Ohio Day Seven - Back to New York

 I'm afraid that this will be a short entry today.  We had fun plans but James and I were too tired and the boys are getting sick so we just had a quiet day of traveling.  Before we left Cleveland the boys had to show Daddy their favorite playground but it was hot and crowded so we didn't stay long.  Charlie was pretty cute this morning, he brought everyone their shoes and said "Welcome, welcome" as he handed them out.  He hasn't got the hang of "Thank you" yet but he does know when to say "you're welcome".

  Speaking of Charlie, this trip has really strengthened our relationship with him.  Trips are always a big family bonding time for us and since Charlie has only been living with us for a couple of months this has been a great opportunity to grow our relationship.  I can tell that Charlie and I are more connected but the biggest change has been with him and Will.  Jon has always liked Charlie and the role of big brother while Will primarily ignored him or saw him as a nuisance.  But on this trip Will has been seeking him out, speaking kindly, playing with him and trying to teach him things.  He even referred to Charlie today as his "littlest brother" which was huge.  (yes, he understands the temporary nature of foster care)
 
  I'm really happy that even on days like today, when everyone is tired and grumpy and we don't do anything fun, we all still love being together.  I do so love my family. 

  But we did have some fun today.  We spent a long time in the hotel pool followed by pizza and a movie.  We did make a mistake ordering the pizza though... we forgot what a large pizza looks like in New York.  This could have easily fed twice as many people.



Me and Jonny in the pool



lots and lots of pizza!

Charlie passed out

   James and I have decided to head home tomorrow instead of staying another night.  When we planned the trip we had very low expectations of Cleveland and so we wanted to do something fun on the way back.  But Cleveland was such a blast and our hotel room was so amazing that everything else seems like a disappointment.  Add to that the kids oncoming colds and our exhaustion and the idea of spending Sunday at home instead of on the road sounds really nice.  Our plan is to visit Niagara before we leave so I will have one more post (and hopefully some good pictures!) tomorrow. 

Goodnight!