Vacation 2012, June12: A Day at the Zoo

Today we're going to the Cincinnati Zoo.  We started the day with Bryan getting breakfast from the lobby & bringing it to us.  I need to find a way to have him do this at home.  He brought orange juice in a coffee cup because it was bigger & had a lid and this is what happened:

Gotta start the day with a cuppa

After Eli drank our juice Bryan & Zachary packed up our van since we were leaving for Indy after our zoo trip.  Zachary thought it was really cool because they used one of the luggage carts instead of making seven trips.  Apparently he got to ride the empty cart back to the entrance which was a big hit with him.  While the big boys did the manly work, Eli & I did our final sweep through the room and took this last picture of Eli on his hotel bed.  Zachary had been picking most of Eli's outfits so since we were going to the zoo he chose a romper with a monkey.  Very appropriate.

Once at the zoo we saw lots of animal exhibits.  Our favorites are probably the gorilla area, the reptile house and the lemurs.  Their polar bear exhibit is really neat too, but only if the polar bear is swimming.  S/he wasn't swimming today.  In fact, the bear was lying so still on a log that I honestly didn't see it for a long time despite the contrasting white fur against the dark brown log.  Overall it was a neat day and we all enjoyed ourselves.  We used the wagon for the first time this trip but we are so glad we packed it.  That has come in really handy and we're so glad Santa brought that for us.  Here's a collection of the animals we saw:

Two of the wildest animals I've ever seen.  They're watching the monkeys chase each other on Monkey Island.

The first exhibit we saw was one of my favorites, the elephants.  I love this photo.

This alligator moved his head to look at the camera right before I snapped the picture.  I'm not usually a fan of reptiles but the Reptile House at Cincinnati was pretty neat.

Zachary loves geckos because of Geico.  Let's face it, that's why most of us have even heard of a gecko.

A monitor.  This guy creeped me out a little bit as he seemed to have an escape plan ready to implement as soon as we turned away.  Shifty eyes, don't trust 'em!

A camel.

An emu.

A rhino cooling off in its mud bath.

One of the gorillas.  This exhibit was one of our favorites.

Zachary comparing his hand to that of a gorilla.  Pretty impressive for a four year old.

"The lemurs!  They're not dancing like on Madagascar."  says Zachary

Eli watching the lions.  The exhibit was nice but the lions were sleeping.  One of them lifted his head and growled twice but that was it. 

A rhino trying to stay cool in the shade.

This sea lion was quite a ham.

Warm weather penguins.  I don't remember what the sign said they're called.  Okay, I confess, I probably didn't even look.  It was one of the last exhibits we saw and Momma was getting tired.

The four of us by a waterfall in the gorilla area.  Eli liked watching the waterfall better than looking at the lady who kindly took our photo.  It was hot today and we're starting to run out of clean clothes (I was already doing dishes on vacation, I wasn't doing laundry too!).

This is what happened five minutes after leaving the zoo.  You can still see the tag on the drum he chose in the gift shop.  It's a pretty cool drum, it has elephants carved in the wood. 

After we left the zoo we were headed to our hotel in Plainfield, which is southwest of Indy.  We've stayed in the area before but not this hotel.  Our trip there had an interesting/scary/eye-opening event.  Just outside of Cincinnati we were in three lanes of traffic (not too crowded but several cars around us).  We were traveling 65-70mph when a car two lanes over blew a tire and slid across two lanes in front of us and almost off the road.  Bryan hit the brakes and swerved left then back to the right as they came back across the three lanes and eventually stopped in the grassy median.  It's really a miracle that no cars hit and no one was injured.  Just more proof that our family has angels around us.  Both boys were asleep and stayed asleep.  A pretty scary moment but thank God no one was hurt.

By the time we got to Plainfield we were STARVING.  We also smelled like we spent the day at the zoo then in the van for two hours, but that doesn't stop us from entering a restaurant.  We went to Denny's and I got to order breakfast.  I love most restaurant breakfasts and was so excited to stop here.  It was Kids Eat Free with a paying adult day so we ordered kids meals for each of them (we usually just order for Z and Eli eats a mix of our three meals).  It's a good thing we did because we ate everything.  Then we went across the street to check in to our second hotel.

