Our Generation Vol 3. No. 11 Hello... Wisconsin

We planned our trip to Minnesota to coincide with our trip to Wisconsin for Dana and Rory's wedding reception. Dana and Rory got married back in December and many people were unable to attend, so Dana's dad threw a party for his family back in Wisconsin. After driving three hours from Northfield, MN we were psyched to drive up to this charming farm for the big party. We didn't know very many people at the party but sure did enjoy meeting Rory, Tina and Susan and of course, seeing Dana.

Go Longhorns!!!


Some of Dana's younger cousins came prepared to the party with toys, games and FIREWORKS! Here are all the little kids watching the bigger kids blow things up.

After a night in Green Lake we drove down to Milwaukee for the rest of the trip. The first night we were there, we stumbled upon the waterfront and waited... so patiently... for the 4th of July fireworks display (held on the 3rd of July). We waited for hours and hours, even sent daddy back to the hotel to get some snacks and blankets but we all agree that these were some of the most impressive fireworks ever. The show lasted for over an hour and after a long time, lulled Ben to sleep!


When in Milwaukee, do what the people from Milwaukee do... go to a Brewers game. What luck... they were playing the AZ Diamondbacks! The best part about the game was that we were allowed to tailgate before it.


We left when the Brewers were ahead (we were sitting in direct sunlight with small children- give us a break!) but later heard that the Diamondbacks won, YEAH!

Dinner with Dana. Mia loved playing games with her.

Lonestar Beer is made in Milwaukee? Yes.

Harley Davidson Museum- gotta get us one (or two or three or four)





Too cool for school. What a great family vacation! Thank you Wisconsin!

Our Generation Vol. 3 No. 10 Minnesota Here We Come!

Our flight to Minneapolis, Minnesota went without a hitch. We arrived in MN just in time for lunch and Daddy was able to navigate us over to the Mall of America. Mia and Ben watched the indoor roller coasters with wide-eyes and it made it all worth the 4:30am wake up.

After a short drive south to Northfield, we arrived at the Stanton Airpark. Daddy's cousin, Sharlet, and her husband, Kent, live on top of the airport, literally. You would not believe how crazy stoked Ben and Mia were when we drove up to see a HUGE play-scape and planes and gliders everywhere!!! We were inpressed that the runway was a grass runway and that they had a flight simulator and desk from WWII.

While in Northfield, we saw the Malt-O-Meal factory, Grandma's house that she grew up in, the cemetery where her parents are buried (the church was no longer there), the falls, downtown Northfield and many quaint shops and restaurants such as the coffee shop below. Mia and Ben wanted their own dining spaces (hmm, not a bad idea).

Great-grandma and grandpa Oleson's tombstones

Northfield Falls- the original Malt-O-Meal factory was right across from this lookout

We stayed in a really nice apartment located a short golf cart ride away from the airport. Uncle Bob stayed with us and despite our time zone and sleep schedule differences, we managed to have some amazing tickle fights.

Sharlet planned a wonderful reunion with all of the Minnesota family. It was so great to meet so many cousins!

During the party, dark clouds started to billow and approached with speed. We were forced inside to watch one of the most amazing thunderstorms that we've ever seen.

We were blessed with this sunset after the storm

Mia and Maddie co-piloting a plane, while Ben takes on flying all by himself.

We had such a great time in Minnesota. It was a truly fabulous trip! Next stop... Green Lake, Wisconsin...

Our Generation Vol. 3 No. 9 Summer Summer Summertime

Our summer started off by listening to some live music (surprised?). This time we were lucky enough to see Daddy's new band, Brother Not Brother, perform at the Anne Arundal County Jam for the Animals. It was a sweltering day but fortunately the band scored the covered stage. Mia and Ben had a blast with friend, Avery, listening to Daddy shred and the boys jam out. A good time was had by all!


As the heat index climbs to triple digits, we plunge into the pool to keep cool. Here we are with Allen, Elaine, Owen and Nora. We were surprised to see that someone had installed a temporary tight rope- what fun!


Mia is really into writing and this was one of our favorite samples! How sweet is this? She wrote it entirely unprompted and it just melted our hearts.

Dori and Javi's son, Johan, turned 3 with a dinosaur party. We went to the Prince George County Nature Center for a fun-filled afternoon of dinosaur bingo, petting zoo, dinosaur egg hunt and more.