arizona and ohio

With Summer break here...we contemplated where to take our kids for their Summer trip.

We've done Arizona and Seattle too many times to count...and so decided on some place different and worthwhile for the kids and us.

We decided on Arizona!  Just kidding.  Or, not really.

We decided to swing through Arizona on our way to....OHIO!

Why Ohio, you ask?

Mitch's brother lives there!  Plus, Mitch spent some very memorable years as a child living in Ohio so thought, what better time and excuse to visit some place new and different?  And, when else will the opportunity arise to visit Ohio?  Never, that's when.  So, even though it's oppressively hot in Arizona and even Ohio...we packed up the kids and headed out East!

Here we are!  Getting ready for take-off from Hawaii.

Always nervous about making it out on stand-by, but we were fortunate enough to get out together!  

We may not always get to sit all together...but as long as we can make it out on the same flight, it's all good!

By the way, Kaden flew fantastic!  Yay!

Upon arriving in Arizona for our short stopover...we realize why we never visit Arizona in the summer.

It was HOT!  As in, sitting in an OVEN hot!

I believe the temperature reached near 120° while we were there.  

Not fun.

But this is always fun! 

Can't visit Arizona without a stop at In-N-Out!

 Our one and only day to play in Arizona was spent doing this in the morning.  It may not have been much...but they needed to do SOMETHING to cool off!  It was literally too hot to even visit the pool or splash parks in the daytime!  So, Mitch blew up some water balloons and the kids tossed them around in the shade.  Still super hot...but a fun way for the kids to cool off just a little. 

This was how sweaty Kaden got outside with the waterballoons.

But nothing a little cold watermelon can't help fix!  

We ate A LOT of watermelon on this trip.  :)

You know it's HOT when you can take a dip in the pool at 10 o'clock at night and NOT feel cold!

Ah, the kids with their Arizona cousins.  

 After a short day and a half in Arizona, we were off to Ohio!

First time flying as a PAYING passenger in quite some time!

The kids kept wondering out loud if we would make it out and if we would all get to sit together.  I had to tell them multiple times that we paid for our tickets this time and so were guaranteed to get on.

The girls weren't used to boarding the plane with the rest of the passengers!  Ha!

 We arrived in Ohio super late at night...and with the extreme time difference (5 hours from Hawaii time!), we managed to get a late start every day while there.  BUT, on our first day in Ohio, we hit the Air Force museum.  Apparently Mitch used to visit this museum regularly when he was a kid living there.

It's super close to where they grew up, and also happens to be super close to where Mitch's brother lives!  

Little Brielle was stuck to Kela like glue.  I'm pretty sure they held hands everywhere we went.  

We felt bad that we ousted little B out of his room while we were there... but the kids LOVED his room!

Lots of planes, cars, and space stuff.  

The twins back together for the first time in 2 years! :)

But back in Ohio together for the first time in about....27 years!  Wow!

Second day in Ohio, we visited the Columbus Zoo!

Which was FANTASTIC!

 Found a komodo dragon!

 And petted a snake.  ew.

 Came face to face with an orangutan!

 And desperately tried to stay COOL in the heat and humidity!

These sprays were located pretty strategically around the zoo.  Which was SUCH a relief!

Saw a manatee for the very first time!  

Which was pretty neat.  Who knew seacows were so graceful and peaceful underwater?!

 Mitch and Brian...with Brielle and Jolee.  

Ahh...relief!  :)

 One of the main reasons why we wanted to visit Ohio was so the kids could get the chance to catch some fireflies.  They've never seen them before (and neither have I!) so we purposely planned this trip around firefly season.  The first night there, we missed the firefly catching time by 30 minutes, so this second night, we made sure to hit the park a little earlier..which totally paid off!

Jolee was our super catcher-without even a net, she managed to nab upwards of 30+ fireflies all on her own, with her bare hands at that!

 Just some of their catch.  Which they released right away, of course. :)

Our firefly hunters...notice Brielle and Kela holding hands.  :)

 Day three was King's Island.  A huge water & amusement park.

I probably don't even need to mention that this was the kids FAVORITE part of the trip.

 I mean...it's a water park AND an amusement park rolled into one!

Who doesn't like water slides?

 And fast moving roller coasters and fun rides?

This was the little kids' favorite ride.  They probably rode it 3 or 4 times.  

 While Kela and Brighton ventured out to the more daring rides like planes and roller coasters.  

