Hello, Cleveland!

We took our first trip to see the Cleveland family 4th of July weekend. I was in Kentucky for a week in June, and Cora and I were scheduled to drive up to Cleveland and meet Landon there (he bought a one way ticket from Charleston). Mia & Poops couldn't stand the thought of Cora in the backseat by herself for 7 hours, so they actually made a Cedar Point vacation out of it, with Dad following behind in his car and picking up mom at the interstate outside of Parma. It made the trip much less stressful. Thanks Mia & Poops!

Cora had been away from Landon for a week - they were very excited to see each other!

And, Cora was a huge fan of Grandpa. They were big buddies all weekend.

I have no clue what they were looking at here...

One of Grandma's neighbors lent us a stroller that she had bought for her grandchildren. Landon tried to argue that the stroller was only a few years old. Moms, stay tuned. I suspect in a couple of pics, you'll agree with my assessment that it was a bit older... (but it did serve the exact purpose we needed, nevertheless!).

I borrowed Grandma's hat all weekend. It was way sunnier in Cleveland than I expected.

We took Cora for her first trip to the zoo. It was a great day all around! Great weather, and a great time with Cora's Great Grandma and Great Grandpa.

And this was how Cora preferred to ride...
The stroller didn't have a 5 point harness, which made me suspect it had to have been at least a decade old (any guesses?). Notice that I captured this picture with Landon holding the stroller and me right next to it, ready to catch our little escape artist if she fell. But typically, Grandpa pushed the stroller (it helped his back a bit to hold onto it), and I would catch a glimpse of a laughing Cora standing and poking her head around the edge of the stroller. There wasn't time to grab my camera as I sprinted through crowds, leaping over small children and knocking over their older siblings to get to my baby!

 Safe in Grandpa's arms!
She's holding "silly bird" - a Christmas present from my cousin Brian. This is one of a few toys that she loves so much that we periodically hide it, only to pull it out right before a big occasion (a trip to the doctor; a long car ride).

 We actually took about 15 shots trying to get a family photo - this was the best we could get. Cora was on the move!

Our little zoo animal spending some time with Mama & Dada on Great Gma & Great Gpa's front lawn.

 Enjoying a steak dinner with Great Gma & Great Gpa (yes, these do look like peas, but I promise there was steak there, too).

 Doesn't this look like a peaceful scene? What a great memory!

It needs to be recorded that Cora didn't sleep more than 3 hours straight the whole time that we were in Cleveland. Most nights, it was more like 45 minute stretches of sleep. I finally made a deal with Landon - I would stay up with her, mostly cuddling her in Grandpa's armchair, if he agreed that I did not have to drive even 1 hour of the 11 hour trip back to Charleston. The deal was made. She clearly thought that her pack n play was meant for play...

Grandma and Grandpa have a little poodle, Charlie. Cora doesn't tend to chase Pearl (although she loves to watch her, and entice her from afar). However, Charlie's size, and Charlie's poor hearing, made Charlie the perfect target for Cora's antics. Cora was like a tiger in the jungle as she stalked Charlie around the house - we really had to keep our eye on her to make sure that she didn't get too close.

Overlooking Lake Erie.

 And downtown Cleveland.

 One of my favorite places in Cleveland was the Westside Market. Fresh fruit, fresh meat, fresh cheeses...

We loved it so much that Landon and I grabbed cousin Marc and returned the next day for a Steve's Gyro. Steve's  has been featured on several Food Network shows, including Man vs. Food.

It is hard to see here, but the amount of meat on the gyro was completely overwhelming. This is the pile of lamb that I took off my gyro before even attempting to eat it... and I was only able to eat about a quarter of mine!

Landon and Marc look a little defeated here. If you know Landon, you know that he is able to eat. A lot. If you know Marc, then you know that he plays football at Kent State (there is even a profile mimicking him on Madden Football!). Needless to say, he isn't a small guy, and he is also known as someone whom people need to cook extra food for when he comes to dinner. But Steve's Gyro beat Landon & Marc!

 This was where they quit...

Cora was unimpressed.

Later, we had dinner at Aunt Paula's and Uncle Thane's house. I should have taken a picture - we ate on the back porch and had THE BEST CORN I've ever head. It was cob grilled, and they swore there was no secret ingredient. It was just really really really good corn.

Cora ran a bit of a fever and ended up falling asleep right after dinner (don't worry - she didn't stay asleep all night, or even for a few hours - that would be absurd).

We hope to return to Parma again soon!!!

In ideal conditions, we were expecting an 11 hour drive back to Charleston on July 3rd. I was prepared for Armageddon with Cora, but honestly, it wasn't that bad. We stopped and had a "rest stop picnic" as we entered West Virginia (left over Steve's Gyros and the strawberry-cherry flavored coke's Grandma packed for us), then stopped again in Charlotte, had a nice sit-down dinner, and took Cora to play on a playground for a bit. She fussed some, but it honestly wasn't that bad. Maybe that's just my perspective... I wasn't driving!

Mia & Poopah Jim's Place

Of course she spent the week all dolled up. Mattie picked this outfit for Cora --- I love that she is covered in ribbons & feathers, but has her football binky stuck in her mouth. That's our girl...

 Dad made a "fort" for Cora out of a tunnel and a big old cardboard box. I don't know who loved it more - Cora or Mattie.

 A neighbor came by with their daughter, exactly Cora's age. Cora thought that she was very cute - and was especially into her bow...

But the moment that my mom picked the other child up, Cora no longer thought she was cool. Cora was across the room playing with another toy, but when she turned her head and saw that Mia had found another cuddle bug, she came "slap slap slappin" as fast as she could go across the room. She didn't cry, but she made it clear that this situation was unaccepatble. She stood pulling on Mia's shorts until the situation was rectified.

Cora found Uncle Hadee. I think that we have another generation with Uncle Hadee as a playmate. Uncle Hadee was my absolutely favorite childhood doll. Little weird, I know.

The Gullett's brought this toy over for Cora and I thought that she was going to be way too young for it. I think that I was wrong... She pretty much took off like this as soon as she got her hands on it.

Grandma M Came to Visit

I left Cora for the first time in June :( But was fortunate that she was with Grandma M while I was traveling. Here are some pics from their week together - I missed her so much! However, it looks like Grandma M had some great cuddle time.

Catching Water