We made a trip to Covington, KY and Elizabethtown, KY this past weekend. We met someone in Elizabethtown to trade Mommy’s car for a truck and camper. But first, we went to Covington, which is just across the river from Cincinnatti, OH. We wanted to take Eric to the nearby Newport Aquarium. He had such a good time at the aquarium in South Carolina that we wanted him to see this aquarium. He loves fishies. We almost always go to the pet department when we are at Meijer, so Eric can look at the fish swimming in the tanks.
We spent a lot of time in the car over the weekend. Friday, we drove to Covington. Saturday, we drove to Elizabethtown and back to Covington. Sunday, we drove home to Indiana. We made frequent stops for potty breaks. Eric is doing very well with his potty training. Mommy and I are very proud of him. He is still learning to go to the toilet before he goes in his pants, but we check with him frequently and take him to the toilet often. He did especially well this weekend considering that we were using all manner of public toilets at gas stations, restaurants, the hotel…everything from clean to dirty, toilets to urinals. He did especially well with the hotel toilet.
We bought a GPS a couple months ago. Eric loves it! He enjoys listening to the directions and reminding us to use the highlighted route. “She said turn right, Daddy! You turned left! You were supposed to turn right!” These comments followed my left turn into a gas station when the GPS map apparently thought that it was across the street from its actual location. So now I have a GPS as a front seat navigator and Eric as a back seat driver. I should never get lost!
When we arrived at Covington, we went directly to the aquarium in Newport, KY nearby. We saw all kinds of fish and other animals. We saw gold fish, blue fish, yellow fish, sharks, octopus, crabs, turtles, starfish, jelly fish, frogs, sting rays. Eric got to touch a starfish. I touched a shark, but Eric could not reach far enough to touch it. He tried, but he had just as much fun just splashing the water. We also saw birds, snakes, and seals. Unfortunately, the penguin exhibit was closed for construction. Apparently they were building more penguins 🙂 I was disappointed, because the penguins are my favorite animals at the aquarium. Eric was having so much fun. He was not always pleased when we decided it was time to move on to the next exhibit.
Gotcha! Eric had his face covered while pouting, but he peaked out just as I took this picture.
After the aquarium, we headed for the hotel to get checked in. Finally in our room after wearing out the bell man with all of our luggage and stuff, we realized that we left Eric’s cup in the car. We just arrived and already we had an adventure to go on. So, Eric and I headed for the parking garage to get his cup. This required taking the elevator down to the lobby, then switching elevators to go down into the garage. Eric loves to push the elevator buttons. We retrieved his cup and we returned to the room. All is right in the world as long as Eric has his cup! While we were in the garage, Mommy determined that the refrigerator in our room was not cold, so Eric and I headed back out to get ice. Fortunately, the ice machine was on our floor. Although, Eric would probably have preferred it on another floor just to ride the elevator.
All settled in with our drinks on ice, we all went out to explore the hotel. This is a ritual that Mommy performs every time we stay at a hotel. We look for the fitness center and the swimming pool or spa. We found the pool on the 2nd floor along with the fitness center. The pool looked very nice and there was a large hot tub. On the main floor, we found the manager’s reception or “happy hour” in progress. Mommy and I enjoyed a cocktail, while we all had some snacks: pretzels, popcorn, and nachos. In the lobby area, we also found a large bird cage with a colorful parrot inside. Eric liked this. We talked to the parrot for several minutes. Its name was Emmy, and it did not talk much. We only managed to hear it say “hello” one time.
We ordered room service for dinner. Eric had some very yummy spaghetti with meat sauce. After dinner, we suited up to go to the swimming pool! Eric was excited. He had been talking about the swimming pool since he found out that we were going to a hotel. He remembered the pool from the last hotel that we stayed in. He did not go in the pool that time, because the water was too cold. That was not a problem this time. I think the water was a little warmer, but mostly I think Eric was too excited about it to not go in the pool this time. It did not take long. In fact Eric could not get in the pool fast enough. We grabbed a “noodle” that was floating in the pool, and Eric floated all around. I helped him float around the pool. We made several laps back and forth, while Mommy watched. After a while, we got out of the pool and into the hot tub. The temperature was just warm, not too hot, and Eric loved the water jets.
