Fulton Family Vacation-Wisconsin Dells

What a blast we had! Brian and me and the kids, Brian's parents, and Brian's sister and boyfriend all headed to WI to celebrate Brian's dad's retirement!



So many memories and so much fun!



Time as a couple

Time with Brian's parents

Lots and lots of first...like water slides

and raft water slides- even the super big ones that usually only the big kids and adults go down!

Everyone loved the raft slides!

The kids were great and I loved every minute with them (almost)

Luxurious jacuzzi baths in Nana and Grandpa's bathroom at our cabin

Playing on the porch

An indoor playground

Bumper Boats

Clillin and Relaxing after naps

And tons and tons of time at 3 different outdoor waterparks!

There was something for everyone. The big kids

and the little ones too

This was our FIRST ever family vacation that was more than 2 nights.We found life jackets and they were amazing! Alaric started doing all these amazing things- including SWIMMING all over the pool. Amara floated everywhere and jumped in and they were incredible.

Thats Al in deep water he can't touch in just smiling away!!The whole Fulton Fam!

Chris' first time on a big raft slide! We were all so proud of her!

Alaric and Amara were unseperatable and got along famously! Our cabin's kitchen was small but we spent most of our time there!

Joe, Anita, Brian, and Bob golfed. Chris and I had the kids!The indoor wave pool was lots of fun for 10 minutes but not for the day- too rough

Alaric LOVE LOVE LOVED his bunkbed and sleeping on the top bunk. Amara had her crib but she too thought it was pretty great to be able to climb and play on.Chris' birthday is this next week so we surprised her when we were all together. We couldn't find a cake so we went with a summer sausage from WI she loved!Our deck was great and we loved sharing meals out there together.

The last night the ducks got close so the kids felt like they got to share a meal with their ducky friends

We did a special toast to Grandpa at our last dinner to honor his retirement!Bags, Bags, Bags! We loved just putting our in the street and playing in the eveningsThe Fultons!Our little cabin villageJoe and Brian

Chris and AnitaThe kiddos! Give them two empty buckets and a pile of rocks and they are content!

Me and Bob!Each night, when it was too dark to play outside and the kids were asleep, we headed in for Liverpool RummyA trip to Wisconsin isn't complete without stocking up on beer, cheese, and sausage so on our way home we stopped at two different cheese shops to shop including this one with this amazing cow!

We are home, we are tired, and we are still pretending we aren't in the reality of laundry, cleaning, yardwork, and real work yet.

What a wonderful trip we had!!!

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Alaric and Nana in the wave pool

Our fearless, waterbound Alaric

Happy 4th of July!!!

After lunch at my parents house, we headed onto campus to watch the annual parade. The kids were so exited. Veronica and her daddy love to match!
Us Fultons are getting good at parades!

The crew

One minute we were waving our flags and loving all the colorguards and just seconds later, we had been DUMPED on in an amazing downpour that only lasted a few minutes. With 3 kids screaming bloody murder because of the rains and 5 adults trying to keep them calm, get to the car and load up everything- we were done!

We headed back to my parent's house, stripped the kids out of their wet clothes and let them play while we put the close in the dryer. They had fun!

Alaric shows off his parade hat he made at summer camp!

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Al loves to dance!

German's 3rd of July Party

Tonight we headed to our friends the Germans for their annual 3rd of July party.

It's always a blast!

Some of my great friends!

Nothing like potato sack races- the kids loved them!

Amara was so great and loved all the activity!

Fireworks are always fun and these were great for Alaric...

and Amara!

My sweet boy and I sat together and watched the fireworks. So fun!

We leave for vacation today! I wont blog again until next Friday or so. Happy 4th of July!

Happy 3rd of July!

In Monticello, all the Independence Day activities are on the 3rd so we had a busy day ahead of us. It started with a nice, bubbly bath...which I let the kids soak and play in until they were pruny so I could get some things done ( they loved it!). Here they are with Santa beards.
Then we headed on the Square for activities and fun. This is the first year since we've lived in Monticello that the 3rd has fallen on a weekend so this year they decided to do events and bands and vendors on the square and then have a parade for the first time. It was great.

The Savoy Fire station brought their safety house. Alaric, Amara, and a few other kids got to learn about safety and what to do if they smell smoke or see fire. Alaric was totally impressing them with his vast knowlege of what to do. Here they are crawling on the floor in the bedroom to avoid the smoke. The door is too hot. What should they do? Go through the window...

Everyone got out safely, even Mara, into the arms of a firefighter!

Monticello has the most beautiful flowers all over town!

Amara loves parades and she yelled when she saw the first police car telling us it was about to start.

Lots of firetrucks, boyscouts, veterans, politians, etc...and tons and tons of candy!

I love tractors. I think they are so pretty and when they are all riding together, it's actually beautiful...call me weird but it's true!

We walked home and the kids napped for THREE HOURS!!!! Thank God! We've been keeping them up so late and they haven't been sleeping in. Their moods have definately been reflecting sleep deprivation.

We're off to our friends' annual 3rd of July party.

Alaric's in a parade!!!

Alaric's been in summer day camp all week at the Savoy Rec Center with his friend, Cole. It was a patriotic theme. Today the culminated the week with a parade. My parents and I sat on the parade route with Cole's family and Alaric and Cole rode their bicycles with alittle help from Brian. It was Alaric's first time in a parade and he loved it.

A snow plow with Santa!
Lots of kids with the Savoy Rec Sign

Go Alaric, Go!

Brian was a trooper. It's not easy being the pusher of a bunch of 4 and 5 year olds in a parade!

The parade ended at the fire station- Alaric had so much fun!

He's never been to the Savoy firestation so it was great!

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Here they come!

Sesame Street Workshop

Tonight we drove up to Bloomington Normal for a Sesame Street Workshop at the Children's Museum. Tonight was just for Mara. She is such a trooper all the time as we feed Alaric's need for trucks, cars, trains, boats, and other forms of transportation and recently superheros. It was so great to do this for her and she loved every second of it.

She hugs the Elmo she brought before we started the activities.
Fingerpainting

Play Dough

Brian made a message for the kids....I think it was for me too!

Mara loved it when Al and I tried to put on a puppet show and the puppets knew her name.

Then we made our own puppetsThe parachute was a HUGE hit. Alaric loved everything too and was so sweet to his sissy but it was Amara who shined. She squeeled, yelled, jumped, laughed, and couldn't contain herself. So fun to see!

Daddy and Alaric take a moment for themselves

The musical instruments were so fun

And you'd think dancing with ribbons was THE best thing on Earth! Look at that blurry face- she has a plastered smile for an hour straight-priceless!I'm not sure who loved it more...the kids or us seeing how happy they were! What a special night just for Amara.