary!

Do you live away from your hometown? How often do you get back to visit? Any quirky events like the Ohio State Fair where you're from?
 
 

P.S. Our stroller was damaged on the trip, but stay tuned for a fantastic Squeaky Wheel update on that . . .