Cousin Jack

While Addy got to see all of her cousins during our trip, I think the one that was most excited about her visit was probably Jack. He was so excited to spend time with Addy, even though she didn't exactly warm up to him right away, he was so patient and caring with her. He read her books and played with her and when she fell down he even helped get her a band-aid. He showed her how to feed the animals and helped her at the playground.

I think he missed his chance to be a big brother but is certainly up for the challenge of being the big cousin. He did a fantastic job!

 

 

M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I

After driving along the Mississippi River to go to Iowa, the next day we got to tour the river on a boat cruise. It was great! We saw several eagles and lots of different native plants and bugs. They had a wildlife specialist on the boat who had several different things to show us (feathers, fur, skulls) but of course Addy's favorite was a stuffed animal! After the tour we drove up to the top of "Grandad's Bluff" for a beautiful view where you can see Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa.

 

Iowa

After the morning swim we headed to WI to see Brian's parents. They had all of the toys ready for Addy and I think she went through all of them within the first 10 minutes. She loved it. That night there was a huge storm with tons of thunder and lightening which I love, but unfortunately this one had hail that caused damage to their house (it even broke a window) and damaged my Dad's car. Luckily it wasn't anything too serious, but it sounded like the loudest storm I've ever heard! The next day we headed down to Iowa to see Brian's grand-parents. Unfortunately Great Grandpa Bill recently broke his ankle, but we still had a great time. It was a beautiful drive along the Mississippi River down to Iowa and we enjoyed Grandma Elaine's amazing cooking! Addy was so relaxed that she just fell asleep on the couch and her mom and Grandpa might have done the same thing!

P&D's Pool

For years we have been going to my aunt and uncles house, Phyllis and Don's (P&D's) to go swimming. Brian wasn't back yet when we all went on Sunday, and I couldn't believe it when he said he had never been there in the summer.  So, we decided to head over his first day in before driving to Wisconsin. It was just him and Addy in the pool and they had so much fun! Addy was really brave and went all the way under several times. She did a great job in the water, although I think her favorite part was going potty in the yard. As soon as she realized she could just pee in the yard, she then did it 2 more times before we left. It was absolutely hilarious to watch and yes I have a picture.

Fawn-Doe-Rosa

For years I have heard my sister talking about this place called "Fawn-Doe-Rosa" and how much her kids just loved it, so I was excited that there was finally time to take Addy there. It is on the way to my Grandma Ruby's house so we had a fabulous day of seeing and feeding the animals at the park followed by seeing the cows at my Grandma's farm and catching up with her.
At first Addy wasn't so sure what to think about being so close to the animals (you literally have deer coming up to you), but after she saw Jack feed them she finally wasn't afraid. At least not until a goose snapped at her, but she told that goose "no, no" and then went back to feeding the other animals. She had a great time and saw deer, geese, sheep, goats, horses, pigs, ducks to just name a few.
After visiting with my Grandma my Dad took Addy out to the farm where she was right up close to the cows and she loved that as well. Luckily, she hasn't inherited my fear of almost all animals. She is now fully aware of the fact that I don't like cats, birds or squirrels, and she likes to tease me by saying "you afraid of cats Mama? Daddy and I aren't."

Reunion Day 1 and 2

When we go back to Minnesota to see my family, we never have a formal family reunion, but almost every day is like a reunion. It's fantastic because so many people come to whatever event is planned and we are able to see everyone at once. Within the first 2 days back, Addy saw 29 relatives by only going to 2 places and driving about 10 miles. And I ate about 10 different desserts in 2 days, the vacation was off to a good start! Here are some pics of our time including Addy riding her first "big girl bike", swimming at my aunt and uncles and taking a bath with her cousin Isabelle.

The Recap Before The Recap

Finally, I feel ready to return to the blog routine. I knew the last few weeks were going to be a challenge, but I don't think you can ever really prepare yourself for how hard change can be. Just to recap, this is how ridiculous our last month has been.
We closed on our new house on July 31st.
Two days later our friends Joe and Amy came to stay with us for a week.
The next day we picked up our new car.
The day after Joe and Amy left Addy had her last day at her old school.
The next day Addy and I left for Minnesota and Brian went from dropping us off at the airport straight to picking up a U-Hual to move all of our stuff.
For the next 4 days he lived between the two houses before hopping on a plane and meeting us in Minnesota.
We enjoyed the next 5 days with family and tried not to think about the chaos awaiting us at home.
We flew back and drove to our new house full of boxes with nothing unpacked.
Addy started her new school the next day and Brian and I figured out a new commute.
We spent the next 2 weeks without a washer and dryer or internet.
We are now 2 weeks into our new house, completely out of the old house and we have a washer, dryer and internet again! I've never been so excited to do laundry in my life. Here's a couple of pics of Addy playing "house" in the washing machine box. Even she knew it was an exciting day.