The Cook's: Labor Day Travels

Busy busy weekend of travel. It was off to g'ma and g'pa Fitzgeralds in Cleveland - a lovely 6hr drive. The boys actually ride very well now. We turned Carters car seat around the other week, and its a whole new world for him...he does no sleep in the car much anymore and he can see us and play with his brother as well.

All in all, a very enjoyable weekend with non stop action for the boys (and us as well) - a trip down to Canton, OH to meet up with all his cousins for his cousin Ryans 8th b-day party, a trip to the Brecksville pool with g'ma, a journey to the Cleveland Air Show on Lake Erie (think Carter was more interested than Connor), a brunch with all his cousins on Sunday, a trip to see his Great Grandma and Great Grandpa, a trip to Kiddie Park (which Connor hated and we pretty much had to leave in 30 minutes) and a ride through the Cuyhoga National Park to look for deer (we saw 25 deer, some as close as 10ft, but both boys had already passed out).

And finally, a brief night out with good friends the Zenters - an amazing couple doing amazing things with the challening hand dealt to them (http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/08/volunteers_craft_a_special_hom.html). We actually had an opportunity to met the man mentioned in the article who is building the new home for them at his rather large home - we got a tour of his amazing house, but more importantly, got to spend an hour with a pretty extrordinary person - goes to show how giving some people can be.

Anyways - the boys had a blast with their 4 Cleveland based cousins and it was nice to have some extra hands to give us a few moments to break away.

And in closing, to rip off Peter Kings column from SI in which he gives travel gripes from his past week of travel, I will provide my own:

**Why is it that Indiana persists on having the most lackluster, gross, nasty, backwoods Tollway rest stops? Both Illinois and Ohio have it figured out. The system of Tollway rest stops is a form of marketing for your entire state...if the millions traveling through each year are left with a good impression, it actual does carry over to your impression of the state itself. And for Indiana, which in the minds of most, does not have a stellar image, to not update those facilities is crazy. You honestly feel like you need to shower upon leaving one. The flies hovering around your table, the sticky floors, the 1970's decor, the dark and dank bathrooms...it goes on and on. But on a positive, Connor did discover how cool the arcade crane machine with the stuffed animals inside is...Mickey Mouse was the featured prize, so he hauled out some of his new found vocabulary..."coins", "I want that", "I do it" and "more coins". $1 later...no Mickey Mouse doll.

Getting Ready for the Pool