Vacation Post #9 ~ Cedar Point Amusement Park

June 10: Phil, Jodi, Allie, Sarah, Lindsay and Matt, Shauna and Madison hopped in the Yukon on Tuesday morning headed toward Sandusky, Oh -- home of Cedar Point Amusement Park right on Lake Erie. Jodi's aunt Deb and her daughter and granddaughter (Cassie and Gwen) also met us up there. This is the place for rides -- 19 roller coasters and a ton of other thrill rides. We have been to Disney World a couple times and Cedar Point beats it in our book. Tuesday was an exceptional day to come because of early rain showers, most lines were 15 minutes or less. It cleared up by noon and was a gorgeous day. We rode and rode, barely stopping for food. Lindsay was so brave on the roller coasters and even did the Corkscrew which went upside down 2 times! Way to go Lindsay. Allie and Sarah had no fear of any of the rides. The only thing that stopped Sarah was her height restriction. The video below is of maXair -- a ride that Phil and I refused to ride with Allie. I don't mind heights, but I hate spinning things and Phil is okay with spinning, but hates heights (except he seems to like roller coasters just fine). Uncle Matt actually talked Allie into going with him, and they had so much fun that Shauna went the next time with Allie. Phil and I got sick just watching. The maXair swings riders back and forth in a seemingly out-of-control pendulum motion while rotating counterclockwise. At the peak of the pendulum movement that reaches a maximum speed of 70 mph, riders are upside down 140 feet above the ground. No thanks!!

Here are some other pictures of our fun-filled day. Thanks to Grandpa and Grammy for watching the little ones - Timothy, Carson, Savannah and Jason. They were so good and well behaved that Grammy had a 90 minute block of time during the afternoon when all 4 were sleeping. I am sure that would not have been the case if we would have taken them. Thank you also for the tickets. A fun time was had by all!!

Vacation Post #8 ~ Visiting the Great Grandparents

Susan's parents live in an assisted living center within walking distance from their home. After our picture excursion to Mansfield, we stopped by their home and sat outside for awhile. Jodi's grandpa, Don, is 93 years old and I think he was quite surprised by the number of little ones runing around. As you can tell above, some of the kids were plain sick and tired of getting their pictures taken again!! We let most of them run back to Susan and Dave's house, trying to outrun a thunderstorm right on our tails.

Vacation Post #7 ~ Family Picture Funnies

June 9: Monday was the day set aside for family pictures. The photographer had told my mom that a cool, cloudy, calm day would be ideal for great pictures. Well, the weather at 4:30 p.m. was hot, sunny, and windy! Fortunately we found some nice shaded places. Folks, it is not an easy or pleasurable task to take a group picture of 6 adults and 8 children (5 of which are 2 and under). We all waited until the last possible second to put on crisp, clean white shirts and off we headed to Kingston Park in Mansfield, OH. The photographer burned a CD for each family so that we can pick, choose and edit as we wish.

The whole gang

Grandpa and Grammy with all the grandchildren

The Hubert Clan


The Pier Family

Just the kiddos........

Timothy (2), Sarah (8), Savannah (6 mo), Allie (10), Jason (4 mo), Lindsay (6), Carson (17 mo), Madison (2)

Vacation Post #6 ~ Goats, and Sheep and Chickens - OH MY!

June 9: Monday morning was designated farm day...well kind of. One of Susan's friends lives out in the country and had many animals that the kids could pet. They had a blast feeding the goats and the sheep, carrying the roosters, and chasing the ducks.

Vacation Post #5 ~ Happy 70th Birthday Grandpa Dave!

June 8: Today is Grandpa Dave's 70th birthday and we had a big celebration. We began the day worshipping at Grace Brethren Church in Ashland. After a quick family picture, the guests began arriving. Here is Grandpa and Grammy, their 2 daughters, Jodi and Shauna, and 8 grandchildren ~ Timothy, Carson, Allie, Sarah, Madison, Lindsay, Savannah, and Jason! Whew - that's a lot of grandchildren from just 2 daughters!!

