In case you're wondering, What about Grady's birthday post? Well, I think I'm going for a "Birthday+" post...why not celebrate turning 13 months!
Anyways, in July, we made a trip to Wisconsin during which we got to visit both sets of grandparents and see my aunt Michelle, her husband Bob, and their son Evan. We drove to Wausau on a Thursday afternoon. The kids, as far as I remember, were pretty awesome in the car, and we just made a couple of short stops so I could feed Grady. Here's a picture of a park where we stopped. I know - you can barely recognize Brian because of that stuff growing on his face!
We spent the night at my grandma and grandpa Roiger's house. This was the first time they met Grady, and Grady was all about them - especially my grandpa who got to enjoy many smiles and cuddles from the little guy! As usual, my grandma made us a fantastic meal, and we enjoyed much good conversation! Friday morning, the girls got busy playing outside and showing off their tennis skills - they had my grandma fielding balls for them left and right! Michelle, Bob, and Evan came over to visit as well and load up the kiddos with some special treats and presents - thank you! :)
Later in the afternoon, we all piled back into the car to head up to Eagle River - my grandma and grandpa Hanz have a cabin about twenty minutes farther north. I hadn't seen a lot of my aunts, uncles, or cousins on that side of the family in quite some time, so it was really great getting to visit with them and catch up on countless topics. The visiting continued through Saturday, and Saturday was extra special for two additional reasons:
1) My grandpa Hanz turned 90 this summer (on the same day Olivia turned 6)! While he has stopped picking me up when I see him, I have to say, that my grandpa is by far the "youngest" 90-year-old you'll ever meet. I hope I can be exactly like that some day!
2) My grandma and grandpa Hanz celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary! Wow - that is so impressive and inspiring. A number of years ago...seriously, a number - like possibly 15-20, a bunch of us were all gathered around the television watching something, I looked behind me and saw my grandma and grandpa just sitting quietly on the couch holding hands. That has always been my favorite image of the two of them...I can still close my eyes and see it, and I smile thinking about all they have done with their lives and how lucky we are to have them in ours. What a group 65 years has created!
After a day of visiting, exploring, playing, and enjoying beautiful weather, the family took the short path through the woods to a restaurant that overlooks the lake. After dark, we celebrated with some amazing fireworks! Sunday morning we drove back to Wausau where we had a quick lunch before driving the rest of the way home. All in all, it was a really nice trip that I hope to take again next summer! Here are a few additional pictures.