After swimming, it was near bedtime. We started winding down. Eric is wearing his pajamas and very tired. It was a long day! We got him settled into bed for a bedtime story. Bed…check. Blanket…check. Star pillow…check. Panda…check. Bear…oops! “Where’s bear?” “He stayed home to take care of your bed at home. Isn’t that nice of him?” “Yes.” Whew! that was a close one.
Good morning! Let’s be quiet. Mommy is still sleeping. Okay. Eric and I got dressed and went out to explore the hotel. We took the elevator down to the first floor and checked out the breakfast buffet. In the elevator, Eric was talking to the other riders. He asked everyone which number they were going to and where their room was. One man answered “45”. Everyone chuckled a little, and I asked Eric if he saw a number 45 on the button panel. To every one’s surprise, he pointed and said “right there, 4 and 5”. Sure enough, the buttons for 4 and 5 were right next to each other. You can’t outsmart this kid! At the buffet, everything looked good! They have pancakes, not waffles. The man from the elevator ran into us again, and he said “Hi, 45!” to Eric. We headed back up to our room to get Mommy. Breakfast looked good, and we wanted to eat soon. Mommy was awake when we got back to the room. We all went for breakfast. Mommy waited in line for an omelette, while Eric and I scooped up some eggs, bacon, ham, hashbrowns, and pancakes.
After breakfast, it was time to load up the car and start the trip to Elizabethtown. Eric and Mommy waited for me in the lobby, while I brought the car around from the garage.
We stopped at Cracker Barrel for lunch. Eric had Macaroni and Cheese. We explained in the car that we would be giving Mommy’s car away and getting a new truck and a camper. Eric misunderstood this a little. He thought we were going camping. We explained again that we were not going camping, but we were picking up a camper. He continued asking all day when we were going camping. Sometimes it is easier just to wait and see than to try and explain.
We met Uncle Joe’s sister-in-law, Tammi. She brought her camper and truck. We looked it over, popped up the camper to see the inside, and closed the transaction. Finally, as we loaded our stuff into the truck, and Tammi and her daughter climbed into Mommy’s old car, I think Eric understood what was taking place. We got packed up, filled the tank with gas, and hit the road back to Covington. Eric really likes the new truck, and especially the camper. He took no time at all to get comfortable!
We ordered pizza for dinner and time for bed. Another long day!
Sunday, Eric had pancakes for breakfast again. His favorite breakfast food! Two days in a row! For a second helping, we went back to the buffet for more pancakes. The bird cage was uncovered, and the parrot was squawking. Eric and the parrot squawked back and forth at each other for a couple minutes, while I scooped up more pancakes and syrup. “squawk!” “squawk!” “squawk!” “squawk!”
After breakfast, we went back down to the pool. Mommy stayed in the room this time. Eric and I floated around the pool a while and relaxed in the hot tub for a few minutes before heading back to the room. In the elevator, Eric struck up more conversation with the other riders. “See. Number 4 and number 7. What floor are you going to?” “We are going to 8.” “Okay that’s a good plan. We are going to 4!” As the doors opened to the 4th floor, “This is where we live. You can still go to number 8!” Back in the room, Mommy was almost ready to go. We finished packing our stuff and called the bell man for a luggage cart.
With our luggage loaded up on the cart, we told the bell man that we were parked on G4. So, we all headed that direction. First, the elevator to the lobby. Eric pushed the buttons for us. Then, the next elevator takes us to the garage. Again, eric pushed the buttons for us. It is now raining, so Mommy, Eric, and the bell man waited under the canopy, while I pulled the truck over.
On the road again…first stop: IKEA. Mommy really wanted to go to IKEA, so we stopped in Cincinnatti to do a little shopping. Eric enjoyed the ride!
We’re home! What a wonderful weekend!
