Wisconsin 2...State Fair

This morning play time was first on the agenda, then mickey mouse chocolate pancakes!  We also took a trip to the bakery for ham and rolls and cookies, but Evan ate them too fast for a photo. The day's weather started off great, so Evan and Grandma hung out on the porch in the warm summer sun. 

The activity of the day was State Fair.  The boys haven't been to any state's fair before, and this one is huge.  

Of course it started to rain like crazy just as we parked the car.  In between rainstorms we checked out all the barns and animals, and Evan was very intrigued.  He also was very helpful in pointing out all the "messes" he saw and ensuring we walked around them.  :)   He petted a bunny and marveled at it's softness, and was brave enough to pet a baby goat too. 

 

We stopped at the Milk Barn to test out some new flavors of milk: banana, strawberry, and chocolate - chocolate was definitely Evan's favorite, though the usually-picky-eater did try them all. 

After a yummy and cheese-filled lunch where we waited out the rain, we headed over to the Giant Slide.  This was mommy's first time on the slide, and Evan was glad to be her partner.  We thought for sure he'd back out when we were halfway up, or for sure at the top, but he was fearless and hopped right on the potato sack for the ride.  What a ride it was! 

After a fun morning that lasted well past naptime, we headed home.  Evan fell into a deep sleep on mommy's shoulder before we even left the fairground gates.  We hope we can be back next year!

Wisconsin 1...Madison

The first day was spent at Grandma Barb's house.  Evan was more than happy to spend the morning playing in the water and helping Grandma water the flowers and keep an eye out for the bunnies that live in her yard.  Then it was time for an early lunch: at Kopp's, of course!    Mmmm, that's good food!  Evan wanted ice cream (we all did), so he got his very first cone!  (No, we haven't denied him ice cream for 3 years, rather he's always had a dish and spoon.) The flavor of the day was strawberry - his favorite!  Did they know we were coming?  Delish. 

Then it was off in our rental car (Evan called it our new car... and has ever since.  "Remember when we had that new car, mommy?") to Madison for the day.  We stopped at Camp Randall to visit Athletic Department friends and let Evan see the massive stadium.  We got there just as practice was ending, and hung out for a few minutes watching them clean up the field.  He desperately wanted to go on to the field and didn't understand why he couldn't.  I think Drew was impressed too. 

Then it was off to the Lensert house for a big get together with a bunch of families.  They were kind enough to host the same party last year, and it's a blast to see everyone again and meet new additions to the family in person.  Now that the kids are a little older, they had a grand time running everywhere and playing every game under the sun.  Evan thought Davis' Indiana Jones costume was too cool for words, and loved chasing Maya in the back yard. 

We got a group shot like we did in 2010, but I had the wrong camera lens to get everyone in one shot!  So here's two photos stitched together... as good as it gets.

Drew Pariseau, Davis Lensert, Lily and Marissa Hueffner, Jeremy Beloungy, Lew Orchard, Sydney and Jaxon Haigh,
Evan Pariseau, and Maya Lensert

Vacation!

Wisconsin, here we come!  It's time to show Drew where mommy and daddy grew up, and for Evan to experience more of what our home state has to offer.  We made lists and packed, then shopped and packed again, and tried as hard as we could to make the trip easy on us and fun for the boys.  Hopefully we were successful!  American Airlines was also kind enough to start a new direct route from Charlottesville to Chicago, so we wouldn't have to do a layover.  That was wonderful!  The plane wasn't big, but that was ok - there were two seats on one side and one seat on the other, so it was perfect for us!  We bought an airplane kid harness so we wouldn't have to lug the carseat on the plane, and Evan got some spiffy new headphones to watch a movie in-flight. Drew was amazing and slept the entire flight - I would have bet money that he would wake and want to eat, but he must have loved the sound and feel of the plane's vibrations.  Evan did great too.  He was a little antsy after sitting for so long, but then we all were.  It didn't help that we arrived in Chicago about 15 minutes early and had to sit on the plane on the runway while we waited for our gate to clear.  He couldn't understand why we couldn't just open the door and leave.  When we finally got out of the plane, we cruised through to get out luggage, Evan and daddy went to the car rental while Drew and mommy waited outside and Drew got some dinner.  Then we all made the first required stop of the trip: Culvers!  Mmmmm.

Prince Evan!

This week was prince and princess week at school.  The kids did a lot of fun projects!  Evan came home with a drawing of a castle, a crown, a shield, and two keys - one for unlocking the princess and one for unlocking the treasure.  So he wouldn't be left out, Evan dressed Drew up like a cowboy.  Because as everyone knows, there's always a cowboy in the prince's castle!

 

Play time

It's always playtime around this house!  Drew is happily discovering his playmat, and all the brightly colored toys that hang within reach.  But so is Evan! He loves to sit on the mat and play with Drew, showing him how each toy squeaks, shakes, and dances.  He's practicing being a good big brother/teacher, and Drew's soaking up all the new knowledge and love. 

Time to Feed Ernie!

Evan has chores to do - help set the table, clean up his toys, and feed Ernie.  Today he decided to change up the way he does that last task: it would be much more fun to feed Ernie piece by piece.  And Ernie didn't seem to mind!

Fire Trucks

While coming home from school today, we stumbled on Charlottesville's participation in National Night Out, a crime prevention program.  There were all sorts of law enforcement officers in the Target parking lot, so we decided to check it out.  Evan was beside himself that he got to actually talk to a real live Fireman, and when he said Evan could wear the helmet and drive the truck, he couldn't have been happier.  We toured the ambulance too and took a turn in the bouncy house (shaped like a fire truck).  Drew and mommy went into Target for some much-needed air conditioning, and Evan and Mike stayed to check out the ATVs, motorcycles, police dogs, and SWAT team.  Apparently the local news was covering the event, because we all got on the local NBC station that evening! 

Evan's not even as tall as
the firetruck wheel!