Oh the places we go ...

Traveling with a toddler is an interesting experience due to their temperament. Toddlers are on emotional roller coasters all day long as they try to figure out how to feel in certain situations, and more importantly, what's an appropriate reaction to those situations. But the fact is, I love to travel. I love seeing people whom we don't get to see often enough. I love exploring new places, and now, showing Piper new places and having her go through new experiences. And this time of year, I will admit that I love having a little warm sunshine on my face when it is COLD up here. So when life went to crap in December, we booked three trips - two of which have already happened (Cincinnati and Jupiter, Florida), and one that's coming up in just a few short days (Turks and Caicos). I will admit that I wanted to escape a bit, and whether it's been the escaping, the fun times with Piper, or the reminder of how great it is to see great friends, our trips have been just what the doctor ordered.

First stop, Cincinnati.

We went to Cincinnati to visit one of my best friends from college, Heidi, her husband, Tommy, their daughter, Anna (3 months older than Piper), and baby Trimarco, who hasn't made her appearance yet, but should be doing so any day. The trip was GREAT. I think part of it was that I hadn't seen any of my good college friends since I had miscarried and I just needed that wrap of friendship that I could feel in a hug from Heidi. I needed an 8 School fix. But the other part was that Piper and Anna had an absolute blast. They played with their babies/dollies (same doll that they call different names) for hours - mostly taking them for "walks" in baby strollers and putting them to bed in a toy pack and play. They played and played and only had a few minor skirmishes, which I was honestly surprised about because they hadn't seen each other in well over a year so had no real history. But instead of acting like strangers, they acted like Heidi and I do and that thought honestly brings a tear of happiness to my eye. We went to the aquarium (above), the children's museum (below), went out to dinner at a great Mexican place, and had so much fun just hanging out at Heidi and Tommy's house. It was a trip that I will remember forever, and I left with the vow that we will never go nearly as long as we did this time before we get these girls together again. Ever.

And right before we left for a trip home, which took WAY longer than intended due to poor weather, we tried to get a picture of us four ladies. Tommy took a ton, but with two toddlers and two adults who hadn't showered yet, a good picture of all four of us was nearly impossible. This was the best we could do :-)


A week later, we were off to southern Florida to see another great college friend, Charlotte, and her boyfriend, Stanton. That post will have to wait until tomorrow, but it was another fantastic trip that I relive pretty much every day as Piper tells me she "fed the giraffes". More details to come ... :-)

So instead, I'm going to end this post with a couple more pics from Cinci and a sincere heartfelt thank you as I noticed that Jennie Sheridan's fundraising page is even closer to her goal. Thank you!!