Greaney invasion of the Botanical Gardens

Kendall and I have been very busy taking advantage of our Friday's in May together, and the nice weather. One Friday we had a fun adventure with the Quaid's and some other friends at Wagner Farm. Although the other kids checked out the animals, Kendall had the most fun running through the industrial sprinklers. Oh, and dragging the other kids along to do it too. She is an instigator.

The next week, we set off for the Botanical Gardens with Grandma & Grandpa Greaney and Aunt Nell. This adventure was filled with lots of things Kendall loves, water, fountains, birds, flowers, and trains.

It was a very warm day, and a lot of walking for expectant mommy, but we had an excellent time exploring. Aunt Nell ran around with Kendall and took her exploring through the grounds while we all checked out every fountain and flower.

I had known the Garden's had trains, but I did not know the extent of the setup until we explored it. Lots of model trains, including Thomas and Friends (which Kendall was all excited about), as well as replicas of landmarks in the US. There were monuments and mountains (an exploding Mt Saint Helen's), as well as ball parks and homes (the White House and Frank Loyd Wrights). Everything made out of plants or bark. Trains above and trains below, with and without cars carrying all sorts of things. It was a pretty cool display, especially if you are 2 and love things that move.

We hope to go back soon and wander some more. I'm kind of slow these days so we did not get too far, but I think there is a lot more in store for us, especially as the seasons change.

New Adventures in Old Milwaukee

Milwaukee. Vacation mecca of the mid west. Well, we sure like it there. Could be the nostalgia of returning to the scene of many a college memory for Nate and I, or the fact that we can get away to another city with Kendall - and it only takes an hour to get there.

This past April, Kendall and I got Nate a weekend trip to Milwaukee, complete with tickets to the Cubs v. Brewers game. As opposed to how Nate and I usually do up Milwaukee (which is usually a basketball game, dinner, and hitting up some local establishments we used to frequent) we did a nice relaxing family trip - just the 3 of us. We went in thinking we would hit the usual family destinations - Milwaukee County Zoo, Marquette Campus, maybe the lake shore, and of course, Pizza Shuttle for Nate's BBQ Pizza fix. The 3 of us ended up on a slightly different adventure taking in a lot of sights we had never seen in a city Nate and I lived in for 5 years.

We were staying downtown in a nifty suite hotel on Wisconsin Ave. Although not the swankiest of digs, Kendall LOVED it. Every time we left, she would ask "Go back to the ho-towel?" She explored the whole room over and over - just being somewhere new was exciting. This love of the hotel ended up shaping out trip, because Kendall never wanted to leave. Thus, no zoo, and we needed to come up with a new plan closer to our hotel home base.

We hit up campus first to see all the changes and just wander around. This is where our doing something new adventure in Milwaukee began. When we got onto campus, we noticed that the Joan of Arc chapel was open. Although we walked past it daily when going to and from our jobs in the library (not studying mind you), neither Nate or I had ever been inside. So, we went in and had a tour. All sorts of history about the move from France and restoration. It was definitely something new we had never done.

We were also in luck that the semester had ended the day before so we were able to get into the buildings. Felt a little like trespassing since campus was empty, but it was nice to run in and let Kendall do some exploring.

But after that excursion, we had to go back to the "ho-towel", you know to check it out again. Make sure the bed was made. So after naps, we set off on another new adventure in Milwaukee and did the Milwaukee River Cruise.

Now, if you have ever been to Milwaukee during the summer, you know the river is kind of icky, and stinky. Mostly due to the heavy industry. That should be reason enough to avoid getting on a boat and floating down river. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised.

The tour was neat and took us down the River from about a block from the hotel, through the 3rd Ward (which is way more trendy than I recalled), and out into the harbor. It was a chilly, but beautiful, sunny day, and Kendall LOVES boats. This made for an enjoyable tour, and Nate and I saw Milwaukee from a different side than we had before. I could have skipped the tour of the industrial part of the river though.

We even got to see my old apartment from the water - which was a different view. I miss that apartment.

Since this was Mother's Day weekend, I did get to choose one of our destinations. I wanted to see more of the 3rd Ward and the Milwaukee Public Market, and since we were on a new things in Milwaukee adventure, we checked it out. No fish throwing in the Market, but it was still a cool place to explore. Especially the lobster tank we had to drag Kendall away from. I think it was just in time too, the lobsters were mobilizing for an escape and had gotten themselves into a big pile, and one was climbing his way up to freedom.

Last on our tour of Milwaukee was Miller Park. This was a new one for Kendall since Nate and I were there when it opened. Kendall enjoyed her first baseball game - Cubs v. Brewers. Even though we did not nap prior to the game, Kendall was a trouper and made it all the way through the 7th inning before we headed out. Of course, no trip to Miller Park is complete without the Sausage Race, so that was definitely a highlight (we always root for the Hot Dog since it shares Nate's birthday, but the Italian won). Kendall seemed to really dig the game - she has asked to go back to a baseball game many times since. But next time will be a White Sox game.

We really enjoyed our new adventure in Milwaukee, and plan to back soon.