Grammy and Poppy's Visit 2016

We were so glad that Dave and Anita could come out this spring for one last vacation with us in Youngstown!
We picked them up last Wednesday afternoon in Cleveland, then came back to Youngstown, where they treated us to a yummy dinner at The Phoenix, a restaurant that we had been wanting to try (and that had a delicious filet and mushroom appetizer and zucchini parmesan).

We spent the rest of the evening playing with the kids, then watching Parental Guidance and talking after the kids went to bed.

 

On Thursday, we had a yummy breakfast of cinnamon roll pancakes, then headed to the Valley (Amish) Marketplace to explore and pick up our favorite treats (caramel apple and sprinkle donuts, apple fritters, caramel pecan rolls, and dutch oven pizza). 

After the Marketplace, we went to Boardman park and had lots of fun playing in the sunshine with some new friends.

After the park, we came home and had lunch and rest time, then started the project that Grace and Bethany had been anxiously waiting for: painting a tea set that Dave and Anita had brought for the girls' Easter gift. Grace, Bethany, Grammy, and Poppy and I had a great time painting the set (which we baked later that night so we could play with it the next day). 

 

After painting, Dave and Anita and the girls played outside, then we had a scrumptious Italian dinner with my parents (fettucini alfredo with parmesan pesto bread and bruschetta salad for dinner). After our dinner, we played some more inside, then sat around and talked after the kids went to bed.

 

On Friday, we went to our other favorite marketplace, White House Fruit Farms, and picked up our favorite cake donuts, apple cider, apples, and other local goodies. After the farm, we played at the Canfield library, then came home for lunch and rest.

After rest, we had our tea party! I suggested that the girls dress up for the tea party, and these were the outfits they came up with. I thought they looked so fancy and adorable! They helped me come up with our menu, which I prepared as they finished their rest: croissants, crackers and cheese, orange slices, raspberries, and donuts. (Don't worry--we shared with Trav and Poppy too. :)) It was such a fun and tasty little party!

 

After our tea party, we went to the historic Canfield Village and explored, then came home and made some yummy alfredo, BBQ, and pesto pizza for dinner. I love our tradition of having a pizza party whenever we're together!

After dinner, we introduced Dave and Anita to the local favorite ice cream shop--Handel's--then came home and put the kids to bed.

My parents joined us after the kids went down for snacks and a rousing round of Scrabble (which Trav and I won. :) ).

On Saturday morning, we finished off our donuts for breakfast, then went to the cemetery in Columbiana where Dave's great great grandpa and grandma, Isaiah and Hannah Holloway, were buried. It was neat to wander the cemetery and find their grave stone (Grace was excited to spot it first!), as well as lots of other Holloways that we hope are related! Travis has been really interested in family history lately, and it was neat to find that a piece of our family history was right here in Ohio!

After the cemetery, we visited another Amish Marketplace (Das Dutch Village in Columbiana), and explored their furniture and country décor shop, bookstore, and market.

After the market, we came home and visited for a bit, then headed back to Cleveland, where we had a delicious early dinner at Red Robin (to redeem Travis' free birthday burger).

After dropping Dave and Anita off a the airport, we did some nostalgic sight seeing in Cleveland, driving by our old houses, mall, library, and playing at our old playground.

We had such a wonderful whirlwind visit with them and look forward to seeing them again at our family reunion this summer!