It was a nice enough hotel and room, but not nearly as nice as the hotel we had left that morning.  I was happy that this fridge had a freezer compartment but that's about it.  There was nothing wrong or dirty about it but we probably won't stay there again if we have other options.  We all got much needed baths and showers and settled in for the night.

Tomorrow we go to Lucas Oil Stadium for Colts mini-camp.  We can get on the field for an hour then watch practice from the stands.  There's an autograph session after that.  I think it'll be fun and will let you know in the next post!

Vacation 2012, June 11: Newport Aquarium

Today was the perfect day to spend in the sea.  The Newport Aquarium is one of our favorite places to visit.  Bryan and I were impressed the first time we went, long before we had children.  Today was Zachary's third visit and Eli's first.  If you're ever in the Cincinnati area, we highly recommend you visit here.

Eli fell asleep on the way there.  He woke up as we waited in line to buy tickets.  His shirt has an octopus wearing an eye patch.  The other eye is one of those googly eyes that moves as he does.  Zachary decided Eli had to wear that shirt to the aquarium.  He actually decided most of Eli's outfits now that I think back!

Zachary touched some sea stars (there's no such thing as starfish, we were told).  He also touched horseshoe crab and another type of crab.  Those are things he used to be very timid about but he's really starting to outgrow some of that as he gets older.  Eli didn't want to touch any of it but he loved watching the fish and other creatures swim in their tanks.  He points a lot and yells at one of us just to make sure we haven't missed anything.  Zachary loved showing Eli some of the different creatures and asking if he liked them.

Playing a drum in the first area we entered.

Laughing at some of the fish swimming in their tank

Zachary touching a horseshoe crab

Watching sharks, stingrays & other fish swim in a large tank.  They have divers in this tank to show some of the different creatures.

I think Eli's favorites were the Japanese Spider Crabs (they were enormous) and the penguins.  There were three crabs in a tank and two of them looked like they were climbing the glass.  Neither one was moving when we first walked up but when one did Eli almost jumped out of my arms.  I told him they were just waving at him and he started waving to the crabs.  That lasted a long time.  He also liked watching the penguins dive in the water and swim across their tank. 

Japanese Spider Crab

Me & the boys checking out the spider crabs

I think Zachary's favorites were the gators and the sharks.  They have a new exhibit called Gator Alley.  Their main resident is Mike, a 15 foot long alligator.  I couldn't even get a good picture of him because he's so long.  His information board said it took 10 men several hours to get him into the environment they set up for him.  One of the last exhibits is a small, open shark tank with several small sharks in it.  Surprisingly, Zachary loved this last time and today was no different.  You're able to lean over the edge and pet a shark as it swims by.  You have to wait until its eyes are past you before touching it with two fingers.  Zachary spent a long time here and by the time he was done his shirt was soaked and stinky!  How does a shark feel?  Pretty soft, actually.

One of the gators just hanging out

Eli making sure Bryan saw something interesting

Eli wasn't so sure about sitting on the big frog statue at first but he decided he liked it. 

Zachary on his frog.  The boys did pose together on one but it's so hard to get them both looking at the camera and that's when the camera was dying. 

Unfortunately, our camera battery died halfway through the aquarium.  It doesn't take regular batteries, this one is a square battery that recharges.  It's like a cell phone battery.  Actually our cell phone chargers will charge the camera battery & vice versa.  We had our video camera & cell phones with us so we did get more pics of the second half of our visit, but they've not been loaded here yet.  Just know that we had a million gallons of fun and Zachary's already planning our next visit. 

After we left the aquarium we met my friend Brandi for supper.  We had more good food (La Rosa's Pizza) and good company but we had to get back to the hotel.  Zachary smelled like an aquarium & both boys were past tired.  We also have to start packing up because tonight is our last night here.  Tomorrow we hope to visit the zoo and then head to Indy.  More to come on that later!

