Dutch Hollow Lake

The girls getting ready to swim at Dutch Hollow Lake.


Andelise did not like this suit one bit.


A family picture at the lake.

with Grandma, too.

And the most fun of all....burrying Daddy in the sand!

It was a wonderful weekend of lasting memories.

Camping in Wisconsin

Starting a campfire poses to be fairly tricky with wet wood and a wet fire pit.

The girls enjoy playing with the rocks as we pack up the van.


Nikelle does a good job of keeping her baby sister safe as I attempt to capture a picture that does not happen...

...because Andelise would rather find danger!

Alas, peace. Grandma pushed Ande around for a while a few times in order for Rod and I to accomplish something at the camp site.

More fun in Wisconsin

Our annual pictures in front of the tee pee by the trading post.








Our girls prior to the start of the LaValle parade.







Grandma and Nike show respect for our country and our veterans.

Grandma steps up to the job of making Jaycie feel safe as the engines and their sirens passed by.

Andelise caught on quickly to the candy part of the parade and enjoyed a dumdum lollipop.

She is still clutching some sweet tarts here at the end of the parade that she picked up at the beginning.


There are many sweet memories that brought tears to our eyes over the weekend but we are grateful for the many more we are still able to make.

Choosing joy amidst the rain

We went to the Dells for a little vacation. Our plan was to camp at Dutch Hollow Lake. Unfortunately, we drove up during a monsoon and decided it would be best to get a hotel room for the night. I have to admit that my initial response to all the rain was to grumble. It did not seem like it was going to be much fun to set up a tent and sleep in puddles of water all night long. I'm so glad I chose joy. It was so much nicer to choose to find a solution rather than just pout. This is not my nature to choose joy but I would certainly like to remember the benefits to embracing the change of plans.



Rather than fight the storms, we chose to spend the money for a hotel room where the kids could enjoy some playtime in the pool. We made the perfect choice for our family! Nothing too fancy but a little more than just a pool. There was a pool about 6" deep with a couple of slides. The girls loved it! Jaycie enjoyed some one-on-one time with her Daddy here.

Ande wanted to go up and down the slides. She's at the stage now where she wants to wander without being limited by holding onto our hands. Unfortunately, we know the potential end results of allowing her to roam free, so it was fairly exhausting to chase her around all weekend. (Thanks to my mom-in-law for all the times she took on the responsibility!) As we would walk up the slide, she would be saying "whee". We would get to the bottom with her only to have her pulling us to go up the slide again (when she wasn't attempting to climb back up the slide).

This was the bottom of the slide. Nikelle is enjoying the pictures where she can pretend she's being eaten! Wonder where the girls get the ideas to pose for pictures? (See picture of Rod above.)

The girls certainly enjoyed their time with Grandma. Although bittersweet being back at the Dells for the first time since Dad Carlson passed away, it was nice to watch Grandma playing with the girls. I even have pictures of her coming down the slide but I didn't think I'd embarrass her with those here on my blog!

Both of us agreed that the money spent at the hotel was well worth all the memories. Our decision was confirmed more when we awoke in the morning to thunder, lightening and down pouring rain!

1 John 2:28 (New Century Version)

"Yes, my dear children, live in him so that when Christ comes back, we can be without fear and not be ashamed in his presence."