Jodi's dad's sister, Margaret and Charlie came along with Beth, Kevin, their grandson Jake, and Chris. Dave's younger brother Roger and Barbara also drove in from Tennessee for the celebration. From Jodi's mom's side came her sister Deb and Jake, Cassie, Gwen and Crystal and fiance' Dave. Her parents Don and Ruth Helbert were also able to be here. Here is Dave with sister Margaret and youngest brother Roger.

Susan was sneaky and sent out requests for cards, letters and pictures for Dad's birthday. She filled 2 scrapbooks with all of these memories. She also had wrappers made for Hersey candy bars that had a picture of dad when he was 2 and a current picture. On the back of the wrapper were memorable dates of his life. Everyone took these as party favors.

Looking through the scrapbooks

Vacation Post #4 ~ Destination ---OHIO

June 6 - 7: On Friday morning we picked up Wanda and went to a children's museum to let the kids have some fun and wear themselves out before another long day in the car. They made pretend ice cream sundaes, worked in a post office, went camping and took a visit to the dentist. Wanda insisted on Country Buffet for lunch which we thoroughly enjoyed and then we were off for Ashland, Ohio.


Sarah sorting mail


Lindsay and Timothy pretending to be on a campout



Timothy loved the ambulance


The kids thought this huge bunny was pretty cool.


A group photo with Grandma Zaucha

On the road again..................

Jodi's sister Shauna and her family were leaving Maryland at approximately the same time, heading west toward Ohio. We got location updates every so often throughout the day and it looked like we were going to arrive within a short time of each other. We couldn't have planned it any better if we had tried, as we pulled onto Jodi's parents' street about 1 minute after Shauna. I am sure the arrival was quite overwhelming as 8 grandchildren came out 2 vehicles. The kids were delighted to see Grammy and Grandpa and Sarge (the Golden Retriever) and Shauna and I finally got to meet each other's newest baby. Savannah (6 1/2 months) and Jason (4 1/2 months) are about the same size and were totally oblivious to the action going on around them. They were just glad to be out of those darned car seats!

Saturday morning Phil and I went for a jog/walk around the neighborhood. In one sense it was easier than in Wyoming because of the lower elevation, but the humidity makes it a bit more uncomfortable. We have heard that Wyoming has been cold and windy, so we are especially thankful for this very warm 90 degree weater. After some tractor rides from Grandpa, we went to the high school track to check out Grammy's Walk for Life team. The kids walked a lap, got their hair spray painted and played on the field.

"My turn, " says Timothy

Carson, Sarah, Jason, Savannah. Allie, Madison, Timothy and Lindsay

Phil and I and 2 of the girls snuck a quick trip to Kohls in nearby Mansfield to do some shopping while the little ones stayed at Grammy's for naps. Dave's brother Roger and Barbara arrived in time for a great ham and potato casserole dinner. Tomorrow's the big day - #70.

Vacation Post #3 ~ One Fish, Two Fish, Big Fish.....

June 5 -6: First thing Thursday morning...well actually it was 10:00 a.m. by the time we could all get up, dressed and out the door....we went and had breakfast with Wanda Zaucha at a local restaurant. She was so excited and nervous when we got there and kept telling us how happy she was to see all of us. We got a good chuckle from the very candid waitress. After counting (out loud - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) for each one of our children and learning we were visiting from Casper, WY, she exclaimed, "Well, what else do you have to do in Wyoming!!"
Next stop - Chicago - to Shedd's Aquarium. We had heard rave reviews and decided to check it out for ourself. The exhibits were amazing and the kids were enthralled with all the different fish species. They saw whales up close through an underground viewing area and were dazzled by the dolphin show. To take a break from walking, we watched a nature 4-D movie complete with special viewing glasses. During the movie we were sprayed with water, blasted with wind, and surrounded by bubbles. The girls loved it, but not so much with Timothy. Every time the water sprayed him, he cried, and the harder he cried, the louder Lindsay giggled. It was priceless. He started saying rather emphatically, "All done, go bye-bye."

