We now interrupt your regularly neglected blog...

Does anyone (mom and dad) even read this anymore?

We had a serious case of OTM this spring. OTM= One Track Mind, a mental condition brought about by thoughts of things like The Yogurt Pump or, in Jenna's case, Barbie and the Diamond Castle (thanks Carlee C!). For us, it was Florida. We tried to go back in March in an attempt to escape the snow, but a whole lot of sickness kept us home. But we kept planning and scheming and finally decided to drive, stopping for a few days in Nashville to break up the trip and spend time with Jake's brother and his girlfriend. We armed ourselves with a portable DVD player and enough snacks to feed an army of toddlers and headed out.

Nashville was much more beautiful than I imagined. Our weekend with Jeff and Ashley was jam- packed with a shopping to trip to Ross (Do you love it? I love it!), Pfunky Griddle, The Renaissance Fair and plenty of Jerseylicious (a.k.a the realty show featuring a salon run by oompa loompas. We couldn't stop ourselves).

There was a brief moment of sadness when the waitress at Pfunky Griddle asked us where we were from. Jake and I looked at each other forlornly and for the first time ever we had to say, "We're from Cleveland." But then we ate the most delicious french toast and all was forgotten.

We learned that Jeff is the master griller, that a dryer sheet in your pocket will keep mosquitoes away and that big dogs are nice, too.

The drive to Florida was not bad until the last couple of hours. People were crying and it felt like we had to stop a million times. It was classic "So close and yet... so. far. away!" But it was all worth it. We had an awesome time. Jenna didn't take long to warm up to her cousins. There was some playing in the rain...

a lot of time at the beach with the kids,

and without.

Stephanie has some major influence on my girls. When Jenna was 9 months old, Stephanie flew out for her brother's wedding and during her visit she got Jenna to crawl. Callie was exactly the same age on our trip down and sure enough, Steph got her to crawl too.

It was hard to say goodbye. I seriously wish we were closer. But, I guess it's nice to always have a reason to go to Florida! Thanks everyone for a great vacation!