Fall Break 2018

Several weeks before our Fall Break (Oct. 19-22), Matt and I checked into camping near Cedar Point, which is on the shore of Lake Erie in Ohio.  There were several campsites close by and the average temperature about that time was 61 degrees.  So, we booked a site at East Harbor State Park, 30 minutes west of Cedar Point, and told the kids, who were SO excited!  As the time drew closer, we kept checking the weather and instead of 61 or higher, we found out the weather was going to be about 40 and feel like 35.  So, we packed LOTS of clothes and headed out.

Matt had to work, so we met him in Middlebury after school and by the time we got to our campsite, it was 8:30 and dark.  It was a bit difficult finding our site and setting up in the dark and cold, but we managed and pretty much went straight to bed.

On Saturday, we spent time exploring the campsite, which was beautiful!  There were many roads to bike on, hiking, playgrounds, and Lake Erie to see.

I had to take this picture to show that they DO love each other! :) 

beautiful fall day

Both kids loved the zip line at the playground.

It was so cold, we rarely sat around a campfire!

Saturday night, we tried to watch the Purdue/Ohio St football game.  But with the rain/hail storm, it was spotty at best.  Thankfully we had a radio and Purdue pulled out a surprising upset!
On Sunday, we headed to Cedar Point.  I could never count how many times Emerson said, "I'm so excited!"  We went on Halloweekends and the park was all decorated for Halloween.  It was so fun!

We took this picture almost as soon as we got there...notice Emerson with no stocking cap.  She lost it on the first ride!

I LOVED this idea!  It was a graveyard for all of the rides that have been replaced and the years they were at Cedar Point!

We all had on our Purdue hats...in Ohio....after the Ohio St loss by Purdue and everyone was really nice about it.  Many people came up and talked to Matt about the game.

in line for the Magnum (a favorite coaster)

Yes, this was Landon's best smile!

So sweet!

Everybody's happy to be in line for the Raptor, one of Daddy's favorite coasters!

This ride turned out to be our FAVORITE!  We rode it 3 times right before we left the park.

We had Monday off as well (Matt took the day off of school), so we basically had the whole campground to ourselves that day.  It was cold, but the sunshine was wonderful.  We'd definitely go back to East Harbor and the kids DEFINITELY want to go back to Cedar Point.  We didn't get to go on all of the rides we wanted.  The hours were shorter and some of the rides were closed during the day.  I was so proud of the kids who rarely complained about the lines (the Millennium Force was the longest at 1 hour 20 minutes) and were brave to ride every ride that we had time for.

Summer Recap: August

It was long past time for us to update our living room furniture.  The recliner we had was a hand me down from my grandpa and our sectional was sinking on one side and not real comfortable anymore.  Matt and I went furniture shopping on our anniversary date and found this couch, loveseat, recliner, coffee table, and 2 end tables at Art Van Furniture in Mishawaka.  So far, we LOVE it!  Everything reclines and is really comfy.  It's quite a bit larger than our other furniture, but everything fits! 😁

The first weekend of August, we finally found a summer date to go camping with the Davis family.  We had wanted to go to Warren Dunes and camp there, but a few weeks before, there were 0 campsites.  Actually there were 0 campsites anywhere near Lake Michigan for that weekend.  So, we ended up in France Park in Logansport.  It is by a quarry so the water was beautifully clear and nice.  There were bike trails, a waterfall, disc golf, and a lot for the kids to do.  The campsites themselves were really small.  We ended up in a different spot than we reserved which was bigger and closer to the beach.  We realized on this trip that our water tank is really small (after I was halfway through a shower and ran out of water!).

Soccer season ended just as school was about to start.  Landon and Emmy played on the same team as last year and had a great time.  Landon scored several goals and Emmy tried her hand at being goalie. ⚽

Go #9 and #10! 

I usually take my own sports pictures of the kids because they are so expensive so on the last night, I had Emmy take photos while Landon was finishing supper (he's the last one EVERY night!).  I thought, no problem, I'll just take Landon's pictures when we get home.

Unfortunately, our game was cut short with this rainy weather and the only picture I got of Landon was...

in the garage!

This sweet boy turned 3 on August 13th.  It was a beautiful day and great for swimming in the pond!

Caleb loves the Disney show "Lion Guard"!

Happy birthday to this sweet, smart, inquisitive boy!