We took our kids on a family vacation this 4th of July.. first my husbands side, then mine. Two full weeks of family, travel, sites. Sadly, so many of us are now far away from our immediate family. Grandparents, parents, brothers and sisters are hours and sometimes days away. So, it was GREAT to get quality and quantity time this summer. One of the highlights was sharing where I had grown up with my kids.. "that's the house I (your mom) grew up in", "here is the house your Great Grandmother grew up in". (and weathered the Great Depression) Here is where we fished, swam, made forts.. and played all day until dinner time, outside.. no worries, no fears. A simpler time. Now THERE is a whole other subject line....

But, my favorite part of the trip was sharing the power and beauty of Niagara Falls. Until the age of 22.. it was within 45 min. of me and I only remember seeing it in person twice in that time. My four year old Max was intimidated by the sound of the rushing water.. (his five year old cousin didn't seem to care) but I know he will look back at the pictures of himself standing at the railing looking at the Falls... next to the pond where his mom swam and fished.. next to the house where his Great Grandmother grew up ... and carry a piece of our family's history and where he came from.. and feel a connection.
"Our heritage and ideals, our codes and standards - the things we live by and teach our children - are preserved or diminished by how freely we exchange ideas and feelings." -Walt Disney
I hope you've enjoyed your summer vacation.. and shared a little family history.

Ginny