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Stay-cation 2013: Days 5-7

Find Days 1-2 here and days 3-4 here.

Day 5: Friday
Breakfast: Our standard Friday morning breakfast at Cracker Barrel with Great Grandpa (Isaac's grandpa) and Cousin Mark (my mother-in-law's cousin). We've been doing this for probably three years now, and it feels deliciously old-fashioned to know the waitresses by name and have them know our regular order. Isaac doesn't usually get to come with us, so it was an extra-special Cracker Barrel day!

Morning: the Cincinnati Zoo. We have a membership card, so we get free entry and parking. We don't have the premium package, though, so it was a rare treat to ride the train. Sound-sensitive Levi kept his hands clamped over his ears for the whole time, but Owen (not surprisingly) loved it. It always amuses me to hear what animals they want to see when we go: this trip, Owen requested tigers and Levi was singularly focused on the flamingos. Funny kids.

Seriously interested in something.


Levi proudly showing off his train ticket.

Very intent on the coming train ride.

Lunch: packed in my new Thirty-One insulated lunch tote (this, but in a different fabric, bought in a clearance sale)! (It's my second one, but we outgrew the first when Silas started eating real food.)

Post-nap: Duplo time with Daddy! It's so fun to watch them create and imagine. Lately, the fire-station hose has been a gas-station pump and they've been filling up their cars. 

This is very typical Owen. 

Who needs actual blocks to be happy, when the tub works just as well?!

The stripes on the couch often serve as roads.

More classic Owen: the mandatory "I don't want my picture taken" shot. 
For the record, they all got haircuts after dinner.

Dinner: We tried out a local BBQ place, Big Art's. I wasn't in the mood to pack everyone up, so Isaac took Silas and went for take-out. Four adult thumbs up on the pulled pork and garlic rolls. One female thumb up on the coleslaw (nobody else likes at all). Eight male thumbs up for the baked beans (I don't like them in any situation). :)

Day 6: Saturday
Morning: Isaac took the opportunity (no plans and breezy sunshine) to attack some weeds in our front yard, so the rest of us played outside. Two firsts for Silas: hard-soled shoes and a bike! He didn't mind the sandals, but couldn't quite figure out the bike. He has taken a few steps but isn't walking consistently yet; I'm sure he'll figure it all out any day now. All in all, a very pleasant low-key morning at home.



Silly face.

Figuring out the pedals.

Dinnerhomemade copycat Chik-fil-A sandwiches. We very, very rarely eat at Chik-fil-A because the MSG content in their chicken sandwiches is so high, so I thought I'd give one of these copycat recipes a try. They were quite tasty, though I lost a lot of the breading after not greasing the pan thoroughly enough. And I have NO idea why the creator of the recipe found it necessary to marinate pickles in yet more vinegar. Anyway, they're probably a little more work than I would normally want, but I'd be willing to give it a second try. Bonus: I had some Alexia waffle fries in the freezer, so we got the complete experience! (Potatoes are on the EWG's "dirty dozen" list, so I highly recommend buying organic if you can afford it. We hardly ever eat frozen potatoes, so I go ahead and spend the money.)

Day 7: Sunday
Breakfast: the second pan (out of the freezer) of bread machine cinnamon rolls from last Sunday morning. Last week we didn't bake them long enough and they were overly doughy; this week we over-baked them and they were dry. Such is life with whole wheat flour.

Morning: Church at a place other than our home church. We love our church, but it's interesting to go other places and see how they do things. We happened to know quite a few people at this place, which led to . . . 

Lunch: at Izzy's with friends. I see the mom and her kids a few times a month at moms' group, but we've never done anything together as whole families, and it was quite fun to get together. 

Everyone (including me!) took gloriously long afternoon naps, thanks to a long morning of new experiences.

Dinner: Met Oma and Opa (Isaac's parents) at BJ's with a half-off pizza coupon. There isn't much on earth as good as their home-brewed root beer. Mmm mmm mmm.

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