Wa Du Shuda Days

Aha! I held a wet and squirmy Collin to grab some photos of Kate during her lesson last week:) Collin is doing well too, we are not pushing too much, just trying to do the beginner stuff and if he doesn't want to, we just splash and bounce in the water. The hardest part is him once he is out of the pool. I wish he was happy to just sit in one of the floaty things like last year! So easy:)

Practicing front float with Stephanie

Getting ready to jump

Having fun!

Here is just a little clip of her in the water. 

We have a very busy month coming up and our weekends are taking us away for the most part. This past weekend we were going to be home and Dave' wasn't on call! Hooray! We were hoping to make the most of it. Of course, I made my long to-do list and Dave had a yard that needed mowing staring at him, but we ended up doing mostly fun things..oh well!  (at press time: the lawn did get mowed:) 

Saturday morning we were invited over to Ryan and Angie's house for breakfast and then some berry picking in their woods! Sounds like a perfect way to start any day:) We had a nice time inside where Ryan made baked french toast with berries:) and bacon. Yum.

Clara, Kate & Harper. The girls!

It was very overcast and very humid in the morning and since we were trekking into the woods, we were wearing long pants and long sleeved shirts:) On top of the length of the hike, I think we lost a few pounds! Angie and Ryan pick berries very frequently and they had some cool harnesses for the buckets to free up your hands. Dave was brave and had Collin in the backpack the whole two hours, very impressive! Clara and Kate were free to roam and pick and Harper was in the stroller. They have mostly black raspberries and we would all get excited when we spotted a patch of red raspberries. I found the picking kind of addictive, you wanted to just keep going and get more or reach those just beyond. The lovely thorns kept us on our toes. Clara ate all of her find:) and Kate ate quite a bit but had some left in her bucket at the end of the hike. Those two also had lots of fun doing "trail maintenance" and throwing sticks as far as they could. Collin was such a trooper, he missed his morning nap, but was completely content in the backpack. 

This was Dave's workout for the day:)

The girls pickin'

This is what she came out of the woods with....not bad, considering:)

We hiked for a long time, such a beautiful place (south of Mauston, in the hills) and when we returned, we just hung out on their wraparound deck and let the kids run around. I think we could have stayed there all day but it was getting to be lunch time and I was dying to go see Wa Du Shuda Days in New Lisbon. 

Wa Du Shuda Days (Wah Duh Shooda apparently means "rest your canoe here" in some Native American language)! We have never been able to attend our local town fest but this year we were here! I was excited to go, Dave and I like to go "festing" though I know Dave was very conflicted and wanted to be on the boat:) Well, by the time we arrived in New Lisbon, it was raining, so that helped him shift a bit. We braved the rain with some umbrellas (and just plain let it rain on us, felt good!) and walked around Riverside Park. The rain foiled some plans (flea market, rides) but we got some cheese curds (how can you not?) watched the canoe race (I am doing that some year!), Dave chipped some golf balls into the lake, Kate got some balloon art and ran around with her friends. 

My cheese curds in a canoe:) 

At first, she was trying to stay dry...

Later, she did not care:)

Side note: Kate is our social director. She has gone to Leap of Faith preschool/daycare for awhile and then summer school at NL Elementary and knows all the kids and recognizes the parents that pick them up. Dave and I are getting there, knowing more people and actually running into people we know more often, but Kate is always shouting out and naming people everywhere we go!

After we were good and soaked, we headed home and decided to have an easy evening. It had started to really pour and so we thought pizza and movie sounded perfect. I am so lazy. We watched The Lego Movie and picked up some Pizza Hut and listened to the rain. Early bedtimes for tired kiddos and that is an amazing Saturday. 

On Sunday, my plan was to see the parade but we woke up to sunshine and Dave said before he even opened his eyes, "Breakfast on the boat?"  :) Okay, so we got dressed quick and headed out on the water. It clouded up quick and I was only slightly nervous about rain but the sun came out and we enjoyed a nice buffet breakfast outside watching boats on the lake. We then looked at the clock and had to race back to catch the parade! 

I was nervous about finding parking spot and knowing were to go but as Dave often tells me, there is no need to worry! We found a nice spot to park by the bridge and an easy spot to sit and watch the parade. By then, the sun was really out and we were enjoying just laying on the blanket and watching the cars/trucks/motorcycles go by. After a late start (and we were near the end of the route) we finally saw and heard the fire truck leading the way. Kate inherited my gene of not liking loud things (see 4th of July fireworks) so the sirens are always a bit much for us, but Collin loved it:) 

Waiting and waiting for the parade to start...

Here they come!

