Wisconsin Weekend!

With my brother having a new baby and the fact that we hadn't been to their place in Wisconsin yet, (except for Jonathon when he surprised them with a quick stop on a business trip) we decided that it was time to go visit and enjoy some family time.  Their temporary place is quite small, so we found a nice little hotel in Hillsboro to sleep and swim of course, and then spent the rest of the time at their house or exploring the surrounding areas where they are thinking of buying, where the children go to school, and fun things in the woods the children have built.  I would have loved to have taken more pictures of what all we did because if was a packed full weekend of endless fun, but I couldn't do that.  I did capture a couple from a distance, so you'll just have to enjoy those.  :)

We met my parents at a gas station where we handed over the boys.  They got to travel with them on the way there.  The girls got their turn on the way back home.  Our first potty stop was quite a ways into the trip which was nice.  We dealt with Saphira getting car sick.  I guess it isn't a real road trip without one of our children getting sick.  So, when we stopped, I cleaned out the bucket, we all went to the bathroom, the guys got some snacks, and I made our passengers sandwiches for lunch.  The other van load already ate their sandwiches.  

 The boys all ready to hit the road again and eating our extra sandwiches.  Those boys are beginning to have endless bellies.

 The men figuring out the best route despite what the GPS says.  

 Warm sunshine on the faces, full bellies, and grandma make for happy girls.

 We had a dance session in our van.  Saphira was cracking us up!...and Diella too.  :)

We checked into the hotel since they are an hour earlier there.  We were hoping to pick up pizzas and ice cream for supper, so we didn't want to get our food too soon or the ice cream would melt.  So, we checked all the areas out at the hotel, rested a little, then off to the grocery store.

We had a birthday supper for Geneva with pizza, cake, and ice cream.  Not a single piece leftover from 8 pizzas, I think is what they bought.  :)  Many mouths makes much eating!  Since that was evening, we didn't get too much visiting time in.  We cleaned up to prepare for supper, ate, visited, met all the littlest little ones over again since Saphira and Konrad were both little babies the last time we saw them, and sang.  That ended Friday night.  We headed back to the hotel, so the children could get a swim in and a water fight with Grandpa before bedtime.  I tried to get Saphira asleep while they were all at the pool, but my plan didn't work out, so I missed out on the big water fight.

The next morning Dad and Mom left for breakfast (continental) while the rest of us slept.  I took the ready-to-get-going children down for breakfast before Dad and Mom left, so we visited with them a bit before they headed on over to my brother's.  Once we were all around and ready to go, Jonathon drove us over to where the land is they want to buy, then we went to their house. Mom and I made all the meals ahead of time, so we weren't spending time cooking and doing dishes the whole weekend.  I sent my rice and challah along with them so the rice could be thawed out, ready to be heated.  Before lunch everybody except Ellen and I and the smaller children, went over to the land they want to buy, see the school, and visit with Jesse Lambright who also lives up there, who happened to be outside at his house when they drove by. I'm sure that was a surprise visit for him.

 The children had so much fun riding.  

 Benaiah's squinty face.

 Our day on Saturday was filled with singing, crafts, exploring, buggy rides for the children (driven by the children), meals, poem reciting, and chats about our growing children.  Full, full day!  We left after a hilarious game of Hunter and Deer and some singing.  Back to the hotel for some swimming, but the pool was packed so we opted out and just spent time together in the room before going to bed.

Sunday morning while Jonathon and I slept, Dad and Mom took the 3 oldest children swimming.  I had a nice quiet shower before they all returned to get ready for breakfast and to leave.  We spent only a couple hours at Joshua's on Sunday morning before heading home.  Dad did a nice devotional, we sang, and then said our good byes.  

We had a quiet van of Josiah, Benaiah, and Saphira most of the way home.  We detoured and went a looked at a van for us to buy while the other van headed to some shops in Michigan City.  We met back up at Dad and Mom's house and then continued on home.  Good trip.  Good memories.

This is what happens when you fall asleep with your hand in your bowl of cheerios. :)

And we all slept peacefully in our beds at home!