WI Vacation, June 2011: Day #6

Day #6, Thursday, was a relaxing morning and then a day spent at my parents' house. We watched tv, played games (Tip-It and Yahtzee), grilled out and ate on the patio before they took us back to grandma's house. We got back just in time to clean up in order to go to dinner at my friend's house. I didn't get a single picture while there, but we had a fabulous time! Despite Austin's complete meltdown due to our having forgotten formula!!

He's definitely a LaPean--driving CASE already!

...and loving every minute!

After we ate lunch, Austin was loving sitting in this chair by himself and decided to ham-it-up for the camera and I was a most willing picture-taker!

"Woah. That's a big dog!"

"He loves me!"

"He's funny... where did he go!?"

"Is he back here?"

Daddy's temporary solution for fussiness.

I asked my parents to pose for a few pictures, and we insisted on them getting one with their dogs. That's Jake on the left (about 9 years old) and Duque on the right (about 3 years old).

And then they agreed to pose with Austin, but he'd already been 'posed out.'

WI Vacation, June 2011: Day #5

Wednesday found the weather rainy and chilly. It was a bummer, too, because other than hanging around the house in the morning, we planned to go to lunch with both grandmas, and my mom. I chose Perkins because I had been dying for one of their chicken ceasar breadbowl salads. Turns out they don't serve those anymore! Total bummer. But... They did still serve their yummy dessert of a giant chocolate chip cookie with vanilla ice cream over it which I, of course, had to order. Mmmmm... It was SO yummy! (Why is it that when I go home half the fun is eating things at places I can't get on a regular basis? What does that say about me?)

After lunch, we dropped Grandma Mattison off (and almost got stuck with the Lincoln in a huge ditch of mud!), dropped Grandma LaPean off, and then headed to Wausau to see Angela. I hadn't seen Ang since my wedding in the fall of 2007, so a visit was long over-due. Babies and The Economy had prevented us from making trips over the past 3.5 years, but we hit the ground running like no time had past!

I had hoped to make it all the way to Appleton to see her new adorable yellow house, but time just kept getting shortened, so we decided to meet for lunch somewhere halfway. Our original plan had been to meet at a park, have a picnic, and allow Jadon to run and play. The cold, wet weather literally put a damper on that, so we went to a McDonald's with a play land instead! Austin was in great spirits all day, and I finally got out the camera to capture some of his enthusiasm.  

Seemingly thrilled to be hanging out in a play land for 2 hours while his Momma chatted with Angela!

SO glad I got a picture of Ang and Austin together!

He was such a smiley show-off that I tried to ham it up with him and get a photo of both of us like that. He wins.

We ended up staying at McDonald's for 2 hours, but it felt like 2 minutes! We said our goodbyes, hopped around puddles and loaded up our cars. Seth, Austin and I got home pretty much right at his bedtime, but since he was wide awake we decided to give him a bath. He's used to getting showers at home, so I had the camera ready to capture anything and everything. He wasn't quite sure at first, but eventually started splashing around, just like in swimming lessons.

 

After a warm bath, it was time to say Goodnight, and he did excellent! Went straight to bed! (Which was something I was worried about given his recent poor bedtimes at home and the craziness of the past several days.) 

Seth, Grandma and I then spent the rest of the night looking through old slides while enjoying cookies and milk. Doesn't that just sound like something you should do at your grandmas?!? There were several shots of my dad as a very young child. One in particular, his 1st birthday, had him sitting in the highchair that we were using while there, and his resemblance to Austin was so striking that there was an audible gasp in the room and Seth and I turned to look at one another. We definitely know where he gets his facial features from! (Let's just hope he gets a little Mattison/Spofford/Houston height! No offense, Dad.)

WI Vacation, June 2011: Days #3 & 4

I didn't get a single picture of our third day. We were too busy driving around seeing sights to pay attention, I guess. We got up in the morning and left Austin home with my 1st cousin once removed (his second cousin) and my grandma. Seth and I went to UWEC's campus to look around. I spent too much time in the bookstore deciding what to buy that we ended up getting a parking ticket with my grandma's car! It was funny.  But I did end up with two shirts and Seth with one shirt. Go Blugolds! (And Go my husband for supporting my school!)

