Detroit - Cleveland - Philly - Lancaster

Cleveland is a perfect place for us to stop because it's on our way to Pennsylvania and we get to see my sister, Jessie, and brother-in-law, Justin and the kids love to play with Otis (although Nolan and Lydia took a while to warm up to him this time...he's like 10 pounds kids, get over it!). We got there just in time for dinner for the kids and cookies from the concierge and then it was off to bed. Jess, Justin, and I ordered food, ate in peace, and watched a movie.

Wednesday was our longest drive of the trip and I was dreading it! We left Cleveland bright and early in the morning and headed to Philadelphia to see our Kellogg's friends, Morgan and Rich. They moved from Kalamazoo to Philly in September and Morgan was almost 9 months pregnant, so I was anxious to see them! The drive took us about 8 hours with stops and the kids were perfect! Thank God for that one! It was great to see Morgan (and her adorable pregnant belly) when we got there! They have a big black lab and cat, so, of course, Nolan and Lydia were afraid. Nolan asked, literally 100 times by the time we left the next morning, "that dog (or cat) know me?" OH MY GOSH CHILD!!! Anyway, when we got there, the kids went swimming in their pool, and then Rich came home with pizza. It was so nice to catch up with them and hear about how their life was going in Philly. Hopefully it won't be too long after we move back, before we're all living back in K-zoo!

Lydia trying on Rich and Morgan's workout equipment

Later the next morning, we left for Lancaster, PA to visit my Dad's side of the family. We saw most of them 2 years ago in the Outer Banks, but I hadn't been to Lancaster in over 4 years. We were staying with my cousin, Danielle, and her husband, Brandon, and daughter, Acelyn. In the Outer Banks, Danielle was pregnant, so I had never met Acelyn until this trip. What a cutie! When we got there,Nolan wouldn't even look at the house because they have a big dog. He sat on the bench outside the front door and faced the street for about 10 minutes until I dragged him inside kicking and screaming. This ended up being Nolan's "break through" house. By the end of the visit, he was giving the dog, Lilly, kisses and whispering sweet nothings to the cat. My cousin, Cheriee, came over with her two boys for a visit that afternoon. I hadn't seen her since the last time I was in Lancaster, so it was nice to spend time catching up with her and seeing how big her boys had gotten.

Friday (16th) we went to the Hand's On House in Lancaster (any Jon and Kate plus 8 fans may recognize the name from one of their shows). My Dad (Pap) and Anna (Nana) and my Aunt Joyce joined in on the fun. The kids had a wonderful time...

Ethan made his own bird and threw it from the top of
this treehouse to see how far it flew

Pap and Nana helping the kids "fish"

My three and Acelyn collecting corn

Acelyn ringing Ethan up in the grocery store.

Nana found something to buy too!

Dressing up

Saturday, Danielle and Brandon had to get ready for the get together at their house that night, so my Dad and I took the kids to the Choo-Choo Barn. I knew the boys would love it, but Lydia was probably the most excited! She kept yelling, "choo-choo" and pointing.

On the way home Ethan asked me how many seconds were in 7 hours. I told him that I didn't know. He was quiet for a couple of minutes and said, "420" and I asked him, "seconds or minutes" and he said, "oh, minutes." When I asked him how he figured it out, he said he counted by tens and used his fingers....What?? He has a mathematical brain that I will never understand, but I'm not complaining!

That night we had a great time at Danielle and Brandon's for dinner with all the Aunts and Uncles. Crazy stories and lots of laughs! It's always fun with the Mowrer clan!!