and we took about 1300 pictures to prove it.
Here are just some of the highlights...
About to take off!
First stop:
Shipshewanna, Indiana
for the famous soft pretzels
Mila used her own money to buy
souvenirs perfect to occupy her on the road
(and annoy her parents).
We also checked out an Amish cheese factory.
After we left, Mommy discovered
Mila accidentally stole
an American flag magnet.
She said we needed it for "America's birthday."
We went back and paid for it.
We stayed at a hotel near Toledo
for the night.
We swam, relaxed and enjoyed
free breakfast before getting back on the road.
Yay for Residence Inn and those
cool waffle makers.
Traveling with little ones requires
plenty of rest stops.
We got some fresh air and made
sandwiches on soft Amish bakery bread
at this rather nice spot in Pennsylvania.
Finally made it to our campsite
in Stow, NY!
Daddy was an expert at setting us up
right away.
First thing after setting up camp--
ice cream of course!
Definitely let the baby try certain foods
waaay before we did with Mila.
Oh well, it's vacation.
And Hershey's makes the best
strawberry cheesecake ice cream
we've ever tasted.
We camped with Mommy's brother and his family
It was a very pretty campground on
a long, gentle lake.
See that small sail boat over my shoulder?
It's Uncle Brent's.
He took Mommy out
for a lovely afternoon sail.
There is plenty to do at Camp Chautauqua...
here is my niece Hannah getting
some air at the playground.
They even have a petting zoo!
Oink Oink.
Oh, and a pool.
Yeah, not exactly roughing it.
On the 4th of July we headed down the road
to the sweet little lakeside town
of Bemus Point, NY.
We ate at an awesome waterfront
Mila acted like a
crazy woman at dinner.
But in a good way. Mostly.
For an appetizer we had these
ridiculous "Italian Nachos"
and oh lordy were they good.
Pasta chips covered in alfredo with
loads of other toppings piled so high
we barely made a dent.
Willow stuck to pickles, limes and truffle fries.
This baby LOVES strong flavors.
Sun's almost down,
time to get to our spot for fireworks!
Mila loved the show.
Everyone puts flairs up all around the lake
during the fireworks display.
Willow and Mila both did great in the tent,
especially Mila...
who got this awesome light up pillow
from Mommy for the trip
(So proud of the awesome deal on this at CVS,
normally $20 on sale for $1.75...
I think it may have been a mistake, shhh!)
Mommy & Daddy survived too.
They also decided massages were in order later in the trip.
Aunt Crystal helped Mila get
ready for the bike and golf cart parade on Saturday.
"Sweet 16"
was so excited to participate!
She was the youngest participant by far,
and definitely the only one riding a balance bike.
(Lady in red shirt: "Look at #16! No pedals!")
The parade went way too fast for her,
so she tried her best at first
and then waited for it to come around again
to join back up.
We were really proud.
We were also super proud
when Mila polished off two
hot dogs she roasted herself.
With BUNS!
A major milestone over here.
We had a great time camping,
hanging with family, meeting new people,
celebrating Independence Day,
taking in nature
and just spending time together
at Camp Chautauqau.
Next up, Kelley's Island, OH!
(With a brief stop for lunch
at Melt Bar & Grilled
in Cleveland. Go.)
We drove the car onto a ferry
and took it across Lake Erie.
This was the view from the balcony
of our hotel,
(actually, this is half the view,
it wrapped around to the right too.
Just gorgeous!)
Most people drive golf carts on KI.
We had an absolute blast
tooling around the island on ours.
We thought we'd rent it for just a few hours,
but ended up keeping one almost the whole time.
We were hooked,
especially Mila.
Here these fools are pulling a
"Wayne"
on Mommy.
Mila thought this was comedy
at its finest.
Kelleys is famous for its glacial grooves,
the ones discovered on the island are considered
the finest examples of this ancient geological
occurrences in the world.
Willow & Daddy checkin' out the grooves.
Here we are on a mini-hike at Horseshoe Lake,
another beautiful spot on an island
with so much nature to explore.
There are beaches, quarries, rock formations,
and of course hokey little shops and
a half-dozen or so family friendly
bars and restaurants.
I believe the land in the right hand corner
of this picture is Canada.
Kelleys Island is very close to the border.
We stayed on the southern side of the island.
You could see Cedar Point in the distance,
about 8 miles away.
Driving all the way around the island
on the golf cart allowed us to get out
and explore lots of scenic spots.
The hotel grounds were
particularly lovely,
we saw landscapers working constantly.
One night it rained REALLY hard
as we were having dinner outside at
the Island House Inn.
We just took cover and made the most
of it. Mila was cold so Mommy turned
black cloth napkins into a cape.
Mila requested we play mini-golf.
She had a fun time,
but nobody had bragging rights
since Mommy and Daddy tied.
We packed a lot in each day of our trip,
but sometimes chilling out with
electronic devices is fun too.
Mila took her big sister role seriously this trip.
She even walked up to the ice cream booth
(All by myself, Mommy! I can do it!)
and succesfully ordered and paid for
a small bowl of vanilla
for Willow. It was so precious.
The sunsets at KI are celebrated each night
Everyone cheers when the sun drops below Lake Erie.
was conviently located right across the street
from our hotel.
It was a fun and casual
place that served
breakfast, lunch and dinner.
And beer. We sat outside
and tried a glass while
the sun began to set and Mila & Daddy
played bags on the lawn.
The hotel also offers an enormous
private, pirate ship themed playground.
Sometimes traveling with wee ones
is just too stressful,
but frequent, planned stops and family friendly activities
really made the trip truly fun for everyone...
Mila is already asking when can we do it again...
Not gonna lie,
I researched cottage rentals for next summer
the day after we got back home.
