Drinks, Goats, and Duct Tape

Saturday was our last day in Ohio. Asa and I got up early to go to the front gate to take a dip kiss picture before the crowds arrived. Thanks to mom for offering to go and be the photographer. 

On our way back we swung by the camp store for some donuts for breakfast. 

And we enjoyed our morning at the cottage. 

The boys decided another pool trip was in order. 

It was pretty cold for swimming that early in the day, so the adults passed. 

But the hot tub sure looked nice! 

Peyton was living the dream, in the pool all by himself. 

Jake packed up and left around 10. (Thanks for tagging along, Jake, it was fun!) Oh, and case you're wondering why I was ok being seen with someone sporting Ohio State gear for three days, he goes there- so he gets a pass. 

We had one last early lunch before check out. 

Then we headed over to Soak City. I knew we couldn't stay all day (we had places to be and things to pack up before our trip home!), but since we essentially got the tickets for free and had to use them- I didn't feel bad about only staying a couple of hours. 

I went on a few slides, and I tried to take some pictures while we were there- but I've determined I really need a waterproof camera. There's too much I miss with my camera back tucked away with our stuff. 

There was a casualty of me going on the slides though: my favorite sunglasses finally kicked the bucket. My mom was nice enough to replace them for me (thanks mom!) 

The good part about going at 11 am when they opened, we had the place to ourselves for awhile. We hit all the slides before any sort of line built up, and adventure cove wasn't too busy either. 

My mom took the kids for a treat, and Asa and I finally got to enjoy the swim up bar for the adults. I'd always wanted to go- but in all my years at Cedar Point, I hadn't made it over there. 

It was a fun afternoon at Soak City, and we stopped by the hotel shop for some souvenirs and then headed on our way. Until next year, Cedar Point! 

We got home and took care of some last day of vacation chores, and then headed back out to the fair. 

My camera was dying, so I don't have all that many pictures of the evening. Aunt Bonnie and Bob came from Toledo to join us, and we did all have a yummy fair food dinner. Thanks to them for making the trip down! I did steal my mom's phone for some pictures, but I forgot to download them to my computer. 

I did save enough juice in the camera to take some pictures of the boys checking out their ribbons for the second flower show. Hayden got first place on his dish garden. 

Calib got second and Peyton got first on their Delaware arrangements (I just realized they're standing on the wrong sides) 

Calib also got second on his Georgia arrangement, while Peyton got first (I think Peyton's use of peaches put him over the edge) 

But, Calib got first on his terrarium while Peyton took home third. 

Hayden got first on his fairy garden. 

And first on his other two arrangements. 

That meant Calib would take home the trophy for kid's artistic ages 11-16, while Hayden got it for ages 6-10. They couldn't get their trophies until Sunday night though, and since we wouldn't be there, mom had to pick them up. I took a picture on her phone too, but I don't have it. (Boo!) 

The camera worked again for a few trips through the barns, but for the most part the batteries were dead. They boys did get to ride a couple rides, and show off their artwork before we got one last milkshake and headed out. 

I didn't charge my batteries for the trip home. I was maybe a little too lazy to do it, but also I was worried I'd forget all about the charger. So, there's no go-home day pictures- but trust me, except for a duct tape incident it wasn't all that exciting of a trip (and I could have gone without that incident). We left mom's at 5:24 AM on Sunday morning, and arrived in our driveway at 11:01 PM. For a total travel time of 17 hours and 37 minutes. Blah. 

So what was this duct tape incident you ask? Well, the minute we got on I-75 (which is pretty much the whole trip), we hit a HUGE pothole. It was dark, and foggy and initially everything seemed fine. A little while later though, we heard a weird scrapping noise. We got out of the car to discover the plastic from underneath the front of the car and the plastic in the wheel well was dragging on the ground and rubbing against the tire. We weren't really sure what to do, as it was 7 AM on a Sunday morning and it was very clearly something that would need replaced. It obviously wasn't mechanical though, so we decided to go for duct tape. It held the whole trip home, but I'm hoping we didn't ruin the paint-- and that it won't be too expensive to actually fix. 

I realized I never took a picture of the boys stuff after it was fired, but here it is- it made it home in one piece! 

And when we got home Peyton and Hayden's home school cards were waiting for us. We're good for another year! 

I've gotten a ton of stuff done in the two full days we've been home. I unpacked the next morning- record time! Then I got caught up on all my couponing, and made a couple of grocery trips. (Yesterday I got over $200 in groceries for $75) It was a little overwhelming since I was so behind, but I got it all in order- and not only did I make some shopping trips yesterday, I'm ready for the new sales cycle tomorrow.  The laundry is still in issue. I feel like it's been going on for days, which I guess is pretty accurate- but, I should be able to wrap that up today. I got the boys registered for some of their classes that opened up while we were gone, and this is the last of the blogs from vacation. If I can just get our September board done today, and finish up the laundry, I will be a happy camper. 

