See You in The Cleve

At the beginning of the month, the kids and I went to Cleveland for a week to enjoy a bit of "real" fall weather and traditions, including feeling the crisp, chilly air; sniffing the smoky scent of fireplaces at night; taking in the vibrant background of multi-colored leaves hanging on trees and piling up on the ground; and getting to wear season-appropriate clothes and shoes.  For the Jean Family, who has partaken in the Charleston "fall" for the past three years, it was a nice change of pace to ditch the shorts and flip-flops and don our jeans, boots, and jackets to celebrate this awesome month (along with the hats...gloves...extra pair of socks...etc).  While in Cleveland, we went to the zoo and rainforest, the Natural History Museum, played in the leaves, visited with Grandma Speck, enjoyed the Cleveland shopping, SLEPT (at least, I did!), spent time with Uncle Jon-Jon and Aunt Luz, and hung out breifly with Great Uncle Tommy, Uncle Terry and Aunt Peggy (I totally spaced and did not get a single picture of the kids with my family....my brain must have been on vacation!!!). Phil met us after about a week and Mommy and Daddy ditched the kids for a couple of nights to hang out downtown in celebration of our seventh wedding anniversary.  It was a fantastic trip full of nostalgia and fun times.  On our drive back, Uncle Jon-Jon texted me and asked if I missed Cleveland yet.  As we were about an hour away from Charleston, I replied back, "Well, it's seventy degrees and sunny here....sooo....no."  While there's no place like home, you sure can't beat the Charleston warmth of October.

  

On one of our many stops during our road trip to Cleveland, Kayla grabbed this big bag of M&M's at a West Virginia KMart.  I'm not going to lie; it took a lot of willpower to distract her so I could put it back.

 Kayla's first jacket and hat (and blanket) of the season.

 Avery entertaining Grandma Speck with his bookbag of toys.

Kayla entertaining Grandma Speck with her new doll (also picked up at the West Virginia KMart...I am beginning to think my daughter is an impulse shopper like her momma).

 The kids vegging out in front of the TV....aaahhh, this is the life!!

 Maw-Maw and Kayla cuddle together in one of Kayla's rare moments of sitting still.

 Avery and Kayla hanging out with Jude, Aunty Maria's 9 month old.

 Avery building with legos that Uncle David and Jon-Jon used to play with, all while wearing a witch's mask.  It helps with the creative flow, I guess.

 Kayla is apparently exhausted, and is resting on this bucket of legos before bedtime.

 Kayla also getting into the halloween spirit by donning a pumpkin headband (she refused to wear any of the masks....she must have thought that it detracted from her natural beauty).

 Maw-Maw kept the kids entertained with lots of coloring books, activity books, puzzles, books, and toys.