Ohio Trip

Looking out the window of the airplane as we arrived in Ohio --- oh my, the colors were already so beautiful and we knew that we were in for a special treat.  Not only were we going to spend time with Amanda and her family, but we would be blessed with natures beauty while we did so.  We had looked forward to this trip for quite some time and were excited to be there at last.  We met Amanda and the boys at the airport and received very warm "Gammy" screams and hugs.  Perfect start!

                                 

After some time playing and yes, there actually are two boys in that first picture, we bundled up as it was raining and cold out and headed for Boo at the Zoo.  They boys were pretty excited to be able to wear their Halloween costumes for the first time that night. They were just oh too cute and Raef even managed to dance with a robot.  Such a good time for all.

Day one ended with us falling into a heap and sleeping like a log until, well, 6 a.m. -- ugh, why must little ones get up while its still dark out?  Friday was filled with breakfast, baths, play time, and naps before we were able to head out and take the boys to the museum to see the new Dinosaur exhibit.  Keeping up with them was a challenge in the museum as they literally ran from one display to the next.  Our next task was to pick Amanda up at work and well, it didn't go quite so easy.  I put the wrong address into Google maps and so we arrived at the beginning of the road we needed, but didn't know that and so turned around, called for directions, turned around again and finally found the right road only to discover that it was still miles away.  We finally arrived at almost 5:30 and we were supposed to have been there at 4 --- leave it to the old folks.  This entire time the boys just played away in the backseat --- poor things.  After finally arriving back at the house, Mister had treats for the boys, the four of us changed clothes, we left Uncle Cameron in charge, and with tickets in hand headed to a Mystery Dinner theater downtown.  We had seats literally next to the stage and the food was quite nice as well --- a good time for all.

All in all, a great day and once again only seconds after hitting the pillow sleep followed.  Saturday we were off to Amish country and took Raef along.  I so love it down there and the trees were so beautiful, it made you just want to drink in all the colors.  We stopped at the cheese factory and I couldn't believe all the people in there -- it was nuts, but I did manage to sneak through and grab some cream cheese fudge for me and meat sticks for the boys.  Then we wandered in Berlin for awhile looking at Amish quilts for Mister's mom -- they are so beautiful and so expensive.  We continued driving down to Walnut Creek and had dinner at Der Dutchman --- old fashioned cooking -- an absolutely huge restaurant.  By the time we got back home it was dark and we were off to bed while Amanda stayed up working on her talk for church.

Sunday brought  sunshine and Mister and I went for a train ride through the Cuyahoga National Forest.  It was so beautiful and we were lucky enough to have seats in the Dome car which had windows up the sides and over the top.  The colors of Ohio were everywhere to be seen and we enjoyed each moment of them.  I had never been on a train before and we went exploring down to the Club Car where we were able to enjoy a quick picture. 

When we returned to the house, we all bundled up and headed off to Patterson Fruit Farms for some apple cider, fresh apples, play at the Fun Fest, and of course the picking out of the pumpkins from the patch.  We all returned freshened by the air and muddied by the corn maze, but a good time was had by all.  We dropped the boys off with Uncle Cameron and went to a wonderful dinner at the Blue Canyon.  All in all, it was a great day and very fun filled.

 

 

The trip was ending all too soon as Monday arrived and we had to pack up.  We took Amanda and the boys to the Public Market and let her shop for fun stuff to take home and had a great little lunch in a cafe there at the market.  It was a great ending to a wonderful time together.  Favorite memories:  Mister and Ryan working on the train, Raef's neverending "boy-girl" questions, the absolute beauty of the fall colors, and treasured time with Amanda and Trent.  I cannot wait to see them again in December. 

One last thought.

A Visit From Matt, Becca and Hyrum

Matt and Becca weren't able to go to Brazil as planned and so we were the lucky recipients of their vacation time. They, along with Hyrum, arrived ready to have some fun and spend some time together. After gathering luggage (well most of it - they forgot a piece, lol), we headed for Texas bbq at Sonny Bryans where Hyrum enjoyed watching the cars out of the window way more than the food.

From there we headed to the Aquarium and enjoyed the fact that it wasn't crowded at all. Apparently a Friday afternoon during school is a great time to go there. The otters were a big hit as well as the flamingos and so before leaving I got Hyrum a stuffed otter that he latched onto and had with him almost the entire weekend. Love it when a gift is a hit.

That evening we went to a Bavarian Grill for dinner and had a blast. There was an accordion player and sing-a-long music sheets at each table. Matt decided to sing along and Becca thought he was truly strange for doing so. The food was great and the place was lots of fun. Then off to the house for bed -- everyone was beat.

