Whiteside County Fair '10

Leah misses her dad while he rides the bumper cars with Jadon.

Last Thursday Brian and I took the kids to the fair. This year we got them wristbands so they could go on the carnival rides unlimited 'til 6pm. They loved it. Some of their favorites were the maze house, the giant slide, and bumper cars...which they did over and over. We also did a cake walk, ate lots of fair food, watched horse barrel races, and walked through the barns and stables to see all the animals.

Kylie's 5th Birthday

We had fun celebrating Kylie's birthday at Jungle Bungle. We've never seen our children so wound up; they had a blast! They climbed, played in the balls, ate pizza and cake, and played in the arcade. They get along so well with their cousins.

Donovan Reunion

On Saturday we went to my Aunt Sue's house in Dubuque, IA for a family reunion. There were a lot of distant relatives there that I had never met before, but it was neat to see a living family tree. My grandma is 1 of 5 children and the only one still living. Basically, this first picture shows her (in the middle) with her siblings' spouses. The next picture shows many of her children, nieces, and nephews. Sue and Les organized a golf outing and handed out gag prizes. They had games for the kids and a buffet lunch for everyone. It was nice touching base with extended family.

Black Eyed Peas

I surprised Brian with tickets to a Black Eyed Peas concert for our anniversary. We went to see them this past Friday night at the Allstate Arena just outside Chicago. T Pain opened for them (just OK), but the B.E.P.'s concert was awesome. We had really good seats, up high, but looking right down on the stage. The 4 singers rose up from the floor and opened with "Let's Get it Started" and we were on our feet dancing the whole time. It was a futuristic themed show and the videos, costumes, and special effects were so cool. There was a motorcycle ridden over the crowd and a DJ booth at the end of the catwalk that raised up high. They finished with "Boom Boom Pow" and "I Gotta Feeling". Confetti poured down on the floor as the sang "tonight's gonna be a good night...goodnight". Brian and I had a great time!

Sprinkler

Brecken and Micah came over last week for a little playdate and the kids had so much fun running through the sprinkler. I won't be babysitting them this year, but hope to have them over to play often.

Minocqua '10-1

We made our 3rd annual trip up to the North Woods, Minocqua, WI. In years past, my parents have gone with us, but this year it was just me, Brian, and the kids. We had fun, relaxing family time and enjoyed outdoor activities all week. It was warmer than last year and the kids swam a lot, several times a day. There were lots of other kids at the resort who they enjoyed playing with all week. We went to the waterski show and also took them for pony and go kart rides.

Leah felt more comfortable on the pony statue than the real pony.

Minocqua '10-2

The chipmunks are well fell and friendly at Driftwood Lodge. Our dining table ran along the big front window of our cabin, so usually during dinner time, we would set food out for our chipmunk, Burdock, and watch him eat as we ate. We did more animal feeding and watching at Wildwood Wildlife Park.

Minocqua '10-3

We didn't rent a fishing boat this year. Instead we tried fishing off the dock, but the kids had no patience for it, and I didn't get many bites. Jadon was itching to ride a "speedboat" though, so when one of the men offered to let us borrow his fishing boat, we accepted. Leah was lulled to sleep, but Jadon got a thrill out of driving it. Afterwards we went to Marty's Place North, an old family favorite, for a nice steak dinner to celebrate our 9th Anniversary.

Leah is now very attached to her baby, it goes everywhere with her. At the resort, she enjoyed pushing baby all around and everyone thought it was so cute.

Minocqua '10-4

We spent a lot of time down on the beach. This year, Brian and I made a big sandcastle and suburb area while the kids watched, wrapped up in their beach towels. They helped us fill the moats. We got along well with all the families staying at the resort. On the last night, we went to the Black Bear Pub with one of these families. We sat outside and the kids played while the adults talked. This last picture was taken right after we checked out. We were sad to leave, but look forward to going back again next year. All the same families rebooked, so we will see them again next summer.