Once we got back, we ate a quick lunch and headed to Menomonie to see my cousin's new hair salon (which is gorgeous!), the airport where my uncle's memorial is, Grandma LaPean's old house, a quick visit with Grandma Mattison, and then we stopped for dinner at my cousin's house. Ted's Pizza... Mmmmmm. Yum. My parents had planned on joining us, but at the last minute some people called wanting to look at the house, so they stayed home. It was a very nice, very relaxing dinner on their porch while Seth got introduced to all sorts of animals (they have ducks and all sorts of things on their property) and we topped it off with rhubarb dessert! (Seth constantly comments on how everytime we go home, someone feeds us rhubarb....It's our running joke. It was perfect that my cousin made it for dessert! It's just not popular down here, I guess. Plus, it's always in season when I choose to go home.)

The next day, Tuesday, we decided to squeeze in a few people-sightings and then we headed to Colfax, to my parents' house to help my mom with some stuff before ending the day at Shelly's house for dinner. Our first stop was back at UWEC's campus to a former boss, Cynthia, whom I have remained good friends with ever since. She was at my wedding shower and even came to Atlanta for my wedding!

Me, Austin, and Cynthia on a beautiful day at UWEC!

I feel about as tired as I look in this picture. Seeing and going and doing over the previous three days had started to wear me out! It's exhausting catching up with people you haven't seen in years! It was orientation week, so Cynthia didn't have much time, and she casually let it slip that she's retiring in 13 days. Well, 13 days from the day we took this picture. Yay Cynthia!

After seeing Cynthia, we stopped by my great-aunt and uncle's house-Marion and Joe. Aunt Marion is my Grandma Mattison's sister. I remembered exactly where they lived though I hadn't been there in many, many years. They hadn't even known I've moved to Texas, and that was 2.5 years ago! It was good, albeit a bit strange, to catch up with them. I had called purely out of the blue that morning to see if we could stop by. I'm really glad I did, and even gladder that I remembered to get a picture!

After spending some time at my parents' house, sorting my remaining things and helping my mom by hauling stuff out to the truck to donate to Goodwill, we watched some tv, and then changed clothes and headed north, to Wheeler, so visit Shelly at her parents' house. She's recently moved back home to pursue a Masters degree at Stout, and I loved being able to catch up with her mom too. Austin is a natural dog person, I think, because he immediately loved their dogs. He got quite fussy at one point and either Shelly or her mom suggested taking him outside, so we got a blanket and sat outside for our dinner. It was perfect weather and Austin seemed to really relax once we got him outside. He LOVED Shelly's gorgeous hair. (Who wouldn't!?)

After eating a fabulous dinner, it was time to pack us back in the car (my grandma's Lincoln, which was the car we drove all week) and head back to Eau Claire. Austin was sound asleep by the time we got there, and went quickly to bed in the Pack-n-Play (which was in our room at the foot of our bed). All in all it was a fabulous few days, but I was glad that the next few days were about to require less on-the-go-ness. I obviously wanted a chance to see all these people, go to all these places, but I was also looking forward to being bored for a couple hours. That's what we got on Wednesday.

WI Vacation, June 2011: Day #2

After my parents picked us up at Katie's house on Sunday, they insisted we stop at this Chinese Buffet in Menomonie before heading to my grandma's house. We were anxious to arrive at her house to unwind a little bit, unpack a few things, and get settled just a smidge before all of the family was expected to arrive. My grandma had planned a family reunion of sorts and the total number of people was right around 30. I had a special outfit planned for Austin, one that his Aunt Cheryl had given him, and despite the craziness of the past day, he was in a great mood!

Austin clowning around on Grandma's rocking chair.

My Grandma LaPean (whose house we were staying at and who was hosting the family event... A LaPean family event) invited my Grandma Mattison to join us for the event, and she was thrilled as she'd never met Austin before. She currently lives in an assisted living facility near Menomonie, and Grandma LaPean lives in Eau Claire, so my dad went and picked her up. (I have always loved how many events have included both sets of my grandparents. I have several memories with both sides present, and I've always cherished that.) Below are a few shots Seth was able to capture as I was first introducing her to Austin. He loved her immediately!

