Out & About In Ohio

My Grandpa is the best tour guide and knows all the spots for hiking, canoeing, bird watching, sight seeing and all things outdoors in Ohio (as well as other parts of the country and Canada). We went on a little hike through a really neat park one sunny afternoon. Esperanza fell asleep right as we pulled into the parking lot. She missed the majority of the hike, spending it strapped to me dreaming.

She woke shortly before we left and I got some cute pictures of her, like this great profile

Marti & John have a beautiful piece of property.We spent some time running around the yard playing with Nikko and exploring several times. The day after we got there it was raining and the ground was really wet from the snow that had recently melted and there were mud puddles all over. I, of course, took Esperanza outside to play in all the wettness. Esperanza was knee deep in puddles, splashing around in the back yard while we were rained on. It was so much fun and I wish I had gotten some pictures! After that day, we were blessed with sunshine the rest of our visit. Below are some pictures of us strolling around the outside of the house on a sunny day.We finally made it to the zoo with Esperanza for the first time - the Akron Zoo. She loved all the animals, especially the big kitties. You should hear her immitation of kitties - thanks to my sister Mary, it sounds just like that of a wild tiger!

Each time I visit Ohio and my family out there, Grandpa and I take a drive to the Amish country for some sightseeing. This trip was no exception. It's a beautiful and peaceful drive. Though the first part of our drive this time around wasn't very peaceful until Esperanza fell asleep, it turned out to be another great adventure. I've taken pictures of the area and our adventures in the past, but for some reason I didn't get the camera out at all this time. We have the memories though.

The day we left, my Grandpa took Armando & Esperanza over to LeBron James' home to say hi. Grandpa and Marti go way back with LeBron and he lives just up the road from them. Unfortunatly, he wasn't there. Here's his house though.

Our next visit will be during warmer weather, so we can all go canoeing with Grandpa!