e finally had the chance to go on a family holiday. Albeit to a 'not-so-high-on-the-list' locale, it was still a holiday.

We flew into Milwaukee and spent the first part of our holiday at the Great Wolf Lodge in Wis Dells.

We spent virtually our entire time in the hotel, going back and forth between the waterpark and our room, and getting some food in between. I have to say, it was the perfect time to go away - it was perfect weather and the hotel was near empty. No lines, no waiting for anything.
Jonah loved the waterslides and playing with balls in the pool. Oh, and he loved Wiley Woods - basically four stories of balls and air guns for them. Need I say more.


He also liked the carpet in the hallways. Although I can't agree with him, something about this section of the carpet kept reminding him of me (Mama) and he would start to laugh.



Next stop was back to Milwaukee to stay with Don and Karen, Joel's uncle and aunt. He settled in nicely and even gave their dog, Angel, a hug. It wasn't until the day we left that Jonah decided Don's name sounded funny. Again, I don't get it.


One of the main reasons for the trip was for Jonah to meet his Great Grandma Fintak. It took him a little while, but he did warm up to her. You see, when sitting, her legs were the perfect roadway for his cars and he thought she was that much cooler when we told him how she used to drive a car just like Flo. At the end of the night Jonah did something he almost never does anymore. He gave his great Grandma a hug and a kiss...without being asked. Very sweet and I think it made her week.


We also made a trip to the Milwaukee County Zoo, another family favorite. Jonah liked feeding the goats, the giraffe, and of course, the monkeys. He also liked the carousel and the train (when each was done, he would ask "Mo? Mo?".

When we took him to the gift shop, he didn't want any stuffed animals, he just wanted a bookmark and a shark to paint. We leared him to a magnet puzzle of animals that he could colour. I think he'll get more use out of this.

Oh, I should also mention that we went to Pedro's (another word that Jonah thinks sounds funny) for dinner and that is only because it is to make Grandma and Grandpa Harstad jealous. Does this picture help any?



Then we were off to visit Great Grandma Harstad. Jonah was introduced to Ted's Pizza, a family favorite when in Menomonie. However, he ate ham and pineapple pizza (instead of the usual mushroom and sausage) and even that wasn't overly impressive to him. Not sure if that is due to him cutting his dinners back in size nearly every day in anticipation of ice cream and/or cookies and/or cake for dessert, or just his own tastebuds, but that's okay. More for us.

Our last night was just the three of us again. Joel departed for Boston (another word that sounds funny to Jonah) for work (again) and so I continued on with just Jonah.

He did great on the plane each time, great in the car, and was just a good kid all around the whole trip.


We are glad to be home, but honestly, I need a vacation.


Here are some things that Jonah learned or started to do this trip:
-when the car stops, he puts his toy cars in his backpack since it is time to get out
-he loves his backpack. He even cried the first two nights because we wouldn't let him sleep with it. Fortunately, he is okay without it now.
-he learned how to climb in and out of his carseat by himself
-he can now say Elmo (uh-moe). No, it is not because he likes Elmo. In fact he has no idea who Elmo really is. It is because his Baby Babble video shows Elmo in it, he has Elmo on his diaper, and a little girl at dayhome brings the worlds largest stuffed Elmo each day. And he is busy practicing saying the letter 'M' (uhm). In other words, please do not buy any Elmo paraphanalia for Jonah. ;)
-he makes the cutest sound now, like a real little kid, when he says 'dadadada'. I gotta get that on video
-Jonah REALLY waddles like a duck when he runs
-Hot Wheels cars can be found in any gift shop you go into.

And just for fun, we took a picture of this sign in the parking lot of Oscars. Interesting.