As in BIG roller coasters.  :)

Which I didn't get too many pictures of since I was stuck with the little ones.  Not that I was complaining. 

Being a weakling when it comes to the big coasters...I was perfectly happy hanging out with the little ones. 

 Like bumper cars...

 ...and merry-go-rounds.  

Which these two loved!  

 This kid was OUT COLD before we even left the park!

It was a LONG but super fun day for all of us!

The next morning, this girl woke up with a sick stomach. 

I decided to stay back with Jolee while the rest of the gang headed out to a nearby farm to see some animals, ride some fun rides and eat some yummy ice cream.  

 How fun are these?  It was raining a bit, so they had to take cover now and again (so I hear) but they still got to ride this tractor ride around the farm. 

And feed some goats, play in a corn pit and eat some yummy ice cream.
This day also happened to be the Fourth of July!  We had a night of fireworks planned, but had to cancel everything because of the rain.  And also because Jolee was pretty sick.
Oh well.  I suppose it's a good thing our kids aren't big on fireworks anyway.
I think the older boys (aka. Mitch and Brian) were more disappointed in missing the fireworks than the little kids!

The next day, Jolee's stomach seemed to have improved enough for us to venture out to a nearby playground with water, sand, a musical maze, and this interesting tree sculpture.  

 It may not be a water park, per se...but it was perfect for the kids to cool down on a hot and humid afternoon.

 This was a man-made creek...so neat!

 And here's the sand table. 

Where Jolee happened to find yet another firefly!

And then, since it was our last day in Ohio, we revisited the Air Force museum to take a few pictures in front of the airplanes on display.  The first day we came was raining, so had to forego seeing these up close until the last day.  And we are so glad we made the trip back to check it out!

 The main reason why we decided to come back was so we could see this particular plane up close.

It was called the "Snoopy" plane because of its droopy "nose"... but more than anything, it also happens to be the EXACT same plane that Mitch's dad used to fly!

How cool is that?!  The girls were amazed that they could see and touch the exact plane that grandpa flew in!

 We then cooled off with some Italian Ice...which was DELICIOUS!

 ...before heading out to the creek to do some crayfish hunting.

 The kids have never even seen a creek...so couldn't get over a naturally flowing stream with fresh water!  

And while Kela and Brighton got bored pretty quickly...Jolee and Anna stuck with it and along with Mitch and Uncle Brian, managed to catch 3 crayfish (or something like that).  

According to Anna...THIS was her most favorite part of the entire Ohio trip!

No surprise there.  

Next to the creek was a fun park where Kaden got to swing...and actually ENJOYED swinging! 

A first!

Oh, and can't forget this picture of the boys in front of the very same house they used to live in as kids.  

And aside from a couple missing trees...it apparently hasn't changed at all!  

Early the next day, we had to say our goodbye's to the Ohio Seavey's.  

As you can see...some of us were not ready ready to say Aloha Oe to our cousins.

 But soon enough we were back on the plane to head back to Arizona.

I have to give a shout-out to Southwest for their kid-friendly cups with lids and straws (yay!) and also to our little Kaden who flew great both there and back!  And even did me proud by sleeping in my arms whilst several babies were crying all around us. :)

Oh, and I neglected to mention earlier, but while the kids and I had paid tickets for our Ohio trip...Mitch decided to save us some money and flew stand-by the whole way there and back.  We were nervous about him making it on the flight, and were even preparing for the possibility of him having to take a different plane...but we were blessed with just enough seats for him to sit with us on the flight to Ohio and back!  Yay!

 And then we found ourselves back in Arizona for another day of the hot desert.

The kids played with some beads, played on the iPads with their cousins...

...and ended our Summer trip with some sparklers.  

Since the Fourth of July parade was cancelled while we were in Ohio and we missed out on some fireworks due to Jolee getting sick, I was happy the kids got to do SOME fireworks while in the mainland.  Especially since fireworks have been banned in Hawaii and would have no other opportunity to light up a few sparklers at home!

So, to end our vacation, the kids got to play with a couple sparklers before finally heading back home to Hawaii, so all's well that ends well!

This was the longest vacation we've ever taken as a family...but we all agreed that it flew by!  

We got to do and see so many things we've never seen or done before.

It was so very far away...but so very worth all the effort, time and money it took to get there.  I know the kids made lots of memories that they will undoubtedly cherish for many years to come ( I hope!).

To take a peek at all the other hundred + pictures from our trip, take a look HERE! :)