Also, we're all totally stoked that school is back in session. When I went out yesterday, I noticed the complete lack of people everywhere. We'll be hitting the pool with zero other people today! I thought about a Disney trip, but we have our fantasy draft tonight and I'm not sure I could convince the kids to get back in the car for an hour and 15 minutes anyway. Maybe next week. 

The other big news: Asa and Calib went and picked up Madden at the midnight release. They've never gotten to do that before, and with trade-ins and an awesome coupon, Asa only paid 98 cents for it! (It's a $60 game) They took my camera with them, but the disk wasn't in and now the pictures are stuck there forever. But, I'm pretty sure they already got their 98 cents worth. 

That's it from vacation, we're so excited we're nearing September as the fall is my favorite time of year around here, football comes back, it cools down- and we can finally enjoy low crowds. Plus it's Swaptember- where our MOSI pass gets us into the Aquarium and zoo for free. So, look for lots of field trips coming up soon before we get back into school work here (we've been doing it all summer, it's time for a mini-break for the kids while I get all organized!) 

Next Up: Football Mania! Nine days, four games to attend. Totally excited! 

America's Roller Coast

When we go to Ohio, I always try my best to make it 'vacation'y for the boys. Of course we're there to visit family, and this time we had the fair (yay!), but I knew a trip to Cedar Point would be the highlight for them. So, when the opportunity came up to book a couple of nights to stay on-property, I thought this would be perfect. 

There's a couple of different options- two hotels, a campground, cabins, and cottages. The cottages at Lighthouse Point are some of the most expensive, and the furthest walking distance to the park, but in my opinion, they're the best place to stay. We had been there years ago with my parents and brothers. Calib barely remembered them (I think he was 4 or 5 the last time we stayed there). It's a cute little cottage with a mini kitchen, a living room, a bathroom and a bedroom. Plus you get a deck right out on the lake, and a grill (which helps to save on food). Though it was expensive (we could have stayed at the Polynesian next month for the same price!), it was TOTALLY worth it. 

I always think it's funny when the boys are so excited for bunk beds in hotels.. Peyton and Hayden sleep in one every night at home. 

The view out the back window wasn't too shabby either, we were right across from the pool. 

But the view from the front was awesome (even if it is Lake Erie and not the Gulf of Mexico) 

Rain was in the forecast, and we did have a downpour at one point. We had originally planned for a Soak City day on Thursday, but the rain put a damper on those plans (pun intended).  We had gotten a great deal on tickets, for $40 we got a one day ticket to Cedar Point AND a one day ticket to Soak City. It apparently paid to stalk the Cedar Point website for months to find the best deal, as it was a one day only sale. But, on top of that, the day before our trip we got an email letting us know if we wanted to go to Castaway Bay (the Cedar Point owned indoor water park), we could go for a discounted rate of $10 a person. My mom so kindly offered to treat us, since the rain thwarted our plans. 

I'm so glad we went too- the place was practically deserted! 

There were no lines, and no wait for anything. So much fun. 

Plus it's always nice to play in the pool without crowds around. 

It picked up a little after we had been there for a few hours, but still totally manageable- and not much wait at all for the boys to climb across the floating treasure chests. 

We played at the water park until dinner time, and then headed out. 

By then the rain had come and gone (truthfully we probably would have been ok waiting it out and going to Soak City-- so much for the 80 percent chance of rain!) 

So we were able to cookout hot dogs and brats for dinner. 

And of course I had brought the stuff for s'mores. 

After dinner we took a walk out on the pier. 

And then we headed over to the pool for an after dinner swim. 

Peyton had stayed behind to enjoy the cabin, after his fill of pool time at Castaway Bay. 

Then Asa and I went out for mini date night. 

We ordered some appetizers at Hotel Breakers (I was disappointed there's construction on the boardwalk and we couldn't eat outside, but that's kind of par for the course when you go so late in the season) 

But we did get to walk down half of the boardwalk. (Cedar Point is so pretty at night!) 

Then we walked back along the Cedar Point Beach. 

My cousin Jake came to join us that night, and the older boys, Asa and Jake headed out for early entry into the park while Hayden and I wrapped things up at the Cabin, and Hayden plotted out his day. 

It was very peaceful on Lake Erie in the morning. 

We headed to Camp Snoopy, and met up with the other boys. They had only been in the park an hour and had managed to hit the Gatekeeper, Millennium, and Maverick. Hardly a wait for anything, considering they basically had to walk the whole park to get to them all and meet us in the back. 

