We have been anxiously awaiting an opportunity to take a weekend and visit Ben, Christine, and Sammy in Ohio. We were very excited to make the trip north in October. My parents were also visiting that same weekend which made it even more special.Trent was able to get off on Friday so we left early Friday morning. I was a little nervous for how Matthew would do in the car as this was his longest trip in the car so far. All the kids were absolutely wonderful on the drive up. It was fun to be together as a family as see new countryside on the way. We arrived at Ben and Christine's and after getting settled in met my parents at a local restaurant. Ben convinced Trent to order the "garbage burger". No, this was not Heidi's entree even though she is smiling proudly like it is. It was definitely worthy of a picture!
They live just a few minutes from Kirtland and we were looking forward to seeing the historic sites there. It turned out to be an exciting weekend to visit as Elder Ballard and 2 other visiting seventies were there for their stake conference. On Saturday morning we went to a pancake breakfast at the historic village and the kids were so excited to get a chance to shake Elder Ballard's hand.
Here is Ben and Sammy taking their turn.
My parents had their RV parked in a most wonderful little spot on the shore of Lake Erie. It was beautiful!
The lake is so impressive!
...Oops! A wave got the camera!
In the end it turned out to be a decent family picture but isn't going to be our "official" Christmas card picture for the year. It sure captured a fun memory.
What a fun little playground to enjoy on the shore of Lake Erie.
It was fun to explore my parents motor home. Heidi enjoyed helping Grandma unpack groceries while the babies enjoyed some cousin playtime with Nathan.
It was the most perfect fall day and everyone enjoyed roasting hot dogs and having a picnic.
The weekend flew by and before we knew it we had to head back to Kentucky. We all would have loved another day to spend with family and explore the beautiful area. We are looking forward to visiting again!
Since Matthew's arrival Heidi now rides in the back bench of the van, while Nathan and Matthew have the middle. Having her all the way back there on long trips can be a little inconvenient when it comes time to pass something back there. Trent came up with the perfect solution- the info tube! This little tube is leftover from real estate sign when we sold a house and it sure came in handy. He created a little "pully" with rope and we passed things back and forth the whole time. Practical and entertaining!
Matthew was a little LESS enthused about the drive home. He was all tuckered out and ready to be home in his own bed at this point.
Nathan was steadily co-piloting us along. There is nothing playing on these headphones but he likes to wear them and be all official.
What a fun weekend! Thank you Claytons for your wonderful hospitality and accommodating our crew in your apartment so comfortably. It was so fun to see your neck of the woods. And thank you Grandma and Grandpa for making your way all the way to this side of the country! They even surprised us with coming down to Kentucky later that week for a couple days. How wonderful it was to have some more time together!
1 comment:
how did I not see this post before now?! What a fun weekend that was, I enjoyed reliving it as I read this! Thanks for coming!!
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