Dells Part 2

Our room view from Madison!



The waterfront on the UW campus in Madison.



We finally found a train in Wisconsin. This one never went faster than 15 MPH and only lasted an hour with a break!

We had some silly fun with our new friend at Mexicali Rose!

These acrobats were very high in the ski. Mark had to leave the show it made him so nervous!

Wisconsin Dells

We took a summer trip to Wisconsin during the 1st week of August. Yes, we are traveling again Uncle Jim! Originally, we decided to take the train for the experience. Amtrak has limited service which meant we traveled to Cincinnati for a 1am departure. Arriving at the train station at midnight Amtrak called saying the train hit a tree in West Virginia and would not be arriving on time. Amtrak arranged a private bus to drive us to Chicago which was our final train destination. By 2am it became clear that there was never going to be a train and there was no bus. Mark started driving and drove through the night stopping only after we were in Milwaukee! Heavy rain and construction added to the difficulty of the drive (don't ask me as I fell asleep!). Looking at the bright side, Lauren and Quinten were wonderful-stayed positive and no complaints. I was disappointed as I wanted this experience for Quinten but moved on by morning. We did have a memorable trip to say the least! There are so many pictures and I will attempt to post the ones I think you will enjoy.

Tommy Bartlett ski show. Rather cheesy but the giggles coming from Quinten were priceless.



Lauren and Quinten loved horseback riding. They loved it so much that we went two times. Lauren rode Jett both times and Quinten and mommy rode Elmo and Smoky Joe.



Quinten found a cave at the Dells during the boat ride and the hike.



Quinten awaits teh train that never came!



This does not look as bad as it might appear. We were at the feeding area and Quinten wanted the goat to look at the camera!

The Firefighter!

Studying the fire!


Getting the hose prepared.


Putting out the fire!

Quinten has moved into the fire fighter/fire truck/ambulance interest stage. He received these cool boots from Grandma Carolyn and bought the hat at a garage sale. When we hear a siren, Quinten can instantly tell me if it is a fire truck or an ambulance!

Michigan Summer 2010

Isn't this what vacation is all about?


Time with grandparents is always special!



Cold water does not bother Lauren!


Uncle Carl took out Quinten who loved being on the water!

Quinten adored being on the boat. It was so soothing, it put him to sleep!

My Uncle Jim recently told me, "you sure like to travel" to which I said "Yes!". Once again we hit the road taking us to northern Michigan and the lovely home of Carl and Linda Nelson. Mark's uncle and aunt graciously opened their home to not only us but also his mom and step-father. For those who read this blog from my family, Carolyn and Linda are sisters. We had a long weekend filled with fantastic sunshine and choppy waters! The choppy waters limited the big boat getting out only once; we were allowed to use the jet skis daily. The choppiness gave tremendous fun though I had to hold on tight! At one point, Mark almost got attacked by a swan which came onto the back of his jet ski. Her wing span was over 6 feet as I t was longer than Mark's. He felt the feathers and started going faster. As I followed, I noticed a floating stick that was not a stick but a snake! Increasing my speed to catch up to Mark and get away from the snake caused the water sheriff to pull us over. We were in a no wake zone! After a safety inspection, we were sent on our way.

Father's Day at Salt Fork State Park

Lauren and Quinten enjoyed playing in the water. As Lauren matures and Quinten is more fun, they are developing a great relationship. She spent quite a bit of time with him with at the beach.



Quinten's 1st marshmallow roasting. They were quite tasty.



Quinten buried mommy in the sand. He got so excited at one point he threw the bucket of sand leaving quite the cut/bruise on my shin.

Quinten and Mark share some Father's Day love! Even hippo got into the action.

Father's Day!

We spent Father's Day weekend at Salt Fork State Park. This was our 1st real road trip with the camper. Everyone we know raves about Salt Fork so we were excited to try it out. The beach and sand were warm and wonderful; the trails were well marked giving us some good hiking. We were more than a little disappointed at the camping arrangements. Basically, the sites are a huge semi-circle backing up to trees. We were expecting more privacy and more trees at each site. I am not sure we will go back right away though we felt the fall would be quite lovely given the tree background.

Pledge of Allegiance

Quinten learned the Pledge of Allegiance this year while attending Primrose Schools. He is very proud of being able to recite the entire pledge independently. Here he has added his "Pledge of Allegiance Flag" while he says the Pledge. Quinten gets quite excited when he sees the flag and points it out everywhere!

State Baseball Title Game

Pregame discussions between coach, pitcher and catcher.



Batting in a RBI!



Cassidy's name in lights!


My nephew plays catcher for the Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit HS team. Over this past weekend, the team played for the state Division II baseball title. It was thrilling to watch a relative compete at this level. I may be wrong but I am pretty certain he was the only Freshman starting team member for either team. As long as I can remember, Cass wanted to play baseball and always wanted to be a catcher. For the title game, they put the replays on the big jumbo tron screen. He had several replays! While the team lost a heart breaker by one run, I am really proud of him and the team's accomplishments.