The last two weeks have been a little crazy and a lot of fun in our household. My sister and nieces came to visit us for 10 days starting July 2.... 10 days of fun, adventures, heat and humidity. I think that we have finally recovered from all the fun. Owen has done well adjusting to life with just his parent again... today was the first day he didn't wake up wanting to sneak attack the girls.
Our adventure started by picking up Amy, Madeline and Meredith in Chicago on July 2. Owen was so excited to see his cousins. I love seeing him run up to our visitors at the airport and give them big hugs. He has such a special relationship with Madeline and "MerMer", the time and distance away hasn't changed it a bit.
So excited to see MerMer!
They are finally here!
Tuesday the girls were treated to an Owen special... an early morning sneak attack! Little did they know that would be their alarm clock for the next 2 weeks. We had a relaxing day at the house, one of the only days without multiple adventures. Owen was able to show them all his toys and take them to the first of many trips to the pool in the afternoon. That evening Amy, the girls and I went to the Sheboygan river to watch the annual Venetian Boat Parade sponsored by the local Yacht Club. We were debating between the boat parade and a moving in Ravine Park. I am so glad we decided to go with the parade. Brian and Owen stayed at home since it didn't start until dark and I regret not having them come. All the boats were decorated in patriotic lights and paraded up and down the river. It was such a neat experience and will be added to our annual 4th of July festivities! Unfortunately, Tuesday was the start of the excessive heat warning. Little did we know what we were in for....
Sneak Attack! The girls alarm clock!
Sneak....
Attack!!!!
Venetian Boat Parade held every July 3rd.
The 4th of July was the most unbearable day of their visit due to the heat and humidity. Due to the US Women's Open, Kohler didn't have a 4th of July Parade so we went into Sheboygan to watch theirs. It started at 9:00 a.m., but even then the heat was unreal... We only stayed for a little over half because it was so miserable. The farmers market was open so we stopped and bought some homemade ice cream on the way to the car, a little treat/break from the heat. The rest of the day we spent in the comfort of air conditioning. We did venture out to Kohler's Annual Sousa Concert and Fireworks in Ravine Park. It featured special guest John Philip Sousa IV who narrated the history of the music in between songs. The fireworks were great and it was fun to have patriot music playing while watching them. The only thing that would have made it better is if the heat and humidity broke....
Ready for the parade!
Watching the parade
At Ravine Park for the concert and fireworks.
Festivities at Ravine Park.
Thursday was another low key day for us as we were trying to recover from the 4th. It was still very hot and humid and none of us were dealing well with it. That evening the girls decided to try playing tennis. Needless to say, they will not be going to college on a tennis scholarship! That night we decided to make smores. This was a first for Owen and still still asks for "sticky graham crackers."
Mer's hair kept growing bigger and bigger in the humidity!
Sticky graham crackers! Yum!
Friday we decided to try and get some relief from the heat and went to Fireman's Park at Elkhart Lake. Imagine a cross between Dirty Dancing, Gidget (if she was on a lake instead of the ocean) and the original Parent Trap. Elkhart Lake is a fun little lake with a wonderful public beach. We spent most of the day playing in the lake and cooling off. That night Kohler had a street fair called Fairway Festival. It was located at the shops of Woodlake so we walked to the event. They had food, beer/wine, a children's carnival and a live band. The kids had a lot of fun playing the games. I felt a little like the no fun police because I made Madeline and Meredith return the two goldfish they won. The last thing we need in this house is two more creatures to care for!
Elkhart Lake before the crowds of people showed up.
Relaxing after lunch
Of course Kohler had toilet related games at the carnival.... toss the roll of TP into the toilet!
Dinosaur dig for Owen
On Saturday, Amy and the girls drove down to Waterford to visit some of our extended family. Owen and I were planning on going but the heat and humidity caught up with me and I decided to stay home to rest. They had a great visit and I wish we could have made it. Thankfully the excessive heat advisory had expired and we were closer to normal temperatures on Saturday.
2nd and 3rd Cousins together. Amy had not seen Brenda or Kim in 20 years.
On Sunday we went to church together, then Brian and I went to see to US Women's Open and Amy and the kids went on an adventure to Lake Michigan. Brian was given tickets to the golf tournament by Kohler and it was a fun experience. We had Skybox passes and I don't think I will ever watch a tournament any other way. Free food/drink, shade, comfortable seating and a breeze created by fans is the only way to go. We did walk a few holes just to get the experience. Unfortunately our timing was off and we didn't get to see any of the big names. After a few hours in the sun I was ready to go home and rest again. Camera's are not allowed at the golf tournament so no pictures of it... Amy and the kids had a great adventure at Lake Michigan, playing on the beach and walking out to the light house. I wish I could have been in both places at once, but it was wonderful for Brian and I to have a "date" together.
Amy and the kids at the lighthouse.
Monday brought another big adventure, this time we went down to the Milwaukee Zoo. They had a new dinosaur exhibit that Owen loved, we had to go through it twice. Other favorites included the giraffes, orangoutangs, seals, flamingos and warthogs. Much to Owen's disappointment we did not see any zoo poo, but I think the dinosaurs made up for it.
Petting the baby dinosaur.
Owen got brave the 2nd round and was willing to put his hand in the mouth.
On Tuesday I had a doctors appointment, Amy was able to come with me and the girls stayed behind with Owen. It was nice to have another family member meet my doctor and sharing the joy of hearing the heartbeat. That is one of the best sounds in the world and it was fun to share it with my sister. Later that morning we went shopping at the Shops at Woodlake, toured the Design Center and had lunch at the American Club. The girls thought the Numi demonstration was hilarious and enjoyed picking out their favorite bathrooms in the Design Center. Lunch at the Horse and Plow was yummy. We were able to check off tasting a Wisconsin delicacy while we were there, Fried Cheese Curds. I think the girls would prefer mozzarella sticks but they did enjoy them. Amy thinks they taste like a grilled cheese made on sourdough.
Skyping with Grammy and Grandpa. M&M were dying to see what it was like from our point of view.
At the design center... the wall of china is behind them. :) Owen is still not sure about sitting on the toilet.
Walking back from lunch...think he loves his cousins?
Farmer's Market
The girls 1st farmer's market purchase. Raspberries... :)
A favorite exhibit at the Children's Museum. It was hard to pull them away from this one.
The closest thing anyone will get of a belly shot...
Thursday we spent the day at Elkhart Lake again. It was very relaxing and a little less crazy than our last visit. The shore has a very gradual slope so it is perfect to take Owen to. It was a perfect last day in Wisconsin!
Owen and Mer looking at pictures we took during their trip. Do you think he likes her?
County Road PP
We had such a wonderful visit with Amy and the girls. I hope that we were able to give them a good taste of Wisconsin.... I know we seemed to eat our way through their vacation! Sampling Culver's frozen custard, Cravery Chocolate, Brats and Fried Cheese Curds were a must! It was so nice to have them experience what our life is like out here. It went by way to fast and I hope that they can come visit us again next summer!
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