Highland Park Pool

After a day at the amusement park we needed some relaxation time. Daddy left for the airport in the morning and then we were off to the pool. It doesn't matter where we are but swimming is always a hit. The kids enjoyed the different pools and going down the slide.

In the evening Grampy attempted to take Ryan and Thomas to a Clippers baseball game. Unfortunately the game was sold out so they had to suffer through dinner at "Steak and Shake :) and then back home to some fun Wii games.

The girls went on a geocache in Sharon Woods. It was a pleasant evening and our short hike ended up being almost 2 1/2 miles since we took the wrong route in the beginning. But we finally had success and wore out the girls at the same time.

That night Thomas and Elizabeth spent the night so we had movies and popcorn then off to bed.

The girls got matching shirts at Cedar Point. Aren't they cute?

Cedar Point

One of the things that Ohio is known for is 2 major theme parks that have some of the biggest and fastest roller coasters anywhere. This year we decided to go North to Cedar Point which is in Sandusky Ohio on the shores of Lake Eerie. It is about a 2 1/2 hour drive through the back roads of Ohio but well worth the trip. This park has so many roller coasters and major thrills that we weren't even able to ride them all in one day. It was awesome.






This is Aunt Del stopping at a lovely pit stop along the way. She and George came with us as well as cousin Elizabeth who loves Cedar Point.








Our first major ride was the one in the car. Don't we look excited?












Here is the view approaching the park. It is located on sort of an inlet surrounded by water.








Off we go . . .











Our first ride was the Blue Streak. It ended up being our longest wait at 50 minutes. It was a more "mild" coaster that is comparable to the white coaster at Lagoon









We had perfect weather for the day. Low humidity and a cool breeze off the lake. We couldn't have planned it better.










Doesn't Roger look like he is having fun?










Del and George.

There were so many coasters. Ones that you stood up on, ones that you let your feet dangle, ones that did several corkscrews, ones that were super high or super fast. It was incredible. Brianna went on as many as she was allowed given her height. Ryan and Alyssa couldn't be stopped from any off them.

This one is called the Iron Dragon and it was Brianna's favorite. She went on it at least 6 times.

The Mantis. (You stood up for this coaster. Unfortunately we didn't have time to ride this one.)

This one is called the Millennium Force. It is one of the tallest steel coasters in the world. Roger, Ryan, Alyssa and George went on it. It is 300 feet tall and goes 90 mph. It drops at an 83 degree angle. I was proud of my hubby who is scared of heights. He went on it and enjoyed it. He said it was scary because it only had lap belts and no sides. But it was still cool. Alyssa was excited because she could see Canada from the top.

Here they are on one of the many curves.

The proud riders!!

This is called the Top Thrill Dragster. It is the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world. It is 420 feet high, goes 120 mph (in the first 4 seconds) and climbs and drops at a 90 degree angle. Holy Crap it was scary just to watch it. Well my kids decided they were brave enough to do it. I couldn't believe it. George took Ryan and Alyssa. As a mother, my knees were shaking just waiting for them to go on it. They only had lap belts, it was crazy.

Here they are right before they took off. You can't really see them but they were smiling.










Here is a close-up view of a coaster coming down (this one wasn't them). The pictures just don't do it justice.

Well they survived and can proudly say they did it. Way to go kids!!

While the older kids were on the "big" rides Grammy and I took Elizabeth and Brianna to camp Snoopy. They had a great time riding the Woodstock Express and all the other typical smaller rides together.

The last ride of the day was the Raptor. You are literally hanging there as you go down hills, upside down curves and many corkscrews. It was a great one to end on full of thrills and screams.








What a great day. We just had the time of our lives. We are spoiled and I am not sure we will even be able to enjoy Lagoon after an experience like this.

4th of July

To be honest, I am not really writing this on the 4th of July. And since we are on vacation, we have packed in a million things and so they are all starting to blend in together. So in this entry I will recap both the 4th of July and the day after.

On the 4th Grampy was in the Westerville parade. So lucky for daddy, he got to attend yet another of his favorite events. It was in downtown Westerville. I love the feel of the old time main streets here in the Midwest. I love the cobblestone streets and the gorgeous flowers that are hanging from the light posts and the quaint little shops that somehow still survive in our modern world. It just has a wonderful feel about it.

The parade was kind of different, there weren't any floats. But they still threw candy and there was a lot to see so the kids enjoyed it.

Later in the day Uncle Andy and his family came over as well as Aunt Del and her boyfriend George. We spent the rest of the day getting reacquainted. Brianna hit it off with Elizabeth and they were practically inseparable. Ryan and Thomas had unlimited access to the Wii and loved every minute of it.

We introduced Elizabeth to Geocaching and went on some nice hikes through woods to find the treasures. We just love going into the trees here.

George and Del really like to play games. We played Catch Phrase and Skipbo together. Playing games is such a great way to bond and get to know one another better. There was a lot of laughing and a plethora of good spirited competition.





Of course, a celebration just isn't complete without good food. True to Grammy's style we have been eating well. Some of of the delectables we have enjoyed are sausage biscuits and gravy, bbq steaks, sweet potatoe casserole, funeral potatoes, ham, blueberry pancakes, chicken and homemade noodle, chocolate eclair dessert, peach pie, strawberry rhubarb pie, and much more. If I don't gain 5 pounds on this trip I will be surprised. But it has all been worth it.

Later in the evening we lit off sparklers or "sparkly sticks" as Brianna liked to call them. It was a little mellow compared to our 4th and 24th celebrations back in Utah but we enjoyed making cool shapes in the air and capturing them on camera. Del and George made the heart (insert AHHH here).

We were able to enjoy the Westerville fireworks from Grammy's backyard. It doesn't get much better than that. We had a great couple of days with cousins, family, good food and fun.