Here's a short video of the dolphin show.

We finished off the evening with a BBQ at Rome and Theresa's. It was nice to relax on their back porch and enjoy the warm summer evening. Emily won trooper of the year award by sitting at the "kids table". I just realized I never got a picture with them....UGHHH. Thanks Rome, Theresa and Emily for your great hospitality - the accomodations were wonderful. I am sure our busy family of 7 was WAY out of the normal for you, but you handled the craziness wonderfully! Also special thanks from Timothy for being available for his breakfast needs both mornings when the rest of the family slept in :).

Vacation Post #2 ~ Lots o' miles and lots o' gas

June 3 - 4: After a brief delay, we hit the road at 9:00 a.m., only 3 hours behind schedule. We made it as far as Cheyenne (2 1/2 hours) and the kiddos were ready for lunch. Phil and I exchanged this look between us that knowingly acknowledged, "This is gonna be a long trip!" After a VERY LONG day in the vehicle and several stops for food, potty breaks and various other reasons, we made it to our destination of Des Moines, Iowa about 1:00 a.m. local time! Total mileage for the day ~ 815 miles, total hours ~ 15 - including all stops . We stayed at a hotel that night, slept in and let the kids swim until check out time. Then we were off to Bourbonnais, Il where Phil's uncle and family and Grandma Zaucha live. We arrived there in time for dinner and ate at a local pizza place where Phil's cousin Emily works nights during the summer. We had yummy pizza with great company!

Our first gas fill up. We don't even want to try and guess what the grand total is going to be.

Our first stop for lunch - Sonic in Cheyenne

Vacation Post #1 ~ A small setback

Our plans to leave at 6:00 a.m. this morning were thwarted by the discovery of some water backing up in the basement shower. So..... to look at the bright side of this plumbing issue, here are our top 5 reasons that we are "rejoicing" in this setback.

#5 ~ While we waited until 7:00 a.m. to call the plumber, Phil had time to crawl on the roof and clean out the gutters. Jodi finished cleaning the entire house so that when we return it will be spotless, or pretty close.

#4 ~ All the kids had time to eat breakfast in the kitchen, thus sparing the vehicle from this first meal on the road.

#3 ~ We discovered the problem before we left and were not surprised by a huge mess on June 15th.

#2 ~ We found a couple of things we would have forgotten if we would have left in a daze at 6:00 am.

#1 ~ In God's sovereign plan and purpose, He chose to allow this setback for various reasons that we may never know. We may have been protected from a serious accident. At the very least, it taught us patience and the importance of looking at the bright side knowing that we cannot control our circumstances but we can control our attitudes to them.

And yet some more faces and places....

Sarah enjoying the sun during last blast at school.

Allie on Hero Day as Joni Earekson Tada in a wheelchair.

More faces and places...

Lindsay's class dressed up as Theodore Roosevelt for Hero Day.

Lindsay and her friends at her ladybug birthday party. We held it a few weeks early so she could invite all her school friends.


Timothy is very intent on blowing bubbles at the last blast picnic at the girls' school.


Sweet Savannah having some tummy time.



Sarah and her friend Kristy acting goofy in the backseat of the car!


Lindsay and her friend Jessi showing off their track day ribbons.

Different Places...Different faces

May finished in a whirlwind of activity. School is out, summer is here and we are getting ready for a 2 week vacation as far east as Ohio. Watch for posts along the way. In the mean time, here are some different faces in different places over the last week.


Timothy enjoyed the indoor smores for an afternoon snack. I enjoyed cleaning the high chair.

Savannah is just learning to sit up. I plopped her on a towel in front of the tulips in the front yard.

Allie expressing her feelings about math homework....

Allie expressing her feelings that this was the last math set of the year!!

Lindsay and Mrs. Fisher (her kindergarten teacher)on the day of Kindergarten Celebration AND Lindsay's birthday party.