Grandma Mattison and Austin meeting for the first time.

I love this picture!

Just as things were wrapping up, my Grandma decided that we needed to get a few photos taken. I didn't get one of the entire group, but this first one is me and my first cousins. Pam, Trisha, Me, Katie, Alan, and Mike.... with spouses/partners and children if applicable. I hadn't seen my cousins in several years, so it was great to get these pictures. And then I asked if it would be ok if we got a picture of just the second cousins together. Grandma happened to be on the porch when they gathered, so we posed her in the background.

Grandma LaPean with her great-grandchildren: Cody, Louis, Alex, Kaylee, McKenna, and Austin.

The whole time we were taking pictures, the guy across the street nearly broke his neck he was staring us down so hard. Grandma said later that he probably thought she'd died and that that was why so many cars had piled up outside. But, sorry, dude, she's alive and well! (It was funny how obvious he was about watching us!) After we were done taking pictures, we set Austin down in the grass and ended up taking a few 'photography shots' while everyone was saying Goodbye. The only thing I don't like is that his shorts seemed to have ridden up. He's wearing a romper and he looks pants-less!

Once everyone left, it was time to feed Austin, and all the excitement from the previous two days finally caught up to him. It was early to bed for him that night. Which was good, because Seth and I were also ready to just chill for awhile. We'd been going nonstop since we'd arrived, and literally not moving felt so good! Plus, we had a fairly busy Monday planned, so we needed to get our minds in the right place for the next day.

Sound asleep on daddy's lap...

WI Vacation, June 2011: Travel and Day #1

Seth, Austin, and I recently took a week-long vacation to northern WI. My origins. We flew DFW to MSP really early on a Saturday morning, and despite the early rising, Austin was in a great mood most of the airport time and flight. I hobbled along wearing my boot (from the sprained ankle) and Austin in the Bjorn, rolling my carry-on with the diaper bag atop. Seth carried his backpack and our large duffel (which still counted as small enough for a carry-on, so yay no extra baggage fees!) It was quite the scene, I'm sure, but we made it, and we're stronger together for having survived it. :-)

How Austin spent most of the flight: Sitting on the tray table playing with toys.

When we arrived at MSP, my friend Katie and her son, Oliver, were waiting for us. After a quick stop at Target for some baby-related supplies, we unwound a little at her house in Cottage Grove, MN before heading out to Lake Calhoun. It was a gorgeous Saturday afternoon, and Austin had a blast on the playground!

Just one of the many surprisingly age-appropriate pieces of equipment in the playground.

Austin: 7.5 months; Oliver: 2 years, 10 months

Austin LOVED swinging!

After the lake, we stopped and bought some ice cream from a little, local place before heading home. Katie and I talked so much that Oliver started getting jealous! ;-) He finally crashed hard and took a good long nap which allowed Katie to prepare homemade lasagna/garlic bread and peach pie/homemade vanilla ice cream (OMG, it was good!) while I chatted her ear off. Seth was great, seemingly sensing the deep need I had to reconnect with my friend, and took care of Austin nearly 100%. (This was a trend he continued throughout the trip, too! :-) 

Oliver decided he needed to help Austin experience this book.

"Momma, I love it here at the Welters'. They're so nice!"

The next morning, we (Katie, Seth, Austin, and I) went to the original location of John Piper's church in Minneapolis. It was pretty much the only thing that Seth had hoped to see/do/accomplish while up there, so it was a no-brainer. My parents were waiting in Katie's driveway when we got home from church, and the rest of the day is enough for its own post!

My big regret from the time we spent with Katie, Chris, and Oliver is that I didn't take any Welter/Spofford pictures! I meant to get a picture of Austin with each of my friends/family members we visited while up there, and Katie and I did so much talking that I totally forgot! I hadn't seen the Welters since Oliver was ~4months old, so picture taking was really overdue, too. I am glad, though, to have spent that much time with them and to have captured Austin and Oliver together! Thanks, guys for having us. It was WONDERFUL!