Wisconsin Summer Visit

We just returned from a week with our family in Wisconsin. It was such a great week; it flew by so fast! Our first order of business was of course to get some of that delicious Wisconsin frozen custard. We stopped for some on our way home from the airport. I think we must have had frozen custard almost every single day we were there. With no naps that day, the kids went to bed early and slept late the next morning. Once we were all up, we went for a swim in the pool. Trip and Mady are really getting better each time we go swim. By the end of the week, Trip was jumping off the diving board, going of the slide and diving for toys all by himself. It was great to see him enjoy the water and have no fear! Mady even went off the diving board and down the slide a few times, with swimmies and adult assistance of course. Sunday afternoon we went to a church picnic hosted by the church TJ grew up attending. TJ has very fond memories of this annual event and he has wanted to go back ever since Trip was born. There was a little train for the kids to ride on, lots of games, and prizes. Although, our kids enjoyed the playground most of all! On Monday, a bunch of TJ's family came over to visit and swim and have lunch. It always blows me away how fast a group of family can end up over at Tom and Patty's, especially when TJ is back in town. Tuesday we visited Tom's company and showed off the kids. Uncle Dan took Trip and TJ on a tour of the plant and Trip thought it was great. He looked so cute in his big safety glasses and hair net. That evening we took the kids to a little town called Black Earth. They were having an outdoor concert. So, we packed up some sandwiches for a picnic dinner and sat outside and listened to some great oldies. Once again, our children found a playground and spent most of their time there. That night, Tom and Patty handled bed time and TJ and I went down to Madison and sat outside and had some drinks. We walked around the lake and listened to music down at the Union. It was the perfect night! On Wednesday, Uncle Dan and Aunt Jenny treated us to a tour of their local fire station. The kids learned all about fire safety and what it's like to ride in an ambulance. They took turns riding on the gurney and Trip got to try out the lights and sirens on the big fire truck. Their favorite part, though, was the pet turtles the firemen had in their living quarters. Figures! :-) We went to lunch at this sensory-overload restaurant called Ella's Deli. They had all kinds of toys all over, especially on the ceiling and even a carousel to ride. That night, some of TJ's friends and their kids came over to swim. It's always so nice to catch up with TJ's friends from high school and college. We all have kids about the same age, so it's fun to get them all together. Thursday mornings, Patty usually hosts all the little ones in the family for a swim day, but it turned out to be a yucky, rainy day. So, everyone just came over for lunch instead. The kids had fun playing and didn't even notice that they didn't go swimming. We had dinner with TJ's cousin, Amy, and her family. Her daughter, Ava, and Trip get along really well. It turned out to be an awful night out, weather-wise. There were tornado warnings and crazy storms, but the kids didn't seem to notice at all. Friday was the busiest day as we helped Patty get ready to host what was supposed to be a post-baby shower for Dan and Jenny. However, the baby decided to stay put a little longer, so we never got to meet her, but we had the party anyway. TJ comes from a huge family, and they all made their way over to Tom and Patty's on Friday. The kids swam, we grilled out and it was so great to have everyone in one place to catch up. It was a busy, but very relaxing week. Thank you to all of our Wisconsin family, especially Tom and Patty, for a wonderful week! We are looking forward to seeing everyone, especially our new niece, when we return at Thanksgiving! (Since I first starting writing this, we recieved good news, congratulations to Dan and Jenny on the newest member of their family, Frances Rosemary Kuehn...your timing is a little off, but we'll work on that, ha ha!)