We had a fabulous vacation. We went camping at Put-In-Bay, OH. We went camping with our good friends Jackie, Ken, and Matt. It was a great time! These pictures are totally out of order, so please bare with me!
On our way home from vacation we stopped at African Safari Wildlife Park. It was a complete impulse stop, because the name sounded intriguing. This place ended up being a drive threw zoo. I am not positive why it was called an African Safari. There were very few African animals, and you really didn't get any contact with them. There were great American animals including bison, long horn cows, elk, and deer. It was a little too close for comfort for me, but a great experience for the kids. Unfortunately, a HUGE Elk stole our cup of food. It made me so nervous when the other animals would come up and beg for food...especially those that were large with horns, since I had nothing to offer them. But, we made it through. There was also a camel ride and pony ride included in the price. The kids did enjoy the rides.
We rented a six person golf cart and carted around Put-In- Bay for one day. It was really fun. We all took turns driving the cart and I think we drove on just about every street. We made a few stops and walked around when we saw something interesting. The kids loved this shop. It had some fun hats for sale. They each found one to try on.
To get to the island we had to take a ferry. This was a first for all of us. The ferry took our entire car across.
The kids were mesmerized by the ferry ride and Lake Erie. They immediately wanted to go on the ferry again. I promised we would ride the ferry home. That was an easy promise to keep. On the way home, I let each of the kids go out of the car and stand on the ferry. Kendall thought it was very exciting. On the other hand, getting out made Caleb extremely nervous. He chose to get right back into the car.
The kids loved spending the night in tents and hanging out at the camp site. They had fun eating at our picnic table and cooking s'mores over the camp fire. I was VERY thankful that Matt brought glow sticks for the kids. What an easy, yet fabulous idea. It gave the kids a nightlight for the tent. It also made it very easy to find them once it got dark!
I think another favorite moment that the kids had was swimming in Lake Erie. The water was surprisingly warm. Terry thought it was due to the nuclear power plant that was across the lake. I was also surprised how big the waves were in the lake. Some were 3 feet or larger. Kendall saw a huge water snake while she was swimming. It was about 4 feet long.
We left a day early, because the zipper on our tent broke and there was a chance of thunderstorms. The kids were pretty disappointed that we left early, but I really didn't want to deal with mud and 2 young kids.
All in all, it was a great trip! The kids want to go on vacation again. Caleb suggested California this morning. I told him that we would see!
I can't believe Kendall is 4. Time really does fly by. This year, Kendall decided that she wanted to celebrate her birthday at the Splash Park in Geneva. I was so thankful when there was a 0% chance of rain!
Rachael helped with the party. It was so nice to have her around. She went to pick up the cake with me, and kept an eye on the kids! I really appreciate all of her help.
Kendall wanted to have pizza and cake for the party. Caleb is such a little trooper with his allergies. He happily ate a happy meal instead of pizza. He also kept showing Grandma the cake. He raved on how pretty it was and how good it was going to taste, and told Grandma that she had to try a piece. So sweet, even though he couldn't eat it himself.
The kids had a blast playing on the playground and in the sprinkler park. There was lots of laughter and fun. Kendall really enjoyed opening up her presents, and loved every single one of them!
She chose a Little Mermaid Cake this year. She originally wanted the Target Barbie Cake that Kendall has to visit each time we go into Target. I was glad that we were able to find a great alternative. We got this one at Walmart, and it was really good. I was happily surprised! 
