Ohio - Part 4 (Farm Park)

Thursday: Today was our visit to the Farm Park.  I got to milk a cow today, pet some really big horses, and walk through a corn maze.  The corn maze had a bunch of different questions posted throughout and you had to answer correctly to know which way to turn.  We mostly had some really easy questions but there was one that Caleb had to answer for us.  He's really into dinosaurs and we came up to a question that asked us during which time period did the Tyrannosaurus Rex live A) Jurassic Period B) Crestatious Period  Caleb shouted out Crestatious when Eva and I were pretty sure it was Jurassic.  Sure enough, that little boy Caleb knows exactly what he's talking about when it comes to dinosaurs.  What a little smarty pants.  Baylee loved seeing the different types of animals on the farm, she liked the pigs the best but I think that's because there were cute piglets right up by the bars for her to touch.  She disliked the sheep the most but I think that's because they were bleating very loudly.  There were some little short ones that she sat in her seat and looked at but there was another pen where there were some very big and tall sheep that had very loud and very deep BAAA's...she wanted nothing to do with them.  I was holding her at that point and she was trying to crawl over my shoulder to get away from them.

Baylee wasn't to fond of the sheep.  They were loud and a bit nosey.

She really liked the little piglets.

MOOOO!

Baylee loved this cow.  She thought it was so neat and kept smiling at it.

YO.  Yeah, that's right.  I'm the one that ran LeBron James out of Cleveland.

This is Bella the cow.  Caleb and I got to try milking her before they hooked her up to the claw.  They milk her every morning and every evening and she gives about 4-5 gallons of milk at every milking.

Baylee smiling at the cows.

Getting lost in the Corn Maze

Here is one beautiful little baby. 

Here's me exposing my best side while getting a lesson on how to milk a cow.

Ohio - Part 3

Wednesday: Today we went to Kirtland, Ohio.  We took the LDS tour of the Whitney home, store, and the sawmill that my great-great-great uncle Joel Johnson built.  For those of you who recall, he's also the one the wrote the hymn "High on the Mountain Top".  I took some pictures of the little community that used to be near the Whitney store and where Joseph and Emma Smith lived for a short time.  I also was able to take the Community Church aka RLDS tour through the Kirtland Temple.  It was such a neat experience to see and sit in this temple.

First brick building in Kirland, Ohio

Joel Johnson's saw mill.  He was a big help supply wise to the building of the Kirtland temple.

the water wheel can work in as much as 2 inches of water.

Eva and Caleb are standing in front of the river where baptisms used to take place.  The river is pretty low but is said to fill up very quickly whenever it rains.

Caleb doing his funny pose in front of the school house.

the temple is having some restoration done to it right now.

I look a little confused.  Anyways....this is Eva and Clayton's back yard.

Ohio - Part 2 (lots of pictures)

Monday: Eva, Quinton, Baylee, and I drove out to Amish country today.  The drive was through the countryside and very beautiful.  We saw where the Amish people lived andh their knickers hanging out on their lines, and they were driving their horse drawn buggies down the side of the roads.  We visited the general store where they sale their flour, ice-cream, candy, and so many other things home made.  Then we all headed back to Cleveland to make it in time for the air show.  That was super impressive to watch.  I'd like to look up when one will be in Mesa next and take the family to see it.  The jets were loud but completely worth it.  Baylee wasn't bothered by the noise a bit but I think that's because her screams have just about the same effect on the ears.  After the air show ended we dog piled back into the car, oh yeah...I forgot to tell you about that.  Eva and Clayton's car is a 5 seater but there's 6 of us so Eva sat on my lap as we drove to the park where we watched the air show.  We stopped for dinner where I ate my very first spaghetti-chili dish for dinner...its an Ohio thing apparently to mix your spaghetti and chili together.  Then we stopped at the "nice" Wal-mart to pick up some baby formula and a few other things.  I wish I had thought to get out my camera phone and start snapping photos for the peopleofwalmart.com.  Holy cow people!!!  What on earth are you thinking when you step out of your home wearing...that?!?!  And the lady driving her cart mobile but has a belt dragging a stoller behind her...that was the winner.

I can't get over how green it is out here.  Whenever we drive under these canopy of trees I'm amazed. 

 I felt like such a dork snapping this photo....but obviously not dorky enough because I still did it.

