look who's walking!

We noticed on Sunday, Simone just began choosing to walk over crawl.  Just like that.  At 14 months, she just decided it was time!

Door County or Bust.

The Grizwalds embarked on their first family trip.  Door County, WI was the destination.  Grandma Liz and Grandpa Mark also joined in on the fun.  We stayed at the Landmark Resort in Egg Harbor.  It was the perfect place with two little ones.  We had 3 bedrooms, a kitchen and were in close proximity to the pool.  On Saturday night, Dirk and I ventured to the Gordon Lodge for Brian Planey and Megan Dyer's wedding.  Cullen and Simone stayed back with Grandma and Grandpa.  My mom and dad served as our tour guides - they are experienced Door County visitors, while it was our first adventure.  I have attached links to the fun list of activities:  swimming, a petting zoo, PC Junction train stop, the Cookery, etc.  We had a blast and have vowed to go back.   
www.thelandmarkresort.com/
http://www.gordonlodge.com/
http://www.plumlocoanimalfarm.com/
http://www.pcjunction-doorcounty.com/
http://www.alpineresort.com/
http://www.cookeryfishcreek.com/
http://www.eggharbordoorcounty.org/where-to-play/parks--beaches

Salt Lake City Kid

Cullen and Simone had a recent playdate with Rune Sterbenz.  He was visiting family in La Crosse with his mom, Lisa (Nordeen) Sterbenz.  He's quite the handsome lad and his mom and dad have already approved of his romance with an "older" woman.  Simone is thrilled!

Puddles

The heat is on....

It's too hot to do anything outside except for playing in the water.  On Sunday, we set up a slip and slide and the kids had a blast.  Then on both Monday and Tuesday nights, we had a swim party with the Erickson kids (Julian, Molly, Jackson and Ava).   It's an awesome perk to live on the river during a heat wave.

Chance as good as the lottery....

When trying to take a picture of 2 toddlers and 2 babies, the chance that you will have all 4 looking and smiling is basically as good as purchasing a winning lottery ticket.  I tried my luck at a photo session with the Swanson cousins:  Cullen 3, Jameson 2, Simone 1 and Quinn 3 months.  As you can see, it's a one in a million chance that one perfect pic will turn out.

Little Triathlete

Cullen participated in his first triathlon on Saturday.  The events for the 3 - 4 year-old division were as follows:  swim 20 yards, bike 1/4 mile and run 0.1 miles.  The triathlon was not timed, the goal was merely to finish and have fun while doing so.  Dirk completed the tri alongside Cullen.  Dirk participated in his first sprint triathlon this spring, so he had lots of pointers for the little man.   Cullen opted to swim with the help of Dad, his water belt and the noodle.  As he transitioned out of the pool, his cheering section was there to keep him motivated  (Mom, Simone, Jason, Tracy, Jameson and Quinn).  Dirk was so concerned with getting Cullen ready for the bike that you will notice he neglected to put shoes on his own feet.  This became a bit painful when he and Cullen finished the run in a field of sand burrs.  Cullen attributes his performance to his balance bike and his "fast shoes".   He finished the tri with flying colors and received a medal at the end.  And in his mind, the grand prize was the bounce house at the end of the finish line.  We asked if he would like to do it again next year and he said yes.   We are very proud of our little triathlete.