Wisconsin Dells 2013

Another awesome summer tradition for us is a trip with my dad's side of the family to Wisconsin Dells.  We made the trip almost a month later than usual this year, and I'm glad we did because we received some hot weather in return which made visiting the outdoor parks a great option.

It was really fun to see how quickly the girls warmed up.  Both of them remembered the "cabin" - although they were a bit confused at first because they thought "cabin" only referred to the cabin at Camp DuNord.  :)  It didn't take long for them to get their swimsuits on and start holding on to their second-cousins' hands asking them to do everything with them as if they saw each other all the time.  It's always fun to see those relationships grow.

Olivia definitely won the adventurous award in regards to our family.  She did an awesome job trying new slides, getting over her fear of the dumping "bucket," and embracing the water overall.  Brian and I nearly collapsed in joy to see her running to get under the bucket when the bell started clanging instead of begging to be held!  Grace did way better than during our February trip too, and the last two days we were there she even started standing under the bucket herself.  Grace also found the "green slide" and became obsessed with it, but other than that, she wasn't ready for the slides quite yet - hopefully next year!

As for Brian and me, we had a lot of fun too!  It was great to have some time together as a family, some time to chat with relatives, and fun to see the girls having an excellent time.  We both enjoyed getting some one-on-one time with them too as schedules sometimes meant one took a nap when the other was ready to play.  Special thanks to Bob and Michelle for keeping this family tradition alive and well too - we're already ready for next year!

I wish I had more pictures of the weekend, but even though I hauled my camera around a few times, it mostly stayed in the bag.  One consequence of the girls being more adventurous, of course, is less time to snap pictures and more time supervising.

 We stopped in Madison to visit friends before heading to the Dells:

Grace, Lauren, Olivia, and Kate

 

Olivia learning how to play frisbee with AJ.

She can throw better than me!

 Playing while waiting for the shuttle to arrive -

Hannah, Grace, and Evan.

 

Embracing a beautiful day!