Jaxon's One!

One year ago today, we became parents! To celebrate Jaxon's first birthday, I thought I'd fill his day with activities he loves the most. So we went to the library where he pulled book after book off the shelves, went on walk, swam at the pool, and of course, ate his favorite food- pasta! His birthday cake was an angel food cupcake with whipped topping and strawberries. After just staring at it for a while, he finally picked it up and shoved it in his mouth. He ate the whole thing, and would've eaten more if we had let him.

Playing with his new car...Jaxon looks on. ;)

There we go.

We are so grateful for Jaxon and the love and joy he brings to our family.

In Honor of the Olympics

To celebrate the Olympics and our summer in Wisconsin drawing to a close, we went canoeing at Governor Dodge State Park. We've been wanting to go canoeing all summer, so we finally up and went. I was a little worried with how Jaxon would do, but he did great! He especially loved it when Travis would rock the canoe side to side.

We didn't want to risk bringing our camera in the canoe with us, but you'll just have to take our word for it that it was a beautiful trip around the lake. We saw cranes, lots of fish, thick forests, rocky cliffs, and sandy beaches. Not to mention the weather's been in the 70s, which has been a nice break for us!

Hyde's Mill

Yesterday, we took a nice scenic drive to Hyde's Mill. It was such a pretty site nestled in trees and corn fields. :) We're really going to miss the beauty of this state. Enjoy the pictures!

Time to go home!

Chicago

It's now been four wonderful years since Travis and I tied the knot! We celebrated by spending our anniversary weekend in Chicago.

We spent most of our time on Navy Pier and from there, went on a scenic boat tour that let us see the Chicago skyline. It was a lot of fun, and the weather was perfect!

Rainbow!

Once the boat docked, we raced down towards Millennium Park to see the iconic Cloud Gate, aka "Bean".

We underestimated how long it would take to walk there from the pier, and we knew we wouldn't make it back to Navy Pier in time to see our Cirque Shanghai performance. So after some panicking, Travis hailed a taxi and we got there just in time! It was a fantastic performance. Even Jaxon liked it. I kept having to turn my head away because I was afraid some of those acrobats would fall!

After the show, we went on the Ferris Wheel and got a beautiful look at all the city lights in the night sky. Being on the Ferris Wheel reminded me of one of my college history classes, where the whole class was about the Chicago World's Fair of 1893. It felt so nice to actually be there after learning so much about it.

The next morning, Brady invited us over for a yummy breakfast. It was a whirlwind weekend, but maybe that's appropriate for a visit to the "windy city". :)

Pioneer Day, Wisconsin Style

Even though we're in Wisconsin, we decided to celebrate our own Pioneer Day, but in Wisconsin style! We went to the park and grilled brats (aka bratwurst), and even got some root beer to go with the occasion. Not exactly the traditional drink that goes with brats, but we put a Mormon twist to it. :)

They were so yummy!

Mississippi River Walk

On Saturday, we drove to Dubuque, Iowa and strolled along the Mississippi River Walk. The weather was nice and cool, and Jaxon had fun watching the cargo and river boats pass by. It was a lot of fun! Travis and I decided that one day we'd kayak down the whole Mississippi.

On our way home, we stopped by a highly recommended ice cream shop and got some very yummy and very unhealthy ice cream. See for yourselves!

Governor Dodge State Park

We live a short drive from Governor Dodge State Park, so that's where we spent our Saturday morning. We had the lake all to ourselves and the water was so warm! Perfect for swimming. We're definitely going back again soon.

In other news, Jaxon got his first real hair cut. I think he looks like such a little boy now. We can't wait to celebrate his first birthday next month!