Emma had a great time on our trip to the mountains! We spent a week in Canaan Valley, West Virginia, where Todd and I have gone skiing for years. Two years ago, we introduced my family and Karen to our beautiful retreat with a summer trip when Emma was just 10 months old. On that visit, we stayed in a cabin at the state park. Although it was nice, we hunted around and found a slopeside vacation house to rent. Dubbed "The Tree Haus," (a name which Emma quickly began to use), it was actually a beautiful home with large windows looking onto the slopes, which are more of a meadow in the summer months. With 5 bedrooms, 3 TVs, and a hot tub, we were hardly "roughing it!"
More importantly, though, was the opportunity to spend quality time with family. Many of our visits with family members feel rushed when we only have a day together, so it was a rare treat to get to spend the week together. Grandma Karen rode down with us (a 4 1/2 hour drive), while Great Aunt Linda and Grandma Coe met us down there on our first day. Two evenings later, Gramma and Papa Isch and Aunt Kristen joined us (Kristen finally able to get away at the tail end of her move with Jason to a new apartment). Finally, Kristen's boyfriend, Eric, came for a couple of nights at the end of our stay. Notice Uncle Jason wasn't able to come...work obligations and the move made it virtually impossible for him to break away. Hopefully we took enough pictures to help you feel like you went with us in spirit, Uncle Jay!!!
It would be impossible to tell everything we did on the trip, but here are the highlights:
Emma enjoyed two trips to the horse stables, where she was able to see many different animals at the petting zoo as well as to experience two horseback rides!
We all enjoyed an outdoor concert put on by the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra. Although Emma had to go back to the house for a nap halfway through, she enjoyed the patriotic music!
We saw a beautiful fireworks display in a nearby town. The traffic jam afterwards was worse than any "Big" town fireworks display we'd ever seen, so thank goodness for the DVD player!
At the Wind Fest held at Canaan Valley State Park on the 4th, we got to see an 80 foot long kite fly, and Emma even got to decorate and fly her own kite (with a little help).
Emma rode on the chairlift, which runs on weekends during the summer for scenic rides. Although it was her first time, she loved it and the height didn't bother her at all!
We spent a couple afternoons at the outdoor pool, which had a view more beautiful than any beach scene!
On our last evening together, we had a marshmallow roast around a campfire at the state park lodge, although Emma preferred plain graham crackers to s'mores (which was just fine with Mom). Several deer walked by us, and a fox crept out of the woods and down the hill no more than 30 feet away!
Emma really enjoyed herself throughout the whole trip, and she never once asked when we were going to go home...she even started calling "The Tree Haus" "home"...literally!!! She's right...it really felt like a second home!
