Loving this song!

Thayne's is SIX!

My little boy (okay he was never little) has turned SIX! Wow these last six years have flown by. He is sweet and crazy and full of wonder about everything. He requested that his family party should be at Chuck E Cheese. This is not a place that we go to. Interestingly, Chaiya wanted the same thing for her sixth birthday. They received similar gifts, which included a set of real tools. So, to have a happy little boy off we drove up to Waldorf...even though this was a very un-waldorf birthday . hehehe

 This was his very favorite thing to do there. You had to pedal very fast in order for the helicopter to rise up in the air. He made it to the very top.

 He enjoyed most of the mechanical rides. I was surprised he didn't play the video games as much as I thought he would.

 We had pizza and salad. For months he has been seeing these pillow pet things in the store. This was his favorite present. He has carried it with him all over the place, I don't think it will replace the blankee though.

 Aunt Lisa and Uncle Bill sent him a really cool bug catcher gun with a vest and a badge.

 Can I eat it all?

Six candles wasn't any problem at all for this kid. After all the excitement of the day, and sugar, I expected him to be really wild. Thayne went to bed early with his pillow, he was so very tired and said it was the best birthday for someone who is six. We love our Thayne so much!!!

Ohio! Museum #2

Are we done with this vacation yet?

 Our last full day and we headed over to another museum to get a feel of what life on a boat on the Ohio river would be like. Only problem was it was incredibly hot and humid. Our tour started with an old tour guide that  knew every single square inch of his boat.

 Thayne wanted to explore everything, try it all out. Our guide was very nervous that Thayne would escape and accidentally fall into the river. I had a fairly tight grip on him most of the time.

 One of the parts the kids liked best was all the different bells and clangs that meant different messages to the crew and captain.

 Thayne wanted to try and hold the biggest wrench he ever saw.

 Here we are all trying to smile and be attentive but it was really hot and we had been on the boat for about an hour. We didn't really need to know about every single part...really!

 For some reason I don't have any pictures of the older kids. They were troopers and didn't complain once. I did. Once we were inside and cooled off a little, we learned some interesting facts about flooding and weather. There were artifacts from the good ole' days of traveling by boat. Lots of pretentious stuff!

Oh wait...I do have a picture of Quayde. He is not doing what you think, only pretending for fun.

We had a really great trip full of lots of memories and good times with the people we love in Ohio (and W. Virginia - Lisa and Bill). We stayed at the Microtell for $65 a night and it had free breakfast. Some other highlights were going to the movies with Nana and sharing meals with everyone. 

Ohio! Where we spent all our money

 We heard tell of a incredible toy store and found that it is located in an old train. As we walked up the freakiest old giant teddy bear was waiting to say hello. It's nose is held on with nails!!! We were not quite sure about walking into the place but what we found was....

 THE COOLEST TOY STORE EVER!

 It is called Whipple's Whimsical Toys and we spent a lot of time and a lot of money but had so much fun!

 The place is filled with all kinds of old fashioned and European toys, books and games.

 Tops that sing, wind-up robots, pop guns, yo-yos...you name it, if it is a retro toy they probably have it.

 Chaiya wanted to buy this for her nephew Joaquin. Really she was having a blast.

 Maliea couldn't decide, she finally chose a prism for her window.

 There was so many choices, even books and old fashioned candy.

 Chaiya got this set of Tiddlywinks. She was later playing them in the hotel laundry and found out she was not as clever with it as she had hoped.

We literally spent more money here than any where else on the vacation. We are totally toy addicted. We got gyroscopes, magnets, games, cap gun bomb things, magic slates and a few more fun things we just had to have. I would have loved to have a few of the intricate wind up toys but they are a little pricey. Maybe next time. It will definitely be a place we will come back to the next time we come a visiting. Oh so much fun!!

Ohio! Downtown Marietta

 Marietta is at a the point where the Ohio river meets the Muskingum. Which we learned can be a bad thing when it floods. The downtown area reminded us so much of our beloved old hometown in Az.

 There are fun murals on the walls!

 Good advice is written where you least expect it.

 We have no idea who Ivan was but he has several plaques up and down the street.

 There was seriously good shopping. I could have spent some serious dollars if I was richer. Fun boutiques and unique stores with decor and items that make you feel happy inside were around every corner

 Okay, so none of us drink but this sign was in the brewing company there and it made me a little homesick.

