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.

Bix Weekend

Sarah, Greg, and Jeff joined me in the Bix7 this year. The rain kept us cool and we all had a good run. I was a minute slower than last year, 1:02, so now I'm determined that next year I'll do it in under an hour...mark my words! Afterwards we had lunch and then went boating with Brian and Keith. The river was stirred up and full of debris from a broken dam upriver and earlier storms, so we could only chug along. It was actually very relaxing and we had good conversations. Then we toured the college Sarah and I went to, Augie. We finished up our day with dinner at the Blue Cat Brew Pub, a favorite college hangout, and then enjoyed a beautiful sunset. Wow, I can't believe we did all that in 1 day!

We all missed Charity, but Jeff missed her the most. He had to share the romantic sunset with her over the phone.

Season's Passes and VBS

My parents gave us passes to Great America. It's only 5 minutes from their house so we are trying to go at least once/month. So far I've taken the kids 3 times. They actually have a lot for young kids and it's so fun.

Brian and Jadon rode the new "Little Dipper" rollercoaster. Two thumbs way up!
The highlight this time was playing in "Wiggle World", especially on the splashpad. They would run superfast through it and get shot randomly with water, like a water warzone. It was quite entertaining to watch.

We left at 3:00 and Leah outlasted Jadon. Jadon fell asleep in Brian's arms on the way out.

This week the fun continued with Vacation Bible School at our church. I forgot my camera :( Jadon and Leah both loved it. It was a superhero theme and the kids learned about how Jesus is our hero and about different heroic figures from the Bible. They also did games, crafts, had fun snacks, watched skits, and participated in the singing. There was a superdog mascot walking around all week and Leah had a fearful fascination with him. She talks a lot now, sharing more about her experiences than Jadon at times. She could not stop talking about that dog. There was a highschool boy that helped with Jadon's group, Mr. Joel, who Jadon latched onto. A lot of teens helped out this week and I was impressed with how good they were with the younger kids. Jadon's still a little shy in these situations, but he takes a lot in and has fun, which is how I was as a child. I'm so thankful that my children are having such positive church experiences and that we're in a place that has a lot for them. I helped out this week in the craft room and it did cause me to miss teaching art and being in the classroom. I liked interacting with the kids and buzzing around a classroom.

The Wilderness 2010

We took our 2nd annual trip to the Dells with the Jones family this past weekend. We stayed in a retreat cabin at the Wilderness and had a blast once again. One of Leah's favorite things was to wear the swim tube and swim "all by herself". She loved jumping in the pool, climbing out, and jumping in again...over and over. She also liked the baby waterslides and would do those repeatedly. At first she was afraid of the big buckets that would dump water every 5 minutes, but then she became fascinated and would stop everything to watch them.

Jadon liked the toddler slides this year. He especially enjoyed bringing water toys up, sending them down the slides, and following after them. He loved going down the bigger slides on a double tube with Brian. He also liked spraying people with the big water guns and swimming independently with his float belt.

We had fun hanging out with Brian's whole family and enjoyed good meals together. It was over much too fast and we already look forward to going back!

Bettendorf Family Museum

A while back, Anita, Lori, Brenda, and I took our kids to the Bettendorf Family Museum. We mainly wanted to see the dinosaur exhibit. It was very lifelike, so both Jadon and Leah were a little scared and didn't want to get too close. They liked the market, silly mirrors, and outdoor water tables the best. We had a nice picnic and enjoyed a special day together.

Chicago with Jeff and Charity

Deb watched the kids while Brian and I went into Chi-town with Jeff and Charity. On Saturday we shopped Michigan Avenue and then had dinner at Lou Malnati's. We sat outside and enjoyed Chicago-style deep dish pizza. Then we headed over to Navy Pier and rode the Ferris Wheel. The views were incredible. On Sunday we enjoyed another good meal at P.F. Chang's before heading home. It was a nice get-away and we always love spending time with Jeff and Charity.