Last weekend we were finally able to head out on what turned out to be the most perfect day for winter walking: sunny, a warm 23 degrees, and plenty of snow!

We headed 5 minutes down the road to Corbett’s Glen to wander along a simple stream-side trail.

Of course, Bridgette could not leave home without “Cousin Juliet Baby Doll,” who happens to be wearing a brand new outfit!

She and Bridgette took their privileged seats perched upon Papa’s back!

August was warm and snuggly bundled up and strapped to Mama’s back.

Was he comfortable? You be the judge!!!

Bridgette took some time to run around in the snow and enjoyed trying out Papa’s poles!

Baby doll took a little break along the way too!

Bridgette absolutely loved it! August slept through it! And we were able to enjoy the beauty of the winter wonderland that we live in! What a great day!

For the third year in a row, we attended Brat Fest, adding a child with each visit.

It was a cool 55 degrees. Perfect for us!

You’re looking at the world’s largest brat being grilled by a couple dozen volunteers.

It was over 54′ long. And that’s a  54′ bun next to it.

For $4, you could buy 6″ of this 54′ brat, with all the money going to help the victims of the Oklahoma tornado. All other brat sales go to local charities.

And some people even bring their birds to the festival and push them around in a stroller. We’re big fans of the grilled corn, which is dipped in a vat of melted butter!

And Bridgette, well, she is full of funny faces lately. She’s so expressive and energetic. I get my exercise chasing her.

August, well, he’s doing great too.

We had a great time with friends and will miss this event!

A visit to the state capitol, in Madison, to see the Christmas Tree.

Olin-Turville Park in Madison has a free Christmas light show every year.

Bridgette gets to ride on Papa’s lap as we slowly drive through the park to see the different light displays.

If you want music, you can tune in to AM radio to hear old time Christmas tunes.

We love doing this every year!

The Mall had a fancy booth set up for Pictures with Santa. I picked up a flyer to check pricing. The cheapest package was $21 for 2 4×6 prints. HIGHWAY ROBBERY PEOPLE!

I told Rick, “FORGET IT!”

Then I found out that Santa would be at our local library and I could set my daughter on his lap and take my own picture FOR FREE!

That’s what I’m talking about.

(PS: Happy Birthday Dad! 12.12.48)

Bridgette and Cosette celebrating a friend’s birthday at the Henry Vilas ZooShe was a mad woman, running people over with her stroller!

I over heard a passerby say, “That girl’s on a MISSION!”

Just Bridgette and her puppy!

Ice Age Trail, Wisconsin

Madison in the Summer is so great!! There is so much to do and a lot of it is free.

We tried to get to the zoo as often as we could and this was her first time on the carousel.

She liked it for about one rotation, then wanted to get off.

Close Encounters at the zoo!

I love her spunk and passion for life. She makes us so happy!

Me and B invited our friends for a trip to Devil’s lake for a few hours.

It was crowded, sandy, warm and wet. Bridgette LOVED being able to stand up in the lake and walk around in her float.

She also discovered and ate mouthfuls of sand!

The child loves watermelon! She couldn’t stop. (Sounds like me!)

Kari and Tristan, we had so much fun with you guys. Let’s do it again!

Sunday walk with the B.

Memorial Day Celebrations on the Capitol

I picked up my friend, Jenn, and we headed to the capital, husbandless, and enjoyed the ending of the Memorial Day Ceremony at the Capitol.

Afterwards, we walked State Street and dined at the Sunroom cafe for brunch.

Great food, fun company and a great way to remember our Veterans.

(Thank you, Jenn, for taking some pictures of me with my B.)

We we blessed to have a few invitations for dinner on Christmas Eve!

We have such wonderful friends here in Madison.

Dinner was simple. Amazing.  Clam Chowder and Lentil Soup with bread.

The children put on a Nativity Marionette puppet show for the guests and it was so incredible! We read from Luke 2 and sang Christmas songs. It was a simple yet special evening for us. We enjoyed ourselves and wonder how we can ever return the favor. They were wonderful hosts!

There was a heated debate in Madison about this “Christmas Tree.”  A LAME debate if you ask me.

For the past few years it has apparently been called a “HOLIDAY TREE.”

Oh brother, PLEASE!

::: rolls eyes :::

(Have we completely taken CHRIST out of Christmas?)

Many feel it’s taboo to mix religion and politics, but seriously?!

“I just don’t see why it makes sense to insult people’s intelligence by calling a Christmas tree a holiday tree when everybody knows it’s a Christmas tree,” Steineke said. (Ya, don’t insult my intelligence!)

Governor Walker said,

“It’s a Christmas Tree folks, not a Holiday Tree so that’s what we’re calling it!”

AMEN!

(Nice work, Governor Walker.)

On a happier note, the tree was decorated by school children from all over Wisconsin and the theme  of the tree is 163 Years of Wisconsin’s Veterans.

We took a stroll through the Holiday Fantasy in Lights.

I like that it was free.

I like that it was about 5 minutes to drive through the entire thing.

And I like that Bridgette could sit on my lap and see the lights.

It was a lovely little outing before Christmas!

On October 8th, Rick turned 31.

We decided to celebrate as a family and hike the rolling hills at Devil’s Lake.

It was so nice that the entire state of Wisconsin was there too, to help celebrate! The park was PACKED like I’ve never seen before. All parking lots were full and all side streets were full.

The hiking trails were really busy. It was a warm day in October….75!

The B enjoyed the ride for the first 30-40 minutes, then she was all fussy pants on the way down.

We had to carry her in our arms. We probably looked like a bunch of morons with an empty back on Rick’s back and a baby in our arms!

She sure looked cute in there tho!

I love this girl!