ME: Eva, do you think that guy noticed I took a picture of him?
EVA: Yes Emily, I'm pretty sure he saw you.
ME: How embarrassin...

I

Tuesday: We went to the beach at Lake Eerie.  It was sooo nice.  I actually enjoyed it more than the California beach trips we've taken the last few years.  No sea weed, no crowds, no trash...no sharks, just really big bass.  We could wade in for a long ways out and the sandy bottom felt so great on the feet.  The sand was very soft and cushion-y.  Baylee didn't like it at first but then she discovered how much fun it was.  It took her just a little bit to get used to the water and then she was crawling around in the low wakes.  Eva made home made pizza for dinner tonight and it looks way yummy.  She and Clayton went to a Parent/Teacher meeting for Caleb's pre-school so I took the pizzas out of the ovens for us.  They better hurry home or their not going to get any!  Just kidding Eva...but really.     

Look at how cute this house is.  When you walk in the front door you walk into a mud room and then into Eva and Clayton's house.

Baylee with her Auntie Eva and cousins

Holy Knee Caps!

Here's Duke.  He's starting to look a little gray isn't he?

Baylee wasn't sure how she felt about the beach in the beginning.

"But it's dirty!"

Baylee never wore this swim suit.  It's size 12 months and you would think it would stretch enough to fit a 10 month old.  We were sqeezing Baylee as much as we could into this swimsuit.  There were some major wedgies...poor Baylee.

Quinton doesn't need toys to play with.  He plays with the soda boxes quite often and loves it.

Ohio - Part 1

Wednesday: Flew into Ohio.  It took from 8:00 am until 8:30 pm when my sister Eva picked me and Baylee up from the airport.  We did some visiting and I took a quick tour of their house...including the scary basement with an even scarier room in the basement whom no one wants to go into.  But the house is so cute!  Duke was excited to have a visitor too.

Thursday: In the morning, Eva drove me to her garden plot where we picked jalapenos, okra, banana peppers, bell peppers, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, egg plant, and a couple other things from her garden.  Then in the evening, Eva took me to where she works and we took a cookie decorating class which was really fun.  It's very obvious I should not go into the cookie baking/decorating business.  I got to keep a memorative apron from our class together.  Then we walked around the shops and I was introduced to a shop called Charming Charlies...way awesome!  I picked me out some jewelry that matches a couple of my Sunday dresses.  It's a jewelry store that's organized into sections of different colors and they have coordinating purses, hair bands, and some clothing.  An affordable jewelry shop but be careful because it's easy to lose self control in a place like that.

Friday: Met up with some sisters from the ward and other friends of Eva's at the Lake view Cemetery.  It's a HUGE cemetery that's been made into a beautiful park with lakes, walking paths, some amazing landscaping, decorative architecture and mausoleums.  We saw a few gravesides that belonged to famous people, walked underneath  trees that were 150-200+ years old.  They were enormous and when it started to rain we would stay under the shade of the trees and stay dry.

Saturday: Woke up early to go to the Columbus, Ohio temple about 2 1/2 hours away.  We came upon an accident involving a semi and were stuck in traffic for a long time.  We were late to the temple but were able to do some sealings before we had to leave.  The temple looks a lot like the new Gila Valley temple in Thatcher.  It's approximately the same size with a shorter steeple.  For a late lunch/early dinner we went to the Ohio North Market where we chose our own food vendors to buy food from.  I got a waffle for Baylee and a banana/nutella crepe for myself.  We made it home and started to watch the movie Fletcher, but I fell asleep and didn't even get half way through it.  I'm still on Arizona time I think.

Sunday: Went to church and reaffirmed for myself that the church is true and exactly the same anywhere you go.  I enjoyed the fast and testimony meeting and met some of the people in Eva's ward.  When we got home we made dinner and cleaned up.  Eva and Clayton made pot roast, home made mashed potatoes and a vegetable medley from the things we picked from Eva's garden.  It was delicious of course.  Eva showed me (again) how to make creme brulee.  Maybe I'll be brave enough to make it again when I get home.  I taught Eva and Clayton how to play the game "Kill Dr. Lucky".  Clayton won twice tonight.  Eva and Clayton invited their next door neighbors over for dinner and to play Kill Dr. Lucky with us.  That game lasted for 2 hours before Clayton won for his 2nd time.