We were in Wausau for a friend's wedding reception the other weekend and it happened to be the weekend of the Wisconsin Valley Fair. And it happened to be the 16th anniversary of Brian and I having our first date... at the fair. So we had to go! We took my mom and we met Jen and Andy and Zack and Kyiah and we had a rip-roarin' good time. Henry got super cozy with the cows. (This was a steer my cousin's friend was showing. We didn't just let him lay on any random cow.)
We told the kids they could choose ONE ride to try out and they all wanted to ride the cars. So to the cars it was!
And then, in a spur of the moment burst of cuteness, all of the kids climbed up on a tractor - and smiled - at the same time! What a bunch of sweetness!
A few days later we had a visit from Grandma Sara and Grandpa Steve. We played and read books and then we took them to our favorite secret spot. Hugelheim Nature Preserve. We walked the paths, ran across bridges, threw sticks and pebbles into the water, looked for tadpoles, and discovered waterfalls. We're glad we could share this spot with them.
That very same day we had a visit from Oma and Papa. We played some more, read some more, and the boys went fishing. After dinner we all took at walk along the Mississippi at Riverside Park.
Then, just when you thought nothing more could happen, we went to CHICAGO for the weekend. Some friends of ours are moving overseas soon and we wanted to see them before they were gone. We had a fun time with them with good conversation and yummy food.
After brunch we caught up with Paul and Molly. As luck would have it, Matt and Becky were in town too! We all did a little shopping and took the train into downtown.
We walked to Millenium Park and on the way posed with the lions outside the Art Institute. From here Matt and Becky had to say farewell to catch their flight home. The rest of us carried on exploring Michigan Avenue.
We grabbed dinner from Wow Bao (my birthday wish come true!) and took it to a playground to eat. After the boys got in some run around time we took the train back to Paul's place where we said our good-byes.
We started Sunday off with a quick swim in the hotel pool and then we were off to the Chicago Botanic Garden (another birthday wish come true!). We walked through the gardens and soaked in the beauty. This is the place I miss the most in Chicago. We spent many evenings there taking walks and calming our souls. I was so glad we could make this one of our stops while we were nearby.
From the garden we went to have lunch with my cousin and his wife in their new home in Oak Park. Last time we visited we got to see the outside of the house (the sale wasn't final yet), and this time we got to tour the inside. They've been working hard to update it and make it a beautiful place to live. It was great seeing them again and the boys enjoyed their crazy game of Duck Duck Goose, or Tractor Combine Goose, with Christena.
It was a short but fun visit, and we got to see so many great people and great sights.
Between having visitors here and going on our adventures we sure have been busy, but we are so grateful to have time with our parents and time to do a little summer traveling. Now we're home and I think we are ready to stay put for a while. That is, after we get back from Minneapolis later this week.
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