Earlier in the summer, we went to visit family in Wisconsin. Jaime grew up in Baraboo and his brother and sister-in-law, along with tons of childhood friends, all still live there. Actually, his brother bought the house they lived in as kids so it's always a fun and special time to go back! It's roughly a 17 hour trip that we were attempting to drive with our 3 little ones and though I was a little nervous, the trip ended up being great! We left after dinner on a Saturday night so that the kids could mostly sleep while we drove. For the most part, that's what happened and I couldn't have asked for a better trip. By about 11am on Sunday, we were in town and actually beat Jed and Traci home from church! We were all ready to be out of the car and rest. Jaime slept with Easton while I napped with Brooklyn and Maddie (of course) stayed up and played with her Aunt Traci! After naps, we enjoyed catching up and watching the kids play. The weather was SO nice and the kids could actually go outside with out sweating to death! We enjoyed swinging in the front porch swing and watching them run up and down the sidewalk. Baraboo is a great town to raise a family. It's safe and quiet. It's a much slower pace and a "different way of life". Just how I like it! We were close enough to parks that we simply walked to them and the kids had a blast!
We also enjoyed meeting our newest nephew and cousin, Andrew. He turned 7 weeks old while we were there visiting! It was so much fun to love on a newborn baby again. You know me, I love babies.... :)
One day, we went to the circus. Baraboo is the home of the Barnum and Bailey circus and there is a lot of history in the town. The Circus World Museum is there, the big top, all the old railroad cars, wagons, etc. The ringmaster is the same man that was there when Jaime was a kid and if you watched Nic Wallenda walk across the Grand Canyon the other night, you will have seen a clip of him. The Wallenda family use to perform in Baraboo! Jed (Uncle Monkey) is a big circus and magic nut so he volunteers weekly there and also dresses up, as Presto the Clown. Sounds odd, but for this town, it's totally a big deal and he has made quite the name for himself. He incorporates it as a ministry opportunity and does a great job!
We also got tickets to a water park in the Wisconsin Dells (a huge tourist-trap area about 15 minutes from Baraboo). The water was a little cool but there was also an inside water park area that was much more comfortable! We had a great time and on the way home, stopped at a fun restaurant that brought out your food on a train. It was very unique and the kids had a blast playing at the HUGE arcade attached, after eating!
After a fun week, we headed back to Texas (and the heat). On our way home, we stopped at a Lamberts to eat. I had eaten at one when I did rec team for ETBU. Its a fun atmosphere and I knew Jaime and the kids would love it! What a great end to a great week!
