Vacation #1, Beginning

This summer we had two big trips in the works. The first was to take our children out to where I grew up in upstate NY to meet and get to know my grandparents and some aunts and uncles. My grandfather turns 90 later this summer and had never met Shelby, and we figured that we can't take their time(this side of heaven)for granted. However we wanted to do some family things on the way out and back to break up all the hours in the car a little. Our first stop was at Train-o-rama in Marblehead, OH. It's over 1,500 sq. feet of model train layouts and old train toys and stuff. Thankfully no one else was there because Hunter was sooooo excited that he just ran from layout to layout saying, "Dad, look at this and Mom, this one has a ______." It was fun even if it was kind of visual overload. We had the kids hunting for things like what fast food joints they could find in each layout. In the videos, watch for how excited Hunter is. He keeps licking his lips and wiggling his fingers into fists. I don't think he even knows he does the last habit, but he has done it since I can remember. I think it's so cute, but it will be a dead give away on the day he chooses to propose to his girlfriend twenty years from now ;)

Too much excitement to stand still for a picture!

Shelby really liked this train because the tunnel was right at her eye level.

You can just see the fascination on his face as he studied each layout.

After we finished, we drove to a nearby beach on Lake Erie.  The kids had just as much fun playing at the beach although Shelby had to spend the first half hour napping on our beach blanket to have the energy to play.

Can't believe she actually slept on the noisy, crowded beach

Hunter is a sand builder

He could play for hours building ponds, sand castles, and whatever else he imagines.

Shelby could care less about the sand but LOVED the waves.

I wish I had taken my camera out right when she first went in, but I didn't know how much help she would need in the water.  Her delight was just amazing!  She had others around her stopping and chuckling at the splashing and giggles.  This video was actually toward the end of our time when she was slowing down and starting to get chilly.