Then we watched as they went on Top Thrill Dragster. Peyton was sure he wasn't going to go on it, but somehow they convinced him. 

For my southern friends who don't know about the Dragster- it's a CRAZY coaster. Something like 120 mph and 400 feet (no, that's not an exaggeration). 

But Peyton did it, so I felt obligated to buy his picture! He was so proud of himself. 

Hayden meanwhile went on some coasters that were big to him- like the Iron Dragon. 

And the best part about going so late in the season, the lines were so short, we didn't mind waiting when everyone else went on the Mantis. 

We hit the sky ride, and waited for the boys as they rode the Raptor. 

Then we made a mid-morning stop for a Cedar Point staple: Cheese Fries! 

Hayden and I then opted for the Ferris Wheel while everyone else did the Wicked Twister. 

But they were done before us-- that's them down there! 

I was able to go on the Windseeker (think swings 300 feet in the air) while Peyton sat with Hayden. It's my favorite ride. Just frightening enough because of the height, and awesome view, and it doesn't make me motion sick. 

Then we made the long walk back to the cottage for lunch. Hayden was pooped. 

We decided lines weren't going to be an issue, so it was ok to take a break from the park for an afternoon swim and some relaxation. 

But we headed back into the park for some more fun after that. 

While Hayden didn't go on the big rides, he is tall enough for EVERYTHING! (And that's something!) 

We stuck to Camp Snoopy for awhile. 

And of course I HAD to go on the Woodstock Express. I worked in the photo booth for that ride my first summer there, and the first summer it opened in 1999. 

We decided if we were going to get a treat (besides the cheese fries), we'd have to go for an elephant ear. It was the biggest one I've ever seen. 

And we followed that with a trip on the Mine Ride. It's a small coaster (not much bigger than Woodstock Express), but Hayden loves it. Notice how he is a lot more excited than everyone else. 

I know you can't really see in this Sky Hawk picture, but the park was so uncrowded that Jake, Calib, and Asa are the only ones on that side. It was so awesome! 

While the boys hit the Mean Streak (no worries, I brought Advil), Hayden took me for a ride on the cars. 

And then Calib took Hayden for a spin on the swings. 

It was pretty warm out by now, so we hit the water rides. I haven't been on Thunder Canyon in years, but Peyton wasn't into it- so I didn't have to stay behind with the stuff. We got totally drenched, but it was so much fun. (Hayden didn't think so, somehow he was mad he got wet-- even though we warned him!) 

You'd think the boys would have had their fill of animals at the fair, but they still wanted to hit the petting zoo. They had the cutest baby pigs. 

But they also had the usual suspects too: chickens, goats, llamas, rabbits, sheep. 

It was dinner time, so we headed back to the cottage for another cookout- this time it was burgers. 

Mom was able to meet up with us then (she had been busy putting the boys fair entries in and working at the fair). Peyton jumped on the chance to show her his Dragster picture (I told you he was proud of himself!) 

We decided to pile in the car to go over to the park entrance instead of walking. It's all parking lot though, I promise no laws were broken in the making of this picture-- but 7 people in the Fit has to be some kind of record. 

Calib, Jake, and Asa somehow decided the Power Tower was the best after dinner ride. 

And Hayden decided all on his own he wanted to go on the corkscrew (he's in that train somewhere!) 

The Blue Streak is not a ride I ever want to go on (it's SUPER bumpy!), but Calib, Asa, Peyton, and Jake had been on every other roller coaster in the park, so they had to do it. I was surprised when Hayden went along. 

I waited happily with mom. 

After the Blue Streak, we had an hour and half of park time left. Mom took Hayden so I could go on some big rides. I had a short list: the Raptor, the Gatekeeper, the Wind Seeker at night. (The Raptor is my favorite-- the green one in the background here) 

And we did make a stop by where we first met- at Sneak Peeks (the front gate Photo people), and when the girls who currently work there found out what we were doing, they wanted to be in the picture. It seemed fitting. 

The Gate Keeper was fun, it was new last year, so I hadn't been on it again. I'd totally go again. 

With 25 minutes left to closing, the boys managed to ride Millennium Force (for the second time) 

and one last trip on Top Thrill Dragster. Can you believe Peyton did it twice?!? 

I had SUCH a fun day at Cedar Point with some of my favorite people. It's going to have to be an annual event. 

After the park we hit the pool to cool off. 

I might have let it count as the boys showers for the day. You know, vacation! 

Mom treated us all to some late night ice cream, too. 

And then there was some wine.

Doesn't everyone drink their wine in Icee Cups? 

The boys had a super fun, but really long day and were fast asleep in record time. 

Next Up: One more Ohio day, and a long trip home!