Mother's Day Weekend 2016

Happy Monday!

I can't lie, I didn't want the weekend to end.

We headed out of town Friday afternoon and it was wonderful!

We had amazing weather, good food, and were able to spend some quality time together.

Perfect Mother's Day weekend :)

We made it to the Cincinnati area about 4:30pm and headed straight to a hotel.

We found a great coupon in a flyer we picked up at a rest stop.

This Hampton Inn was only about a month old!

Of course X loved all the mirrors! lol!

He had a great time doing ninja moves and dancing in front of them :)

After unloading our things, we headed just down the road to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner.

Mic and I each were ready to start the weekend and enjoyed an adult beverage :)

Meanwhile, X enjoyed his weight in bread!

After dinner we swung through Kroger to pick up a few snacks to bring back to our room.

I couldn't resist these chocolate covered strawberries!

#YUM

We got back to the hotel, changed into our swimsuits and headed down to the pool for the evening.

Saturday morning we headed out for a late breakfast at Taste of Belgium - Rockwood.

Oh my goodness I love this place!

The decor, the service, the food = EXCELLENT!!!

We were introduced to them at their small stand at the North Market in Columbus.

Well, this time we were able to visit a full on restaurant.

It did not disappoint!

I loved the fact that I took this picture of X and then noticed the Xavier girls in the background.

#FutureMusketeer

I ordered the strawberries and cream waffle.

#heaven

X had a plain waffle with syrup, and Mic enjoyed this salty caramel and roasted walnuts crepe.

I ordered a white chocolate latte too, but it wasn't nearly as good as Starbucks :(

We briefly looked at all the yummy treats as we made our way out :)

After fueling up, we head to the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden.
First stop was the elephants.

I couldn't help but take a picture of the Skyline Chili stand that was inside the zoo!

Mic was truly amazed by how large that ostrich was!

My pictures do not do it justice.

X couldn't wait to see the polar bears!

This guy was scary looking!

They said he weighs about 400 lbs.

He was definitely king of the castle.

It was really hard to see, but that gorilla on the far right was holding a baby :)

They said the baby, named Elle, would be 1 years old in August.

We saw so many animals, took a ton of pictures, and truly had a great time!

After grabbing a small bite to eat for lunch while X napped, we hit up Jungle Jim's.

We decided to check out the newer one this time around.

I was cracking up because there was a mariachi band playing in the middle of the international food section.

X kept dancing around to them :)

This cake was super cool, and super huge!

I could live in the cheese section :)

Mic and I decided to take X to the Lego store for a special treat.

While the boys headed to the store, I hit up Starbucks :) #myhappyplace

I couldn't get a good pic, but I swear that guy who took my order was a mini version/look-a-like to Cam Newton!

When I got to the store X was building a few minis to take home with us :)

We had one happy camper on our hands :)

Before we left Kenwood Town Centre, I had to stop in one of my favorite stores - SimplyVague.

Sure enough they had a shirt in there I had been wanting :)

While Mic got some work done for the office (#boo), X and I got to building his new Lego's.

#heneverletsmebuild

After some much needed sleep, we woke up Sunday morning, packed up our things and headed out to breakfast.

While we were waiting for our table, we stopped in a coffee shop a couple doors down.

Now this white chocolate latte with caramel was definitely something to rival Starbucks :)

We again went to Taste of Belgium #cantgetenough 

This time we went to the Over the Rhine location.

Being so close to the college campus it had a much different vibe.

The food was good, but I would prefer the Rockwood location in the future.

#imold #notahipster

Mic tried the chicken and waffle,

while I had the ham and brie waffle with green apple and pesto.

We grabbed a pack of waffles to go and headed to our last stop before going home.

Neither of us went to Xavier University, but there is just something about it that I like.

I mean, it is what inspired X's name :)

I kept telling him this was his future school. #wishfulthinking

We stopped by the bookstore on campus, but it was closed :(

It was located across the street from the baseball field, so I quickly grabbed a pic.

X said that it was "his" baseball field.

#hemightjustbeonboardwithme

We did find the team shop that was open and couldn't wait to check it out.

As soon as X walked in he said "This is a store all about me!".

I loved it!

#hewaskindofright

While I could have picked out a million things to bring home with me, I didn't :(

Don't worry I will check out the online store soon :)

We did pick up a new Xavier basketball,

and X couldn't resist this super soft elephant :)

We had a great weekend!
I love getting to step away from the norm and enjoy time with my guys :)

I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend with your kids, your moms, etc.