The wrap up of our vacation.

Well, to summarize the rest of our vacation (my previous posts got only as far as the drive down....) we had a great time, with the exception of the long hours in the car. It was pretty tough on the kids to be confined like that when they aren't used to it. And trying to get them back into the car at rest areas was a feat.

So, lets see, we got to Brenda and Jay's in the late afternoon, had some pizza and wings, and then changed in to suits again and splashed in Wyatt's little wading pool and then got them in to bed. The funny part about putting them in bed (all three kids in the same room) was that Ryan started crying. I went back down the hall and asked him what the problem was. He was quite upset, and couldn't form a sentence. Finally he squeaked out: "Take the cow out to the living room." He wanted Jay's deer head trophy out of the room because he said "It's looking at me." That was pretty funny.

Each morning the kids were up very early, around 6am. It must have been the excitement of the vacation, or being in the same room, but they were so loud and naughty. Jay had to work mostly late evening and night shifts, because of the holiday weekend, so he was getting home at 3 or 4 in the morning, and then after Wyatt got up, he would go in his room and try to catch some more sleep. Sorry for the noise, Jay.

Brenda, Jay and Wyatt have a black lab (I think that what she is) named Sage. Sage is the most well-behaved, kind and quiet dog I've ever met. She and I took a lot of walks in the woods behind their house. Emma really proved some maturity by helping Brenda feed and take care of Sage every night.

Well, on Saturday morning we went out to Marietta. That is the oldest city in Ohio, and about an hour from their house. We had read in the AAA book about trolley tours of Marietta, so we decided to do that. It was a great experience, it was interesting, and the moving changing sites kept the kids in their seats looking out the windows. We went down this one street that had train tracks that go right down the length. It takes coal down the road once a day, and takes twenty minutes to get down the street. The oldest town in Marietta has quite a bit of history in it, but the most interesting thing I heard was at the beginning when it was just starting: The Ohio River is actually owned by West Virginia. They own it right up to the shoreline.

Then we ate lunch at The Levee House, a restaurant right on the river, that used to be a warehouse. Great view for great food. Then we checked out a couple of sites that we saw from the tour (two bookstores) and then stopped to take some pictures on the way back to naptime at Brenda's house.

The next day we took it easy (again, sorry that they were up at 6 am, Jay), we just went in to Brenda's classroom, did a craft, and played with the toys! Emma was a great helper, she assisted Brenda practically all morning cleaning and organizing everything.

Then we went back to the house, and got ready for the afternoon when Jay's Dad came over with his wife. That was a great night. They brought over their Ice Cream Maker. So we all made homemade ice cream, then had a little parade with shakers and flags.

On Monday we packed up and began the long trip back home. By the time that we made it to Erie, PA again, and checked in to Country Inn & Suites we were beat! The kids are so draining on such a long drive, and for them to be cooped up for two days, they are troopers for making it through, even though there was lots of crying and shouting. This hotel was much better, in the parent's opinion. We got two rooms this time, we learned from our previous mistake. The pool was ok, a little colder then the Econolodge's. The whirlpool was my favorite, although when I dared Emma to get out of the whirlpool and then jump into the ice cold water, I should have realized that I would have to do it too, after her. I indulged a bit in the whirlpool even after Emma went to bed, they almost had to kick me out when they had to lock up the pool area. But I was just leaving. There was wireless internet on the property, so it was very nice to be able to sort through all the email before getting home. And Holly and Ryan slept like they were dead. They were so tired from being up so early and taking no naps while we were driving. Ryan fell out of bed that night and got rather frightened, but he settled down when Michelle cuddled with him for a few minutes (I think I wrote about Holly falling out of bed during the first night at Brenda and Jay's, but she did, and got very disoriented). We went swimming a little bit again the next morning and then made it back home just in time for them to have a long nap. They were so tired, that's why the drive was so....perilous.

In all, the time that we spent in Ohio, and at the hotels was wonderful relaxing and everything that we could have hoped for from a vacation. But the driving nearly four hours one day, and then five and a half or so the next (we have to stop for potty breaks) was just extremely trying for the youngsters. The older they get the easier it will be, but it was not fun driving trying to ignore 45 minutes of shrieking and crying. The portable DVD player can only hold their attention so long.

That's about it, I'm still posting pictures. We got them onto a CD, so I'm still looking at them but definitely expect some more here.