Wisconsin

Lennon, Telsa and I ventured to Wisconsin in August, to celebrate my Grandma's 80th birthday.  Unfortunately, Adam was not able to come because school had started already.  Navigating through the airport with two kids was a breeze--the security process was very baby-friendly.  The flight went really well--Lennon was excited about flying, like he always is, and Tesla fussed for about 5 minutes until she fell asleep.  While Lennon was watching a movie, I got to doze off a bit! The flight seemed really fast and wasn't nearly as exhausting as I was anticipating.  It was the drive from the airport to the house that was rough--Tesla was off on her schedule and didn't fall asleep in the car.  There are two options for Tesla in the car:  fall asleep or cry because she's awake and not being held.  So my mom and I drove the 60 minutes home with a crying (sometimes screaming) baby in the backseat (while Lennon slept--my kids are very different!)

Emery was very excited to meet his new cousin and had just woken up from his nap when we got to the house--the first introduction was of a very upset little girl!

Leah was brave enough to take Tesla during bedtime several nights, to give me a break from juggling two kids at once.  Tesla doesn't have much tolerance for anyone but her mommy (especially at night), but Leah remained patience through the cries and screams of the pissed off little girl and even got her to sleep a couple times...she was my hero!

Here's a typical reaction from Tesla when someone, other than her mommy, is holding her (but thankfully she was getting more generous with her smiles to others)  Seconds before this picture was taken, she was all smiles and giggles with her auntie:

Lennon and Emery had a blast with each other--hooray!  One of their favorite games was racing back and forth on the sidewalk.  Emery was always faster--I think the fact that his legs were like 6 inches longer than Lennon's had something to do with it!!

The weather was amazing while we were there (I packed clothes expecting hot and humid weather but got mild, even chilly, weather--so we cycled through the few warmer outfits we each had).  Several nights we enjoyed a fire in the backyard.  Here are Grandpa and Tesla cuddled up--she's enthralled with him already!

And Grandma snuggling with Tesla by the fire:

My mom hosted a party Saturday night for all the family friends to come over and see the boys and meet Tesla--it was so much fun!  I got to see all three of the families I used to babysit for.  Mackenzie and Brenna came, neither of whom were born when I began babysitting for their families; and Ian, Brenna's oldest brother, stopped by as well--it was definitely one of the highlights of my trip!

On Sunday was my Grandma's big 80th party at the riverside park in Watertown.  It was fun being back at the park, since that is where we had our family reunions when my great-grandparents were alive.  It was so much fun catching up with the family--and my grandma was so happy!  Tesla did really well being passed around to everyone and Lennon had a great time on the huge playground. 

 

My Grandma with her first great-granddaughter:

 

Patti came to visit for the weekend and the kids have so much fun with her.  We went out to breakfast and Lennon requested to sit next to her.

 

Grandma making Tesla laugh:

 

Drew, Leah and I took the kids to Watertown on Tuesday, Grandma's actual birthday, to help her with a party she was throwing.  Drew entertained the boys most of the time, and they would make a well-timed appearance every so often to see Grandma's friends--it went well and it was fun to see Grandma with all her friends.

 

Uncle Drew bonding with Tesla:

  Trolley

We went to East Troy one day to ride the trolley and then went the Elegant Farmer, where we picked up lunch and some fresh, squeeky cheese curds!  For some reason, Lennon thought a trolley was like a carousel, which he decided at some point he doesn't like (apparently my child is the only kid in the world that doesn't like merry-go-rounds!).  He was pleasantly surprised when he learned a trolley is like a train.  Here he is waiting to board the trolley (still not sure what to think of it, but got on at least!)

 With Auntie Leah:

The trolley was the original one from the 1920s that they used to and from Chicago--very fun!

After the trolley we went to Lauber's ice cream parlor, which is an old-fashioned ice cream shop.  My Grandma used to take us there all the time and I had forgotten about it until I walking through the doors.  It had a working jukebox, which the boys (and my mom) had fun with:

 She's just too cute for words!

 

The last morning we were all together, Grandma wanted a picture with all her grandchildren.  Of course, Lennon and Emery had gone 10 days sharing with each other and they were done with it.  Before this picture was taken they were fighting over the truck--here they are "sharing," which just means they each had a hold of it and were pulling it with equal force.

The three grandchildren.  After the picture was taken, the boys jumped off the couch and let Tesla flop to the side. 

 The flight home was a little more exhausting--I was so over being a single parent (I have a new appreciation for my mom) and missed my husband.  The last five days of the trip, Lennon began having awful temper-tantrums--throw himself on the ground, kicking and screaming tantrums.  It was too long for him to be away from his daddy and best friend.  Though I understood his sadness and frustration, I was hating the tantrums--and, because I never knew when they would start, I was in survival mode those last days, trying to prevent more meltdowns.  The flight home was an evening flight, which is Tesla's fussy time, so I was prepared for crying (though too exhausted to be ready to deal with it).  Tesla started to cry when the doors closed and we started to taxi for takeoff and she cried for about 30 minutes.  Lennon fell asleep 5 minutes before we landed and fell into a really deep sleep (and I didn't notice until it was too late).  All I could think about was another meltdown and knowing that there was no way I could get us off he plane if Lennon didn't walk off.  Thankfully, hearing that Adam was waiting for us brought Lennon back from the edge and we hurried off the plane and into Adam's arms!  I was so torn leaving Wisconsin--on the one hand, I was ready to get home and see Adam, but on the other, I was having so much fun with everyone and knew it would be too long until we see everyone again. 

Tesla turned 2 months old while we were in Wisconsin--she's getting so big! She's still so aware of everything and refuses to sleep because she doesn't to miss the party!  She's a feisty one and will definitely make her feelings known--especially when she's mad.  She still gets very mad when her daddy takes her away from her mommy, and then after screaming (could be for 5 minutes or for an hour) she will stop instantly when she's back in her mommy's arms--what a stinker!