Ben's Birthday!

A while ago, we celebrated Ben’s birthday! As usual, we were told that we were going on a surprise birthday trip the day of his birthday. This time, we went to. . .

. . .the Michigan Historical Center in Lansing!

We were able to tour a small portion of a re-created mine. It was quite fascinating! Copper mining used to be a big industry in Michigan.

We were also able to tour a model of a Victorian Era home at the Historical Center.

This was a neat topographical map of Michigan. Michigan really isn’t as hilly as it looks on this map; I believe the highest point is only about 1900 feet!

This is a 1950’s style kitchen. You can tell by the pink appliances. J

Since Ben is so fond of 3-part birthday trips, we visited the Michigan State Capitol next! It was quite beautiful and brought back memories of our trip to Washington D.C. last year.

All of us on the stairs to the Capitol building.

We love it when we find evidence of our forefathers’ faith in Christ! We took a picture next to “In God We Trust” on the Capitol wall.

The dome is so beautiful and dizzying! The architecture of the building is phenomenal!

The floor is made out of limestone and marble. In the limestone, you can see marine fossils! Pretty amazing!

This is the room where the Michigan House of Representatives meets. It was funny to see how some of the representatives like to decorate their desks. We saw everything from candy dispensers to Mr. Potato Heads! J

All of us kids in the overlook in the Senate room.

This is the Senate room.

The third part of the trip was a stop at Clara’s Lansing Station Restaurant! This restaurant used to be a train station. Now it has been converted into a wonderful eatery!

We were able to eat in the train car!

I enjoyed some delicious French Onion soup to start my meal.

Next I had Fettuccini Alfredo with grilled shrimp. I also had a mozzarella-filled breadstick. After sampling my parents’ dish, I wished I had gotten the lasagna. Still, it was all so tasty!

For dessert, we enjoyed a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, made per Ben’s request. It was delicious.

Then he opened his presents. This picture turned out funny; he was juggling the balls and I snapped it just as one passed over his head!

And that was his birthday in a nutshell! We are so blessed to have Ben in our family. He is quickly turning into a young man, as we have been reminded with the passing of his birthday. We love you, Ben, and look forward to celebrating many more birthdays with you!