Ohio trip

After Christmas Day, we went off in search of fun toddler things to do with Grandma and Grandpa. The first stop was a place we had previously entitled Tyler's Happy Place.

Great Lakes Science Center
The whole place is wonderful, but they have a special toddler section that is our favorite right now. There are tubes for balls to run down . . .

benches and mirrors to inspect . . .


gears to line up . . .

and awesome, fast slides to run down . . .

and even places to climb where you aren't supposed to climb.

Is it wrong that this next picture makes me laugh every time? This is the grunting face while she is trying to climb over something too big.

We had fun in the rest of the museum as well. Kaitlyn especially liked this "coloring" spot where you bumped the platform to make the cool shapes.

The headphones didn't work, but Kaitlyn didn't know that.

Hi Tyler!

Next up- Kirtland.

I've been to Kirtland a few times when I was growing up, but it is always a good stop, and especially at Christmas it turns out. They collected about 500 nativity sets to put on display, and it was wonderful! The international section was my favorite, because they were all so different. I could write all about them, but an article in the Plain Dealer was so much better than what I could write! If you have a minute, follow the link to read it.

Some were wooden, some were metal, and everything inbetween. I was worried that the kids would be trying to grab them all, but they did fairly well for toddlers.

This set was even made from Coke bottles!

I loved these pictures that were made from banana leaves by orphans in Ghana. They were so beautiful.

There were so many beautiful sets, it was hard to choose which pictures to put here.

This year they put up a kids room, with plush and plastic nativities to play with, as well as dress up clothes too. Fun!

We also went on at tour at the Kirtland Temple itself before we went home, and had a knowledgeable and good tour guide. It rained on Christmas Day, but finally snowed for us that Sunday.

The next day, we went to the Lake Erie Nature and Science Center.

It is a little, free, animal spot up in Bay Villiage, and it was great. There were animals to look at outside and inside. Kaitlyn sure does love to talk about ducks, even when they are actually geese.

They even had a bald eagle! I thought that was rather cool.

And deer, which the kids recognised from the cabin. I think.

They loved this little turtle habitat inside. I loved the feet all up off the floor to get a better look.

This hollowed out tree was the perfect toddler size to climb through.

My favorite was this guy in the hallway. He would bring out animals one at a time and tell you about them, letting the kids pet them if they were brave enough. It was neat to see a different one every time you turned around- he would bring out a snake, then come back with an owl, and then reappear with this skunk.

Well, those were our big fun adventures! The kids also had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa, and Kaitlyn especially has been asking for them ever since. I just wish they lived closer!