Grandparents-a-plenty

Total times swimming this summer: zero.



We've been lucky enough to spend a lot of our August weekends at the cottage with family. Typically this means hot afternoons floating lazily in the lake. Unfortunately this summer it means bundling up just short of a hat & mittens. But we've still been able to have a good time.

We started off the month with the annual Martin/Maio weekend, a recent tradition which happens now every year during the EAA. All the grandparents were there and waiting by the time we finally pulled in, and truly I'm sure no one would have noticed if Matt and I had just dropped off the baby and the dog and disappeared until Sunday night...except for perhaps when she had a dirty diaper. We know our place.

On Saturday my dad went off to the big air show and Karl and Matt busied themselves with cutting down trees and splitting logs. We four ladies took the crappy weather opportunity to head to Princeton, a cute little town about 20 miles from Wautoma filled with charming little shops. Our first stop was for lunch, and when we walked into the cafe we were greeted by a special little hostess named Sara. She was maybe 5 years old and had Down's, and was absolutely fascinated by Genevieve. I can't say that her parents (the cafe owners we assumed) did much to distract her from us while we ate, but G didn't mind so I didn't mind. Sara was extremely concerned whenever G got some food on her face (hi, every 2 seconds) and kept grabbing napkins to clean her up. It was pretty sweet.

G with our hostess

We continued on to an antique shop that had some amazing old furniture, and we came across a collection of cool vintage hats. Guess who got to model them all?

A flapper night on the town


A formal affair


Tea with the Queen


Out to the jazz club


Who turned out the lights?

And despite the negative windchills, we did manage to spend a little time on the boat.

There's that wiggly moustache again


Step aside friends, I've got places to go


Note to self: six adults = beaching the boat

We were up again this past weekend for a Maio extravaganza, bringing together sarcasm from across the Midwest. Matt's younger cousins, Dylan and Sammy, got some serious boating and fishing in, while hopefully his other cousin, Andi, got to snooze and relax. It was chilly again, but bright and beautiful so I'll take it.

Ralphie taking love where ever he can get it.


Sooooooooo close to letting go...


Dylan kicks our collective butts in number of fish caught, even if they are a wee bit petite