Our trip to Amish Country and Brandywine Falls

We don't have any big trips planned for our family this year - instead, just a little trip and a "stay-cation".  A couple of months ago, while scrolling through Facebook, I saw a post titled, "The 15 Most Incredible Natural Attractions in Ohio That Everyone Should Visit."  I was interested, so I clicked on the article.  #1 on the list was Old Man's Cave - we were able to check that off of our list when we went to Hocking Hills a couple of years ago.  Danny and I looked at the rest of the list and narrowed it down to Brandywine Falls which is located in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in northeast Ohio.  We had already planned to take a long weekend at the end of June, so we thought this would be our destination.  We also decided to stop by Amish country on our way there - none of us had ever been!

On our way to Amish country, we passed a sign that read, "Ohio's Longest Covered Bridge" so we took a little detour!  The bridge crosses over the Mohican River and since our trip, I've learned that it's actually the 2nd longest covered bridge in Ohio.  It was still neat to see!  The kids thought it was kind of creepy (and stinky from the horse-drawn buggies).

Bridge of Dreams

The kids are waaaaaay at the end!

Our first stop in Amish country was Hershberger's Farm.  I learned from a co-worker that there's lots to see and do there!  First, per Colin's request, we took a horse-drawn buggy ride with Henry and Billy around the property.  Henry was the driver, Billy was the horse (power).

Henry let Danny take the reigns!

Colin was in awe.

The backseat crew!  We got to see a lot of animals, including an impressive Texas long-horn.  We also saw where the future pumpkin patch will be.  We've talked about going back this fall!

While we ate lunch, this cat was the main attraction for the kids.  It stayed around the picnic tables waiting for a treat.

They have a huge petting zoo there, with lots of goats (some were even on the roof!)...

peacocks...

and horses.  The kids wanted to feed the animals some carrots.

Here's Big Ben - a Belgian Draft Horse.  I made Danny stand next to him for size reference.  We couldn't get over how massive Big Ben was; he is a beautiful horse!

Colin found a cool toy outside of the gift shop.

Cadence wanted to ride a pony; Colin had no interest!

They had some adorable pot-belly piglets for sale.

And we even saw some baby piglets being born!   I was amazed that the babies started to walk immediately after birth in order to nurse!

Chilling out after our trip through the bakery.  Their fry pies were delicious!

After we left Hershberger's Farm, we stopped by Guggisberg Cheese and Coblentz Chocolates.  I had the best chocolate covered, peanut butter Ritz cracker sandwich ever!  We were dodging thunderstorms all day, and it was getting late (everything closes by 6 pm in Amish country), so we headed to the hotel to check in and grabbed dinner at Texas Roadhouse.

Our hotel was only 15 minutes from Brandywine Falls, so we headed there the next morning!

There were a couple of look-outs, so we could check things out from up high...

and down below.  I was disappointed that we couldn't get up close at the bottom of the falls, though.

The falls are 65 feet tall!  We've been getting a lot of rain lately, so the falls were rushing like crazy!

After we checked out the falls, we went on a 3 mile hike around the Stanford trail which took us to the Stanford house (built in 1843) which used to be on a farm.

Danny taught the kids how to skip rocks...

and they built a dam.

They were pretty proud of their creation.

The trail was so pretty!

The Stanford house had a pretty neat "water fountain" on the property - which worked out nicely because we were thirsty!

Danny took this pic of Cadence goofing off while Colin had a meltdown - we hiked too far for his little feet.

Danny found this crazy tree that looked like a side-profile of a face!

All in all, we had a fun trip.  If you ask the kids, their favorite part was the hotel stay.  While we were getting ready for the day on Saturday, they must've taken 20 trips up & down the elevator.  They also had a blast in the pool.

Cadence is still enjoying her time at summer camp. On the days that they don't have a field trip, they have a lot of activities and crafts to do.  Here she built a fire with s'mores.

They go to the pool every Friday.

They even got to see Incredibles 2!

Colin got his cast off a couple of weeks ago!  He's been doing great!  We kept him home from school following the cast coming off, just to be sure he didn't re-injure himself.  He has a brace that he wears during recess and hasn't complained at all!  My mom stayed home with him on Friday and he got to go swimming!

School still sends updates throughout the day - I love it - Look at his cheesy grin!!

Lots to Celebrate

May and June are always busy months for our family - between birthdays and Mother's/Father's Day, there's always something to celebrate.  This year we added a talent show, graduation, and recital to the mix. On Friday, May 18th, Danny and I worked half-days and went from Cadence's school's variety show to Colin's preschool graduation to Cadence's piano recital.  Mom and Dad were able to come with us.  It was a busy afternoon!  I'm so proud of our kiddos and all that they have accomplished over the past year.  

Cadence did an awesome job at her school's variety show.  She played the song, "Mahna Mahna" from the Muppets on the piano for her entire school.  She felt comfortable playing the song since she had been practicing it for her piano recital.  It was funny because the music teacher introduced her as "Candace" - a ton of kids in the audience started yelling, "It's Cadence!" to correct her.  It was cute to see all of the kids "sticking up" for Cadence to make sure the teacher knew her name.  

I had to include a picture of the cover of Cadence's school yearbook - Cadence's artwork won front cover!  Every year since kindergarten, when Cadence submitted her first drawing, she's been wanting to "win" the cover.  We are so proud of her!  Danny beat me home from work the day she came home with the yearbook - he said the look on her face when she showed him was priceless.  The theme was "Building our Future at HSE."

Here's a picture that Colin's teacher sent of graduation practice.  Yup, our kid is the goofball on the left!

