wautoma oh-nine

this weekend we went on our annual vacation to wautoma, wi with the msoe gang - the harms', maios, and bansemars. we weren't able to go last summer, so this was the first year we had kiddos along. last time we were there there were eight adults and one baby on the way. this year there were eight adults, three babies, and three more on the way! oh, how times have changed.

the three preggo mamas

anyways...we drove there on friday night. it's typically a 3 hour trek, but we took almost four. that's what you get when you have a 14 month old who needs to eat dinner and stretch out his legs :) miles was such a good little traveler. he played quietly with his books and toys for some of the trip and snoozed on and off. about half of the gang was there to greet us. the bansemars rode up with matt and baby genevieve. her mama, sarah, had to work friday night and the harms' came on saturday morning as well. we settled into our "wing" of the cabin and headed down to the campfire to stay warm. it was freeeeeezing out! in fact, we had to start up the wood burning stove in the kitchen on saturday. july? what?! needless to say, we didn't do any swimming on saturday either. we did, however, go on our daily pontoon ride around mill pond. the babies were adorable in their little life vests. genevieve wasn't so fond of this fashion disaster. oh the humanity!

who are we to blame them for their lack of enthusiasm...
...this isn't exactly a coveted safety feature
a chilly boat ride

lucky for us sunday brought s-u-n!! it was gorgeous out and we took advantage of the only opportunity of the weekend to dip the babies in the lake. ethan was psyched! uncle shawn stepped up to the plate and took him swimming as his daddy (scott) had a bit of a run in with some sparklers over the 4th of july which resulted in 2nd degree burns all over his hand...lovingly earning him the nickname of "mj" (scroll to see spectacular glove bandage).

on the other hand, miles was NOT impressed with the natural spring waters of mill pond. not even a new nemo floatie could make this introduction to lake swimming fun. he cracked a smile (or two), but was especially happy to exit the water and get in the driver's seat of the boat. I can't say that I blame him. it wasn't what I would call "warm" water and the cool summer breezes were not masked by his adorable little swim shirt.

headed to the beach...note he is NOT sadhappy to be on dry land!
ahoy captainmiss g - bathing beauty & boat driver extraordinaire

everyone recovered and the guys settled in for some game time. first up? some sort of baseball ditty that I really don't understand (update from kyle: the game is called "pepper"). here are a couple of pics:

scheming to "fake out" matt

these three yahoos actually played college baseball

next...a rousing game of beer darts. in case you're unfamiliar with this fascinating little game, let me briefly explain. two people + sharp dart + puncturing a beer can + drinking down to the puncture = fun? apparently so. it even required a tournament bracket. kyle was the champion. I'm so proud.
we feel so fortunate to be able to spend time with our dear friends every year. it's amazing to watch how our families are growing. here are a few more photos to commemorate this annual trip. until wautoma 2010...

chow time
little buddiesroasting marshmallows with our dr. suess stickfirst smore