Collin liked almost everything:)

It was a good parade! We were near the end, so there were plenty of floats/cars that didn't have any candy left. And then there were the ones that had a lot left and we got tons! We didn't bring a bag for the candy, but of course some political person gave us one (brown sandwich sack) and it was completely full at the end. One memorable moment - Kate looks down the road and sees a big truck with some soldiers in uniform on it and walking around it. She shouted, "Look Mom, Americans!" The people near us started laughing and thought she said, "American" in reference to the cool, old restored Ford truck that was in front of it. Oh well. She struggles with what to call some of the military, it might make more sense if I just said they are all Marines, maybe. We have a big air field near us and we see a lot of soldiers and airmen around, but I don't think she grasped the different branches of the military yet:) And honestly, she knows Tony is a Marine but hasn't seen him in uniform besides the wedding and I'm working on explaining what they do without scaring her (was trying to explain the tank that sits outside the Legion Hall) She often says "they save us" or "they protect us" but it's not like we've gone into what they are protecting us from. Oh, and when she sees  4th of July decorations or flags, she always refers to them as "July" things. Like she wants to wear her "July shirt" or look at that "July candy" (tootsie rolls in a flag wrapper). So, we are also working on the American flag and understanding it is not just a decoration at this time of year! (we have one on our house!)

But I digress....after the parade, we just walked down to the park to watch the UW Marching Band (a portion of it) perform. We were able to get seats right in front and first they had Miss Wisconsin come out and say a few words and then the band came out. They were in shorts and t-shirts and played probably a half dozen songs, but they were SO fun. They were dancing around and being silly, playing to the crowd. Kate clapped along and enjoyed it. Collin clapped too, but he was getting blocked by a huge guy taking pictures, grrr. It basically made me want to be young again and play in a band like that. They said that the band played in 6 or 7 places last weekend for the 4th and I'm guessing they do so all summer. In the heat, all over the state....what troopers, they had the best attitude. Of course, they played On Wisconsin and Varsity, which all the UW alum (everyone?) knew and there were moments that I was really wishing it was the UI marching band:) but oh well. I want to keep exposing Kate and Collin to all of this. I hope they play an instrument and would be overjoyed if they were talented and dedicated enough to do what these kids are doing. 

 Check out the bass drum player! Played the whole song that way.

Meeting Miss Wisconsin!

They announced that you could get your picture taken with Miss Wisconsin and I asked Kate if she wanted to. She said no. That is what I figured. Miss W (I don't know her name) was super nice and very put together. I was impressed. Well, after Kate received a flag from one of her 4K teachers we ran into, all of a sudden she wanted to go over where Miss W was. I asked if she wanted to talk to her and told her to say, "Nice to meet you." She was very intent on, "I want to show her my flag!" There was a tv crew and photographer there to speak with her and they moved her right as we came up. Then Gracie (a future classmate of Kate's) snuck in and met Miss W first. Kate was patient and though it looked like Miss W was about done with her day, she was so sweet with Kate (and Gracie). She knelt down and had very long conversations with them. She seemed very genuine and kind. I am definitely rooting for her in the Miss America pageant! 

And lastly, we have quite the raspberry patch growing along our property line and we picked more today, so there is currently another berry cobbler in the oven...we love the fruit but are probably not going to love the change in our waistlines! Oh, there are also a TON of wild grapes growing in among them. I've never done anything with grapes...is there anything we can do? The garden is doing pretty well, we are losing a couple plants, but we will be producing quite a bit of tomatoes, cucumbers, peas, carrots, jalapenos; a little bit of lettuce and parsley, and lots of cilantro! On top of gathering lots of berries, that sounds like enough/plenty to me! At least for our first year attempting it in Wisconsin. 

******you may note, as I did last night, I took lots of pictures of our super fun weekend; however, I appear in exactly zero of the pictures. Argh. ******* 

An Eventful Beginning to July!

Well, as I start to write this 4th of July post, I need to write how exciting the very first days of July were! :) My niece was expected to arrive sometime in mid-to late-June but oh no, Miss Quinn Rosen Brown was much more patriotic than that. She chose to arrive on July 1 after a very long and anticipated journey:) They are coming back soon and along with everyone else in the Midwest:), I am so stinkin' excited to see them all! Here's some pics of my beautiful niece...

One of my favorite pics of Miss Quinn, what a cutie!

And, I am kind of partial to any pic with her Daddy. So sweet.

Besides being obsessed with my phone and catching pics and info on our newly-expanded family in Okinawa, we had a lot of fun for the 4th of July! Dave was unfortunately on call for the holiday weekend, but Mom and Dad came up to relax and play. The weather was generally good, the bugs weren't too bad and we had a nice balance of activity and relaxation. Since we couldn't go out on the boat over the weekend, we took the kids over to a supper club on the Adams County side of the lake on Thursday night. By the way, Collin loves the boat and does really well. His only issue is that he is happiest when he is on Daddy's lap/driving the boat. He will fuss and go over to the captain's chair and is totally content there:) So as long as Dave is cool with it, Kate and I get to relax! It was a gorgeous night and while we were still sitting out on the deck finishing up we got the text that Mom and Dad were three minutes from the house. It was a scenic but quick ride back across the lake:) and we arrived to Mom and Dad on a Face Time call with Tony, Tara & Quinn! 

