Fun for the Five in Ohio!

Both hubby and I are originally from the Buckeye State (but please don't assume that this means that I am a fan of the Buckeyes, as I am not!), but after college we moved away and only visit a few times a year now. Now that we are getting older and kids have entered the picture, we are trying to get back more often so that our children actually know who their cousins are and can enjoy some time with them. That was one thing that I loved about my childhood. We always gathered with family often and I spent a lot of time playing with my cousins. I guess I took this for granted though, after meeting my husband, and discovering that not all extended families did the same. His side is very spread out in age (some of his cousins are closer in age to his parents than they are to him), so he did not have the same experiences with his cousins when he was younger. So far, our children's cousins are all within a few years of age, so getting them together to play is always a good time.

There are five children under five between my sister and me. It is always interesting!

We had an opportunity to visit with them a couple weeks ago when we traveled to Ohio for my niece's 3rd birthday party. Born exactly 3 months after Ethan, they had a rocky start when it came to getting along well. As they have aged, they have realized that the other is not so bad and Ethan actually tends to name Rachie first when we talk about his cousins now. What a difference a few years makes!

Rachie had her Minnie Mouse-themed birthday party at the Richland Carrousel in Mansfield.

My sister has taken her kids there quite a few times when visiting my parents and Grandma, but my kids had never been. I think it is safe to say that they loved it!

They took turns riding with us and pretty much only took breaks to shovel in some yummy cake and ice cream! ;) Noah was excited to get his first taste of both. I don't think he'll have any problems next month polishing off his smash cake! haha!

While at the party, I was able to see my Grandma, two of my cousins, including one's three kids, including their newest addition!

We had a wonderful time and made some great memories with the boys.

We also had the chance to get in some cuddle time with the newest addition to the family, Hannah.

It was a great weekend spent with family. Hopefully, we'll continue to enjoy more like those now that we are living a bit closer again!