The next day we were up bright and early (2 year olds tend to cause that) and found the Wiggles on You Tube for Hyrum to watch (notice the otter in hand, lol) while Mister made breakfast for everyone. While I was getting a chair out for Hyrum, I noticed a box of blocks in the closet that I hadn't seen before and so teased Mister about buying more than a booster seat. Up to now, Hyrum really wasn't all that sure about Mister and so out came the blocks after breakfast. The two of them quickly became friends and spent a lot of time over the weekend on the floor playing together.

Then we hit the road for Fort Worth for the day. First stop was the zoo, but before we could even get there, Dad and Hyrum were crashed in the back seat. Too cute. The zoo was great and Matt and I were treated to a rather disgusting performance by one of the gorillas -- ugh, still makes my stomach turn. After the zoo, it was the water gardens and, of course, a trip to Cowtown to watch the longhorns. We went back to the house for awhile and then dinner at Food From Galilee --- authentic Mediterranean fare and very good. Late night for everyone and all three of them crashed on the way home.

 

 

 

Next day we were up and off to Cafe Brazil for breakfast and then a quick tour around the lake.  We went back to the house and visited and played blocks (Mister and Hyrum of course) until the mall opened and we could go shopping and get lunch.  Stopped at Which Wich for lunch and Hyrum's was so nutritious as you can tell from the pics -- he was too cute though.  We found the cutest suit for Hyrum and I can't wait to see a picture of him in it and then back to the house for a relaxing afternoon of reading and naps -- woohoo, it was nice.   That evening off to Rafain as both Matt and Becca were wanting a churrascaria for dinner.  It was fun to watch them interact with the staff there as most knew Portuguese and the place was not all that busy since it was late on a Sunday evening.  It was a great trip and we look forward to them visiting again.

  

Up North for Quick Trip

This was such a quick trip up and back - left Tuesday morning and was back Thursday morning. Managed to get all the work done at the new office and even had an evening with each family. While at Matts, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner, played with Hyrum, visited, and just relaxed for the evening. A rare treat. Hyrum enjoyed showing me his new trampoline and we had a great time together.

The next evening was with Kyle and Rhiana and Miss Elena. We had Elena at work with us during the day and I put the Wiggles on my laptop and put her in her Bumbo and she just sat and stared at the screen with fascination. After work, Rhiana and I went to the fabric store to get everything for Elena's fairy costume and then to dinner with Kyle as he got off work. While we were at the fabric store, the manager was talking with Elena and she just started laughing so hard and it went on for quite some time. Soon, the whole store was peeking around at us and listening to her and laughing themselves. It was so fun to watch.

Did we move to Seattle?

We have had rain everyday for three weeks now -- some days its just a sprinkle or two, but many days it is like this. Everything is so green and the lake is overflowing into the river. Mister would really like to see dry pavement so that he can ride his bike again. We know the state needs the moisture so try not to complain, but sure would enjoy a day of sunshine.

Oktoberfest

A few weeks ago as I was boarding the airplane in Montana, someone walked up to me and said hi. It was an old friend that I hadn't seen in quite awhile and so we started talking. Strange as it may seem, our lives were so similar and she was now living in Texas as well. We were both shocked, but determined that we wanted to renew the friendship and go forward together. We got together for the Oktoberfest celebration and had a great time together. She had lived in Belgium when she was younger and hadn't been to an Oktoberfest since then so really enjoyed it. The bands were great as well as seeing the beautiful German dirndls and lederhosen. Children were racing barrels and getting their faces painted and the whole place was truly a festival atmosphere. Mister even danced a bit with me - so fun.

Kites!!!!

It was a beautiful day and we took advantage of it. The wind came up and Mister suggested a trip to Flag Pole Hill to play with the kites. Once again I proved my complete inability to maneuver a stunt kite without crashing it to the ground, but I had a great time watching Mister as he made it look oh so simple.

This to me is such fun --- but very hard. I will figure it out one of these times, but until then I am happy watching the master at work.

A night at the Monk

The Old Monk had a cool event for the opening of Oktoberfest and so we went to watch.  Even though I grew up in bars and attended several Oktoberfest events as a child, this was all new to me.  Franconia Brewery brought a cask that was 200 years old from Germany and filled it with their beer.  The brewmaster is 4th generation German and the owner of the pub is from Dublin, so Ireland and Germany combined to tap the keg the old fashioned way with a spigot and hammer.  It was all very fascinating and the smell of the old keg was pretty amazing -- nice oak smell, not at all like stale beer.  Mister was able to talk with the brewer for awhile and it seemed that we became the official photographers for the evening and some of Mister's shots will be posted on the website at the next update.  I enjoyed learning all about the process that is from my heritage --- oh to go to Germany sometime, what a thrill that would be.