It was difficult to get a good picture, but between all of us there, we were able to capture some of Colin's pre-k graduation.  The theme was a luau.  The kids got their diplomas and we learned what they wanted to be when they grow up.  Colin supposedly wants to be an "officer".  It changes on the daily  - I think most recently, it was to be a ninja.

Each class performed a song for us and the whole group got together at the end.  It was pretty cute.

Our "graduate"!

To wrap up the evening, we headed to Cadence's piano recital.  The theme for the evening was "Night at the Movies".  Again, she did an excellent job playing her song!  We told her to remember to bow or curtsy at the end (because a lot of kids forgot), but she hurried off stage when she was done.  We saw a bunch of performances, from a subpar tap routine to the Ghostbusters theme song to an awesome rendition of the Sandlot.  It was fun to see the kids perform!

Next up, we had Colin's 5th birthday.  He's a whole hand, people!  Time flies, huh?  He was sure to wear his birthday ribbon to school.  

We got a similar photo last year!!  

The door to his class said, "Happy Birthday Colin!"

I left work early that day and met up with his class after nap time to bring some of Colin's favorite treats to share with the class - Costco chocolate chip cookies!  In the past when he got a free cookie at Costco, he said, "God, Costco has the best cookies...I'm not joking...they do."  He really loves them.  He got a little shy when his class sang "Happy Birthday" to him.  It was cute. 

They got some cool, new toys at school.  Colin loves the balance bikes!

After school, we picked up "Sissy" from her school and then we picked up some balloons from Kroger.  I mean, what's a birthday without balloons?  I also knew that we couldn't bring balloons to the place where we were having his birthday party, so this was the next best thing.  We also stopped by McDonald's for some French fries -- my kids can never get enough.

My mom made Colin his favorite dish for dinner - homemade chicken and noodles.  I'm pretty sure he asked for seconds.  

We had some cookies leftover from Colin's class, so we sang "Happy Birthday" to him again at home.  He blew the candle off the cookie!

Colin asked for a Star Wars theme for his birthday party.  I saw something on Pinterest where a woman made Storm Trooper heads out of marshmallows - I figured if I had Kroger make the cupcakes, the whole thing wouldn't be too bad!  I think they turned out pretty cool!

We celebrated Colin's birthday at Recreations Outlet in Powell.  He went to his friend's birthday party there back in April and he wanted to have his party there as well.  The kids had a really good time - they jumped on the trampolines, kicked the soccer ball around, climbed on the play sets, and played air hockey.

Next up, Cadence's 8th birthday!  We started the day with a trip to Krispy Kreme for some doughnuts!  Cadence has surprised us recently and actually likes doughnuts and cake now!  Whaaaaaat?!  I guess she really is growing up!

Cadence's birthday dinner selection was Grandma's homemade mac & cheese (guys, Grandma's food is always better).  Pretty sure she had seconds too!

My mom spoiled her with the American Boy doll that she's been wanting since last year.  I think the doll was created for the American Girl doll store for boys that want a doll like them - Cadence wanted it so her American Girl doll would have a friend. 

Oreos for the Happy Birthday song!

For Cadence's birthday party, she had a sleep over with several of her friends.  Cadence is at the age where most parents feel comfortable letting their kids spend the night at a friend's house, so we let her do that this year.  I, however, was not comfortable letting her have a pool party - maybe next year when we have the new pool and more space to hang out around the pool.  It was hot out, so Cadence wanted to have a water balloon fight!

The girls also took turns on the zip line and the trampoline.  

Next, they made candy necklaces - the Gummy Savers and Froot Loops were their favorite.  More Peachy Os and Twizzlers for me!

My mom was a BIG help during the party!

Present time!

I also found a recipe on Pinterest for DIY lip gloss using melted Vaseline and Kool Aid packs.  I'm not sure if it smells or tastes good, but they had fun making it!

Craziness in the playroom

During Cadence's party, Colin had quite an eventful day...even more eventful because nothing went as planned.  The poor kid went to a birthday party at Sky Zone (trampoline park), but unbeknownst to us, their policy is no jumping with a cast.  I figured since the doc gave him the go-ahead, and he was able to jump on the trampoline at his party, it was no big deal.  Danny said he had a melt down, but the people at Sky Zone tried to make it right.  They gave him a pass for a free jump in the future and they made him a ref - they even gave him a lanyard with his name on it and his own whistle.  Danny said he liked bossing the kids around.  Next, Danny and my dad took him downtown for dinner before the Clippers game. 

This pic is just too much - don't worry...it wasn't HIS beer!

Danny said there was a dog there that had the same markings as Scarlet, he was just black!

It ended up raining and storming at the ballpark, so they had to postpone the game to the next day.  No baseball for the boys.

And apparently, Colin spotted a mascot far away from them, but that was enough to freak him out.  Danny said he threw up he got so nervous.  He felt fine afterwards, though - good enough to polish off an entire thing of cotton candy!

Around Mother's Day, we made our annual trip to Oakland Nursery for some plants!  Cadence likes to pose with the giant gorilla there.

She's also having a wonderful time at summer camp.  She gets to see her best friend and do a lot of fun things.  They made tie-dye shirts to wear on their field trips.

They've visited several parks...

Franklin Park Conservatory...

participated in a lot of crafts and activities...

and even went zip-lining!  I can't believe she actually did it...and climbed the rock wall!  People, who is this kid?!

Colin will be in the same pre-school class until kindergarten starts.  His class has shrunken in size, but a few of his good buddies are still with him every day.  

And what would a blog post be without an appearance from our old lady...