Summer play is done.

Tomorrow is the first official day of school, and although we did the “dry run” at daycare last week and the obligatory inservice days, it didn’t really sink in until today. *sigh* Summer is over.  Man, it was great.  We played a lot.  We took long walks with Wally, we camped, and we tried swimming for the first time.  She started solid foods, started sleeping better (longer) and became more expressive!  All of which make it all that much harder to give her up every week day morning for the next 9 months, but that’s where we’re at.

Sadly Maggie and I are both recovering from colds, so instead of playing our last day together away, we slept.  Long, luscious morning and afternoon naps consumed our day. 

Enjoy your back-to-school days!

She’s a Card Shark.

 

 

Happy Half-Birthday Little One!

Wednesday marked Maggie’s first half birthday. It’s hard to believe it’s been 6 months already! She’s really grown a lot in the past few weeks – lots more giggles and ‘talking’, lots and lots of rolling, and she’s even starting to pull/push herself around on the floor.

We headed out to the NEW Zoo to celebrate. We were invited to an event there anyway, and it seemed like a good thing to do for a birthday treat. I must admit we were leery – we haven’t had much luck at this particular zoo. Usually the animals are inside or sleeping or they’ve lost limbs and/or are bleeding. Really. We’ve seen it all there. Kole and I had a particularly odd visit there early on in our dating repertoire during which at least one animal in every exhibit seemed to have some ailment, and also we saw a bird fly into the window at the lion exhibit and then watched it die. Kole maintains that there was nothing we could do… I still feel badly about it.

Anyway, this visit was VERY different from our previous stops. It was cool outside and all the animals were out and about! Please to enjoy some photo highlights:

We had a really great time! Maggie even got a smashed penny to commemorate the event. She has quite the collection now – we’re up to 5, I think.

Forevertron

3 words: Christmas Card Options.

Devils Lake State Park

It’s a gorgeous park in the southern part of the state – beautiful, clear lake for swimming, kayaking, fishing; a variety of hiking trails and natural rock formations; and nearby Baraboo and the Dells should one feel the need to be a little less rustic for a few hours.

We chose to keep it rustic – taking Maggie on her first hike and for her first swim.  One went quite well, the other was less popular – can you guess which was which?

 

    

 

She has inherited her father’s furrowed brow, that’s for certain.

We heart books!

In planning our journey last weekend we tried to hit some roadside attractions – a common feat for our ventures out of Packerland.  We added one to the list that will be getting a repeat visit sometime in the near future, I hope.  Castle Arkdale and Happy Tails Bookstore.  A book store with more titles than Barnes & Noble (they say), but no sign or advertising. 

They are only open Saturdays now, and we didn’t get there until after 3, so we only got to see the two buildings that were open. But, we did leave with some literary treasures and a desire to see more!

*Be sure to click on the bookstore name above to see the video on YouTube.

On the way there…

On our way to Devil’s Lake we made a few pit stops in Omro, Ripon, and Green Lake.  We scored serious treasures at some local thrift stores and enjoyed an interesting lunch experience during which I wasn’t sure whether to be delighted or weirded out.  Our waitress was a sweet young girl who told me, “…you look like a woman I know from Ripon.  You look so much like her.  She’s in high school…” Hmm.  Is it good to have someone tell you that you look 16, when actually you’re 31?  I can’t decide.

    

We also stopped at the birthplace of the Republican Party…not because it felt like home to us or anything - just because it seemed like something one should see.  Disappointingly, it is one of 3 places in the U.S. claiming to be the original spot where the party was established.  I guess we’ll never know for certain.

 

I think the photo above looks like Kole and Maggie are posing for senior pictures. hee hee.

More about our adventures tomorrow!

We’re Happy Campers… Literally

We headed south this past weekend/week beginning for our first camping trip as a trio.  It was wonderful. 

   

We camped at Devil’s Lake State Park – so BEAUTIFUL!  The weather was great! It only rained at night (a HUGE accomplishment for an Ewoldt camping venture).  Our new tent was completely waterproof and warm enough while still providing ventilation.  We had lots of ideas of things we wanted to do, and the adventures that fit into our days were perfect.  We did some thrifting, book shop browsing, hiking, swimming, cooking, crafting, card playing, and spending quality time as a family.  Oh, and of course, we did visit some Roadside Americana (really, do you know us at all? Was there any question?).

It was fabulous, which begs the question, Why did we wait until August to start our adventures???  So not fair that summer is quickly winding down, it seems.  Not to worry – plans are already in the works for next year’s summer adventures.

The rest of this week, my goal is to tell you more about our trip – keep checking in to see where we went!