Vacation 2012, June 10: Pool Time & Reds

Another laid back kind of day for us.  We ate breakfast then returned to the room for our swimsuits.  Zachary is very proud of his Alvin & the Chipmunks trunks and Eli looked very cute in his Lil' Swimmer & UV protection shirt.  The pool was an indoor pool, but we put the shirt on him anyway because it covered his button.  Just that little layer of material provides some protection from the button getting caught on something and getting pulled out.  It's really no big deal to replace it if something did happen, but it's better if we try to prevent it anyway!

Zachary loved the pool.  He was a little timid at first because he's like me and doesn't adjust quickly to new environments (it's been a while since he went swimming).  As soon as he knew he could touch he starting playing and splashing.  Eli took a lot longer to get used to the water.  Slowly he began to like it but he still wouldn't let us hold him away from our bodies.  Bryan got in the whirlpool for a while to try to help his back, and Zachary had to follow.  He thought the bubbles were awesome.  After a while I put my legs in and held Eli on my lap.  Eventually he started splashing his feet in the whirlpool, but of course we didn't put him in any further.  When the timer went off and the bubbles stopped, Zachary was out & back in the pool.  It was hard to get him out so we could go back to the room.

Zachary quickly started splashing around but Eli took a lot longer to adjust

He did finally stand on the ledge and hold the wall by himself

Momma &  her water monkeys

They were both wearing sunglasses & looking super cool, but Eli wouldn't keep his on for a picture

A picture of our beds, complete with Giggles & Mickey Mouse

The door that's lit up is the shower & sink area.  The door to the right of that one is the toilet & sink.  Both doors slid open & closed which captivated Zachary.  Our tv swiveled so it could be watched from the beds or the living area.  The refrigerator & microwave are in the area behind the tv. The bedroom area & living area are separated by a desk that had frosted, sliding glass.  Zachary liked to play restaurant there and take our orders from the desk side as we "drove up" to the open window side.  It was a good room for us.

After showers we headed out for a late lunch at Logan's Roadhouse.  Zachary was not pleased with the peanut shells on the floor.  We all enjoyed our meals.  Back at the hotel, Eli & I took short naps before getting ready for the Reds game. 

Zachary wore his Reds Heads kids club jersey & Eli wore a Reds romper we found while shopping the day before.  I wish I had gotten a picture of the two of them but I didn't.  We had good seats thanks to a deal Bryan found online the week before our vacation.  The game wasn't as good as Friday's because the Reds lost to the Tigers, but we still had a great time.  Both boys danced and hollered at players.  We all enjoyed a helmet of nachos (a plastic batting helmet filled with two layers of nachos & cheese....YUM!).  We did get rained on a little but it was a light rain that moved on very quickly.  Zachary spent the last few innings trying to decide if he liked or didn't like the bugs that were flying around everyone.

Mommy & Eli before the game.  I'm wearing my new hat given to us Friday night and Eli's wearing his new Reds romper we bought while at the mall Saturday.

Since it was the Sunday night game, the blimp was there.  Both boys loved it.  They kept pointing to it & making sure Bryan & I saw it every. single. time. it flew over the stadium.  Their excitement is fun.

Gapper came by and give kids fives and shook hands.  Zachary immediately put his hand out to him and was very happy.  Eli kept calling him Elmo.

Homer Bailey warming up for his start tonight.  He pitched well.

HELMET NACHOS = happy Zachary

Jay Bruce at bat.  It looks like he's wearing new batting gloves.  I wonder what happened to his old ones?  Oh, yes, he autographed them for my sons!

Aroldis Chapman taking some warm up pitches.  He throws 100+mph fastballs.  It was cool to see.  You can see a lot of people on their feet just to watch him warm up.  He brings a lot of excitement to the Reds games.

Again, we got back to the hotel very late, and Eli was already asleep.  Zachary decided he wanted to fall asleep on the couch and was out in no time.  Needless to say, the two of them have been sleeping very well at night!  The rain is supposed to stick around for Monday, so we're probably going to do the aquarium.  We know Zachary enjoys it and we're excited to see Eli's reaction to some of the things he sees there!

