"I know Ohio..."

I don't think I even heard it on our trip...but the song floated through my mind all weekend, especially as we wandered around 'the back roads' near our first home in Vermilion.


It was a very quick trip...but a few of our favorite moments were captured with the Cybershot...

"Ohio Church"

"Ohio play porch"

Today, Maya saw a magazine with 2 kids on a porch. She told me their names were 'Addison' and 'Maya.'

"Ohio mornings"...
...are earlier, now with 2 babies to wake us, but still wonderful...with

cuddly kids, the strongest coffee in the world (with cream, of course)...and Lynn's pancakes. yum.

"Ohio yard" (pronounced 'lard')
Swings, a tree house, a slide, cousins, and bubbles...

"Ohio peanut butter"
Maya was really excited that Aunt Lynn let her 'make' her own sandwich for lunch.
Sweet independence.

The favorite "Ohio Story"
The Swim Lesson.
A great story of courage despite fear of the unknown.
"I won't go in. I won't go in. I won't go in the water.
The water is too cold. The water is too deep. The water is too wet."

But don't worry. The heroine goes in.
In fact...
"She won't get out. She won't get out. She won't get out of the water."

After story time, Andy and I listened to the monitor for THREE HOURS as Maya happily chatted away while she was supposed to be napping. "I won't do in da water" was one of our favorite oft repeated lines :)

Mandy's (and Josh's) house had really yummy breakfast cereal... and noodles, a magical fort, a really big and friendly dog named Shelby, and 'Goldilocks pool.'

"I won't get out. I won't get out. I won't get out of the water."

'Goldilocks Pool'


Maya really didn't want to say good-bye to Mandy... or Ohio.

Oh, and Sophie enjoyed the trip too. She's just a little quieter and less active than her busy big sister.

Despite the fact that she seems to be absent from the pictures,
she *was* there...and pretty content most of the time.

See?