Trip to WI, day 3

The first thing we did the next morning, after eating breakfast, was send Austin outside to run around. There's a fun pond in the complex where my grandma lives, complete with ducks, so Austin and Seth "took Graham for a walk" around it before parking Graham and kicking the ball around. My Grandma has an amazing end unit with this huge grass field next door, so it was perfect! And the grass is AMAZING. It's like thick, lush, carpet grass--grass from grass fertilizer commercials! (We got some great pictures of Austin in that grass last time we were there--Austin was Graham's age--and I'm trying not to kick myself that we didn't get similar pictures of Graham while we were there! I had full intention of doing so; the trip just flew so fast!)

We traveled with Austin's soccer ball, but my Grandma had bought this one for him to use and so it's what was chosen for that morning.

Isn't it an awesomely open space?

taking a quick water break...

After burning off some energy, my cousin Pam (from my dad's side) and her family came over, but timing of things worked such that we only got to see them for like 30 minutes before we had to bolt off to our next "appointment." It was such a rushed event I forgot to take any pictures!

For our next thing, we drove to Menomonie to meet my cousin Joe (from my mom's side) and his wife Kelly (who live in Baldwin) for lunch at Perkins. There's been some fairly serious family drama in our family over the last few years, and it was a bit of a Clearing The Air Lunch. Big things had happened, all after I'd moved away from WI, and I needed to know some things from his/their perspective. I needed to know where he and I stood as I knew where his dad and my mom stood, and I hoped we weren't destined for a similar place. (I was more than a little bit nervous going into it, actually.) THANKFULLY, we're not! Lunch was AWESOME.

As an only child, one of the things I struggle with the most is not having anyone who understands my childhood from the child-of-my-parents perspective. I have good friends I've known forever who know my parents about as well as I do, but they weren't at all major family gatherings and a part of our family traditions, so it's different. Joe was there. We talked about making strawberry jam, freezing sweet corn, Thanksgiving and Christmas traditions, etc. He knows my childhood. Talking with him and reliving those memories and confirming that he and I are on good terms meant the world to me! I wanted to talk all day with them. I felt affirmed and loved and appreciated and known. I felt known. That's not something I often feel, living away from my friends and family. (Yes, there's Seth's family, but let's be real, we all know that's different.)

Joe is the closest I have to a brother and I hadn't had any good, serious communication with him in years. I hadn't even seen him in like 5 years! So getting together with him felt like "coming home." He knows that my emotional reaction to this thing is because when we were growing up, this thing always happened like this. He might not know the Grown Sena very well, but having such a close-knit family growing up, he knows the building blocks of my personality. I felt like the whole conversation was a big, warm, gentle hug affirming that how I remember things and the way I feel about things is accurate. And I don't get that much living down here. It was serious food for my soul. I know that sounds a tad over the top, but it really is how it felt to me.

After a really long lunch, we stood outside talking, not wanting it to end. And once I finally peeled myself away from them, I got in the car with this huge sigh and Seth was concerned I was upset. It was hard to explain to him, but I was so emotionally exhausted while simultaneously floating on Cloud 9 and feeling so known and so loved that I couldn't even carry on a conversation with Seth. All I had to offer was an exhale of breath. I could breathe. I could relax. All is right with the world. My world. The puzzle pieces are finally back where they belong and I'm better because of it.

Joe and Kelly mentioned maybe coming south next winter and I'm praying they do. We would LOVE to have them visit and I for one want more conversation! (And maybe some board games or games of cards! ;-)

Joe, Kelly, Austin and Graham
(I searched all over EC the rest of the week for a shirt like Kelly's wearing. I'm DYING for a cute Brewers shirt like that!)

Unfortunately, after we got home from lunch with Joe and Kelly, Austin refused to take a nap. So Seth and I left Graham home with Grandma and we set out in search of our WI souvenirs, beginning at Shopko. :-) Austin had a meltdown within 1 minute of getting inside the store, so we loaded right back up and drove around, Seth dropping me off at the store entrances of KMart, WalMart, and Scheels. All the while Austin slept in the backseat. (Seth even went to the Fazoli's drivethrough for me and got a frozen lemonade and two breadsticks for me. OhMyGoshthosethingsaresogood!) I was checking out at Scheels with a few shirts and a cheese cowboy hat when my Grandma called to say that Graham was up and not happy about it.

We headed for her place straight away and Austin actually took a nap after we got there. It worked out ok, too, because we had planned to head to the Colfax Fair after naps, right at the exact time that a thunderstorm blew through, so Austin slept and we unwound a little. When the storm was over, Austin was up and we decide to brave the mud and headed to Colfax!

We were meeting up with my friend Gail, but we arrived a little before she and her husband did, so we bought some tickets and let Austin ride some rides.

It was a little chilly post-rain shower, so Graham's in his Eminem hoodie. ;-)

I got Graham all posed for this picture, ready for Austin and Seth to come around, and it turned out that Austin wouldn't ride it!

But he saw this train and was more than ready to give it a try!

He rode it several times, but got to sit in the front all by himself this go around!

This cracks me up! lol

And then Seth agreed to ride this car ride with him. LOVE this picture.

Gail loving on my two boys.

And then Gail was there! YAY!!! We took a break from riding rides to enjoy some fried cheese curds and other yummy fair food at the food stands. Gail had already eaten, so she loved on Graham while I ate. We talked and talked while Seth was a champ about chasing Austin and attempting to keep him out of the mud puddles. It was a great time (for me)! I love catching up with friends! I only wish my trip home was longer so I could get more time with each person!

And then we played the duck game--my favorite! (once for Austin, once for Graham), and said our goodbyes... very slowly... and headed back to Eau Claire to get the boys to bed at a decent hour.

He chose a bat as his prize... big surprise! ;-)

Graham seemed to prefer just playing in the water over trying to grab the moving ducks so I helped a little.

Graham got enough points for a blue stuffed fish...

which Austin pretty immediately traded back in for an orange one. (Is it possible he's showing a favorite color at this age!?)