Vacation 2012, June 9: A Laid Back Day

After the excitement and traveling we had yesterday, we didn't want to do anything major today.  We went for breakfast in the hotel lobby and then came back to our room.  I know I made a big deal in the foreword about finding a hotel, and I think we found a great one.  It was easy to find and there are lots of places to eat nearby.  It's a small suite in a new hotel and the furnishings are very modern.  Lots of clean lines and other phrases I've picked up from being an HGTV addict.  Our room has two beds, a desk and a large sofa in addition to the must have refrigerator.  The bathroom is actually two separate areas with one sliding door housing the toilet and a small sink and a totally separate sliding door that has a larger sink with counter space and the large shower.  My only complaints are that there's no tub and the mini fridge is only a refrigerator, no freezer.  We have to pack icebags from the ice machine to keep medicine and drinks cool when we're going out.  Not a big deal, but just something I took for granted before.  Not having a tub was a surprise, but again not a big deal.  Eli was definitely not happy getting a shower but was fine once it was over.  A positive to the room is there's a fair amount of floor space in the living area for the boys to play.

Eli woke up in a great mood...and the clothes he wore the day before.  Here, he was using me for his jungle gym.

Just a little light reading from Zachary's dino book before we went to the mall.

After breakfast, playtime, and showers for all of us, we went to a nearby mall.  By then it was early afternoon so we ate lunch in the food court.  We really didn't need to shop but just used it as a way to stay cool and walk around.  We visited a candy store, and Zachary chose several gummy animals (sharks, octopus, bears and frogs).  We also went to Build-A-Bear and bought shirts for Giggles and Happy (bears we made for each boy during my pregnancies).  After that the guys rode the carousel.  I stayed on the ground so I could take pictures.  The pictures didn't turn out well because Zachary chose to go to the second story (yes, it was a two-story carousel).  We were shocked because the lower level had a triceratops he could've ridden, but he opted for a zebra on the upper level.  The boy is full of surprises!  Eli was on a bird (maybe an ostrich?) but let's just say he wasn't a fan.  He was fine once Bryan took him off the moving animal and held him.

Zachary riding his zebra

Eli was happier after Bryan took him off the ostrich

Eli loved this airplane and was quite the ham for pictures

Zachary saw how much fun Eli had and wanted to try it for himself. 

We left the mall after almost four hours of entertainment and came back to the room for Eli's nap.  Bryan and Zachary amused themselves with looking at our items from yesterday's experience while I did dishes in the bathroom sink.  Yes, I did dishes in the bathroom sink.  Yes, I packed dishsoap, two pink plastic tubs from our many hospital stays, and a bottle brush.  Yes, I know we're on vacation, but we still need clean bottles, sippies, pacifiers and oral syringes for multiple daily medicines.  Yes, I am curious what the housekeeper thinks when she sees my set up. 

When Eli woke we went to Zachary's choice for dinner:  Skyline Chili.  He fell in love with the place because of their tv commercials during Reds games.  Two years ago we brought him to one when we were here for a few days.  He loved it.  He just eats the hot dogs with shredded cheese, no chili.  At home he requests a "Skyline" and we have to put shredded cheese on his hot dogs.  So that was his supper tonight.  Eli sat in a booster seat for the first time and did very well.  He ate well too.  We came back to the hotel and just played and watched tv until bedtime. 

During each of my pregnancies we made a teddy bear for each baby.  This is Zachary's bear Giggles.  Today at the mall we went to Build-A-Bear and bought some new clothes for each bear.  Zachary chose a shark shirt and sunglasses for Giggles and a pirate tank top and shorts for Happy (Eli's bear). 

Daddy & his boys playing before bed

Roughhousing before bedtime.  This shows a better view of our hotel room.  We will definitely stay there again next time we're in the area. 

Tomorrow we plan on being lazy around here and checking out the pool.  We're going to the Reds game tomorrow night and don't want to have a full day with a late night.  Our plan is to do the aquarium on Monday.  Tuesday we check out of our hotel and we'll decide then if we're going to the museum or zoo here, weather permitting, before heading to Indy.