Family Fun and the Fourth of July

Dustin , Lyndsey and Cade came to visit for the fourth for the third summer, and this year Mimi and Pop Pop came too.  Mom and Dad came a couple of days before and Phillip, Dad, and the boys went golfing, and Mom and me took Levi to the jump place.  When Dustin and Lyndsey came, we enjoyed time with family.  Phillip's brother and Jennifer and the kids and Julie and Matt and boys came up for the 4th of July.  We had good food and good company.  The best part about summer is slowing down and spending time with those we love.  

 

Family Vacation to Cedar Point

We have gone to Kings Island several times, and Lofton loves roller coasters, so I have been saying for awhile now that I need to take him to Cedar Point.  We didn't really do much planning this summer for our family vacation- we kinda planned it last minute.  We debated not even going but in the end, we decided we wanted to get away together for a bit, and I am so glad that we did.  Phillip booked a cabin on the resort, and we left on Monday.  I knew I wanted to hit the park on a weekday in hopes it wouldn't be as crowded.   We had such a great trip.  When we got there, I just enjoyed sitting on the deck listening to the water and enjoying the weather- it was only about 70 degrees.  The boys hit the pier and started fishing, and they had a lot of luck.  They were pulling them in like crazy, so they fished for a long time.  We finally went to dinner and found a place outside on the water; I wanted to eat outside, but we quickly regretted that as we froze.  We even went to Walmart after dinner to get sweats and sweatshirts because we feared we'd freeze at the park.  The next day, we got to go in an hour early since we stayed on the property.  We quickly realized it wouldn't be cold, but it really wasn't hot.  We started off by riding the Magnum; we didn't have to wait at all.  That ride wasn't as fun as I once remembered, and Landon didn't enjoy it, and I thought he would then refuse to ride anymore, but he surprised us all and himself when he rode every coaster at Cedar Point.  Levi rode them all but one.  We had a great time.  Though I am a beach bum, I really think this was one of my favorite vacations:  I enjoyed spending the entire day together.  We waited in lines together- though none of them were very long.  We just got to spend a lot of time together.  It was just a great day; a long day 9:00am-10pm, but it was the best.  

Then the next day, I really wasn't ready to go home: I craved more family time together, so Phillip agreed to go to Putt in Bay: I remembered going in high school with the youth group, and I loved it, so we ventured there.  Until we arrived at the boat dock, I hadn't remembered getting there by ferry.  Taking the ferry over was fun though and we rented a golf cart and just toured the island.  We at lunch on the water and listened to live music: It felt like we were at the beach.  We all loved Lake Erie and agreed we would all go back.  We left the island that evening and drove part of the way home and got a hotel.  Levi swam in the pool and we ate pizza.  Sometimes the best trips are the unplanned spur of moment fly by the seat of your pants trips.  

 

Lofton's 18th Birthday

When I was pregnant with Lofton, I read on a friend's blog that "The days are long but the years are short."  I've always realized the truth behind this statement, but this year, its truth hit me hard.  It is hard to fathom that Lofton is 18.  I recently put all of our old home movies on DVD, and I've been watching them, and oh how I wish I could relive some of those sweet days.  When Lofton was little, he loved to be outside.  He loved to go to the creek.  He loved to go to the park.  We spent our days outside.  He still appreciates and loves the outdoors. This summer, he's spent a lot of time fishing and golfing.  

He started playing sports when he was about 3; he played baseball, soccer, and basketball as a little guy.  Now, football and wrestling are his passions.  I LOVE to watch him do both.  

Lofton is a great kid.  He loves the Lord and is kind to others.  When he was little, he had a heart for others.  He has always been compassionate, and he still is today.  He is great with little kids; they love being around him because he values them and pays attention to them.  

When Lofton was little, he couldn't wait until his birthday party.  We had some great themes for his parties:  Bob the Builder, Karate, Super Heroes.  Now, however, Lofton doesn't like the attention.  As much as I wanted to have him a party, I realized that it was more for me and not what he truly wanted.  So, we just took him and Caroline to eat Japanese and icecream, and then when the Griffins got back in town, we went to eat Mexican with them and Will Sawyer, and they came over and played corn hole- which we played quite a bit this summer. 

I hope that the days and year ahead go slowly.  I want to soak it all up.  I can't believe he is about to be a senior.  I am so happy that I didn't start him in kindergarten until he was six because I have another year with him:  I just hope the year doesn't fly by.