 Later, the girls and I ducked down an ally to take some pictures

 We had a lot of ........

This sign was the one really crazy thing that stood out though. A four way stop but with exceptions.

Ohio! Museum #1

Trying to make sure that we got to visit with as many relatives as possible was one of our goals. On Monday night we got to have dinner with Nana and Aunt Lori, Uncle Wayne and Becki. On Tuesday we were spoiled once again and had a delightful evening with Aunt Lisa and Uncle Bill. For some reason I don't have any pictures. Probably because we were all having such a great time eating and playing around. It was so much fun getting to know Michael's sisters better. They are both amazing people!  On Wednesday we were able to spend a little time with Grandpa Tom. He first took us to a cemetery!  What he didn't know before hand was that our kids love cemeteries!!!

 After about an hour in the hot sun, I think he was about through and the kids still wanted to read all the amazing headstones.

 This was probably one of the most unique ones there. The middle of the cemetery is a huge mound. I can't remember its official name. This is where all the native First people buried their leaders. I would love to go back and learn more.

 Then we headed over to Campus Martius. Learning about the first white settlers and seeing how they lived was quite fascinating. We could have spent all day there.

 This picture is of the original corner home from the fort that was near where the two rivers meet. It is three stories and fit inside this building. We got to go inside and view two of the floors and look at all the tools and furniture that the family used. It is on the exact spot where it was originally built. This was really cool!

 Did you know that the bedtime message, " Good night, sleep tight..." comes from the wish that the rope that binds the bed will not loosen in the night and have one fall through to the floor.

 Quayde just had to find a weapon!

 There was a lot of hands-on stuff in the museum to explore and play around with.

 This is what happens when you let your sisters get a hold of you!

 There was so very much to see and do in this museum. Down stairs was a huge area that told all about the more recent history during the growth of the US. There was an area about mining, where the kids could learn about the dangers and try on clothes. There was this lovely lady above that took tickets for the train....this mannequin scared the heck out of Chaiya. We believe she was a little haunted.

The littles had fun dressing up and there was videos and telephones where you could listen to people tell about their lives. 

My favorite part was looking at all the daily life tools and household items from way back. These boxes intrigued me. According to the placard, the boxes would be filled with sand and then you turned them over and the figures would move because of tiny gears that the sand would pour through. 

We had the most delightful day! Thank you Grandpa Tom for the afternoon and the pizza!

Ohio! Old Man's Cave

 Descending down, down, down to the hiking trails. this is not a handicap accessible place. Michael was the true hero and champion by the end because carrying a 70lb Lydia is no easy feat!

 Chaiya is fascinated by how green everything is. 

 The trail had very sculpture like pieces for steps. It was really amazing how man-made structures and nature could compliment each other so well.

 The moss was very slippery. Thayne tried to climb up and promptly slide right back down.

 The spooky tunnel. Lydia was so excited about going inside a dark tunnel.

 Quayde and Daddy had to seriously duck their heads down. It was a lot of fun traveling through in the dark.

 I fell in love with this bridge! It seemed so magical. It also reminded me of fairy tales of where a troll might live underneath.

 This is a place where a camera (okay not my camera) can not fully capture the true beauty of everything that is surrounding you. The water, the way the light is reflecting and bouncing off the leaves; it was all so peaceful and dreamy.

 Lydia was struggling to climb and it was incredibly hot and muggy. We kept on going and climbing back up the stone staircase.

 The falls were pretty, there was no way we could take Lydia around to all the caves in the area so we enjoyed the beauty of just this one. It is called Old Man's Cave after a man that lived there in the 1800's

 When we were down below, Thayne had seen the underside of this bridge and swore it was the coolest treehouse ever. We just had to go across and look down to how far below we had been.

Back at the top, hot and sweaty but full of wonder at how incredible it was. It was definitely worth the drive up. I would like to go back someday in the Autumn when the leaves are changing. We made sure we stopped at the gift shop and got our magnet. On the way we had passed a Sonic. Oh we have missed getting treats there since we left Az. So we had to make a snack break on the way back to Parkersburg to visit Aunt Lisa and Uncle Bill. What a great afternoon!