Ohio Vacation

We took a whirlwind trip through Ohio for our summer vacation.  We enjoyed visiting friends, and even got to "camp" and play at the "beach" at Salt Fork State Park--home of Bigfoot, in case you were wondering.  

First stop was Mt. Vernon for Melanie's baby shower.  It was great to have two Denison girls' get-together's in less than 6 months!

next stop was Granville to visit the Crum Family, our Denison Church family.  The twins,who were 6 when we met them, left for college the next day!

Andrew reading to Claire--so sweet!  Andrew was born Christy's senior year at Denison.  We can't believe it's been that long!

Next stop was to see Chris and Megan DelGenio and the kids in their new home.  They recently moved near Columbus from Niles.  The kids loved playing together.

 

 On the way to Salt Fork we swung back through Granville to spend some time at Denison.  The new Olympic size swimming pool and expanded Mitchell Center looks amazing, but we also enjoyed some more familiar sights.  We even went in one of David's old dorms, Crawford--they have not updated that in the last 10 years!

 Past and future Denisonians

 Quick stop in Granville for lunch at Brews and frozen custard at Whit's.  Brews was nice but completely redone--not the Brews we remember.  Also missing Victoria's and their grilled cheese sandwiches!

 Then it was on to Salt Fork for our "camping" experience--we rented a Lakeside cabin.  We did have a campfire and s'mores, though!

 Captain Nicholas loved the boat ride!

 Claire did not like the boat ride, or her life jacket

 45 minutes later.....

 the pool at the lodge was fun too!  The baby pool was perfect for a mommy-train ride.

 and the "beach"

After Salt Fork we went back to Niles and spent a few days relaxing at David's parents' house.  We enjoyed the pool and a trip to the Grove City Outlet Mall for some back-to-school/fall shopping.  The kids had a great time playing mini-golf, too!

Yes, that's the ball in Claire's hand. 

A great time was had by all.  We arrived home Saturday morning about 2 am.  Moe cat left us a present in the hallway, so that was a fun clean-up for Christy while David was unloading the car.   It was good to be back home. Saturday afternoon we took a 3 hour family nap!  Moe cat must have missed us because he even let Claire tell him to "sit" (like Caesar) and tolerated her petting him for several minutes without running away.  Nice kitty!  We can't believe it's the last week of summer.  Christy starts in her new office on Monday, so it's time to settle in to our new routine.

Picking Peaches

 For Christy's first "regular" (no more shift work!) weekend, we headed to The Great Country Farm for the Dog Days of Summer Peach Festival.  It was bring-your-dog day, so while we don't have a pup of our own to bring, the kids loved seeing all of the other dogs there.  And of course, we enjoyed picking some delicious peaches!

Claire was not happy that she couldn't run around the wagon on the ride back from the orchards

 we need to work on Claire's ice cream cone eating technique!

We also enjoyed a mini-Berlin reunion-- Mickie and Jordon and Kelly and Layla were back in town for a few days, so we had dinner with them and the McLennands--it was great to see everyone!  Layla and Nicholas had fun playing!  I believe there was even a marriage proposal :-)

G.G. and Grumpa Visit from California

Last weekend we enjoyed a very nice visit with Christy's parents, who flew in from California.  They got to see the kids' normal routines--school, park, library, etc, as well as enjoy some beautiful Virginia weather and some special treats.

Story time!

Bugs Bunny at the Symphony--at Wolf Trap.

Arlington National Cemetery

We had a nice brunch at home with Christy's Uncle (Dad's brother) and cousins, and then all went to Arlington National Cemetery together.

We walked up to the Tomb of the Unkown Soldier just as the Changing of the Guards Ceremony was about to start, so that was special to see that.

Sunday we spent a nice day at Burke Lake Park before GG and Grumpa had to fly home.  Both kids, but especially Claire, loved the "horsies" on the carousel.

And the train ride was a hit the second time around too, although we decided the conductor went much faster this time.

Perfect day for a picnic!  And gazing at the clouds?

Watching the butterfly

pretty lake

Summer is flying by--Christy finished her last day on her Watch job and is doing some training/taking a week off before starting her new position.  Still working out plans for our week off, but whatever happens we look forward to some fun relaxing family time!