Friday was spent on the back beach, playing in the sand, paddle boarding, picnic, and napping (oops, guilty!).  On Saturday, Mom and I played tennis and then Dad, Dave and I played a round of golf! There is a lovely course between our house and Mauston, but I'm sad to report that Dave and I rarely get to go. I was excited to play, though it was my first round in two years. How is that possible?! I had a blast, though I have to admit that is quite an active day for me. There was no soreness until the next day:) 

We did pretty good! Wish it was easier to get a sitter and play more.
Or had a husband who could play (ankle!)

Driving on #15
This is one of two open holes, otherwise it is very wooded!

We also cleaned up and had supper in town and then parked in the hospital parking lot to watch fireworks. We didn't time it perfectly and had a lot of time to kill, but the kids did great. The fireworks show was nothing to really write home about, but our kids loved it and so it was perfect:) I have no idea how Collin was still up at 9:45 p.m. He was pretty stoked to be walking around the back of the van and once the fireworks started, he just sat calmly in Gma's lap and would say "boom" after each one. Kate ran around and made a friend with another girl in the next car. She liked the fireworks but not the "big boomers," I have to admit that I feel the same way!

Gpa and Collin waiting for fireworks to start

Our family pic for this 4th of July:)

On Sunday, Mom and Dad escaped grandparent duty and played some tennis in the morning and we played close to the house as the sun hid most of the day. We ate on the deck and blocked the stairs so Collin could walk/run around and climb on the chairs on the deck. Dave and Dad found some projects to work on, of course! and Mom and I did some thinking on the golf tournament coming up.

Collin's words continue to expand! He is kind of like a parrot, repeating a lot of what we say, and added, "ruff" for a doggie sound as well. He is also doing this blinking thing that is beyond adorable. He is such a cheeser;  flirty and affectionate, mischievous...trouble:)  His car/airplane/tractor sounds are getting much more complex as well. In the last few days, he is loving Dave's old Matchbox cars and will vroom them around all over, crash them and say "uh oh." He has spent hours on the JD tractor (I may have let the kids watch a tractor pull on tv while supper was finishing up the other day. I think it had an effect.)

Started climbing in the sun room, had to move furniture around again

Driving his tractor!

Oh, he was just in to the doctor (July 8) for his 15 month well check (oops! a little late) and he is 23 lbs. 32 in tall and is running tall and skinny with a big head, as he always has. He did great at the doc (our friend, Ryan) and mostly just tried to climb up on the chairs, play with the curtain and give Ryan a hug. He had three shots which made him clingy and seemingly sleepy though he perked up at home. 

Shots:(

We are currently in the midst of some private swim lessons for the kiddos. Kate was expressing some interest in swimming without her life jacket but was in no way interested in going to swimming lessons. She freaks out any time we ask her to put her face in the water and then we recently had an unfortunate event at the pool that made her even more skittish. She came out of the bathroom onto the pool deck and forgot her life jacket was off. She went right down the steps and jumped in and started going down. She was panicking and I got to her pretty quickly but she was very scared. She was really not interested after that:(  The good news is she doesn't mind having her life jacket on! Which is something we have pushed a lot because of the boat, but we definitely need to get her trained to swim without it. Especially living where we do, so much water. 

So...I was trying to find information on swimming lessons in the area and was discouraged with the times/schedule and the sign up (already missed some). Dave asked around at the hospital and one of the daughters of someone he works with is a lifeguard and swim instructor at the Mauston pool. And she has babysat for us before! Twice a week in the afternoon, Stephanie comes to our pool and Dave or I take both kids over for about a half an hour. She was hesitant at first. Wanted to wear her life jacket (we didn't let her)! Every time Stephanie asked if she wanted to do something new, she would say no. But she ended up doing what she asked and loved it. She has been super excited ever since and has requested a kick board with Ariel on it like Stephanie brought:) 

We are bringing Collin as well, since I feel like it is good to start early (and just didn't with my first born, I guess!), he will be the one I am most concerned about, much more of a dare devil and his entire life is surrounded by water. He likes to splash and play, Dave got him to kick a little better last time, and then his last lesson ended with with a bloody nose. I was home getting supper ready and Dave took the kids over. They came back and he yelled for me to grab Collin (not panicked...) and then said that he took a bad tumble on the concrete around the pool. Apparently, he was standing by the steps or had just come out and Dave expected him to come right back in, but instead Collin flashed him a smile and took off running the other way. He got about three steps before he fell and landed on his face. He had a bloody nose and scraped mouth, luckily no damage to teeth. He stopped crying when Dave picked him up and he is still red around his mouth but it doesn't look too bad. Glad I wasn't there to see the blood! I am really fine with blood, but I'm guessing that seeing it coming out of my small child will set off a different reaction in me:)

You can't really tell he fell! And graham crackers fix almost anything:)

All's well that ends well. I imagine this tumble will be a mere scratch compared to what's coming in Collin's future. Good thing we know people in the ER:) We have lessons tonight, so maybe I'll try and grab a little video sometime. If someone can hold Collin!