Every summer growing up, my mom and I went and visited her side of the family in Ohio for a week or so. My aunt and uncle have a lake house so we’d always spend a couple days out there and made some of the best memories there! Even though I’m the first person to describe myself as “indoors-y,” I loved doing this every summer and for eleven years now have been talking about getting Jeff out there. FINALLY we made it happen! And we got to introduce Arlo to it all at the same time!
We spent the days on the boat, jet-skiing, playing cornhole, playing Catch Phrase, eating my Aunt’s famous monkey bread, and riding the golf cart. Over, and over. Even if Jeff tried to kill me on it and there were 4,000 spiders crawling around our feet. Haha! We had such a blast and Arlo loved every second. It’s so cool to introduce your kids to something from your own childhood! Here’s a few pics from our trip.
One day for lunch, we ventured to a bakery that had the BEST pretzel bread sandwiches. OMG. It was so good. There were also horses, so Arlo was basically in heaven with that pairing. That’s him with my dad up there!
Though this photo doesn’t show it, I swear he really did love the jet ski. Haha!
And! Arlo got to experience his very first July Fourth parade!! I LOVE a small town parade. He loved it too.
Photos by Jeff Mindell
Arlo’s Blush Water Shoes | Arlo’s Bathing Suit | Arlo’s Plaid Shorts
Jeff’s Swim Trunks | My Red-Orange Bow Sandals
Arlo is so much more adventurous than I was as a kid. We took him on the jet ski and on the tube and he was totally cool with it. I’m still to this day scared when I go on both of those! Haha! Luckily my uncle promised not to flip us this time. 😉
Did any of you grow up with summer trip “traditions” like this? As nice as it is to see new places, there’s something so nice about visiting the same place every year.
p.s. A few of you let us know that there’s been some concern about the style of life jacket that Arlo is wearing (with the pillow). Thank you! We weren’t aware. We ended up swapping his jacket for our second day on the water but I know it still shows in a lot of these photos so wanted to mention.
Mia S says
Ahhhh I loved watching the updates on Instagram and I love these just as much! Arlo’s lack of smile in most of these pictures is making me laugh so much!
As for small town parades, I totally agree! They’re just so much more fun. While I’ve always lived in a large city, my mom is from Omaha but my grandparents lived right near the edge by a small town, so we went and watched their parades when we were up there! My dad’s parents lived in an even smaller town in Michigan, so we actually went over to the next one to watch their parades! Such a good time 🙂
Holly says
I feel the same way when you said how it’s cool to introduce your kids to something from your childhood! When I have kids I hope to expose them to various pieces of where I grew up, as well as what I liked to do.
I actually did grow up with a summer tradition a little similar. My aunt has a house in Arizona. My family and I would visit her during the summer and spend some time at the river. I would always have such a fun time. Hopefully she will still have the house so that I can take my kids there one day! 😊💕
the impossible quiz says
great, thank you for sharing information
Clan Names Generator says
I like the style and style of her is young and dynamic.