We took another trip down to Quincy at the end of August to visit Great-Grandma Schmitt again.
Madeline has grown up a lot since our last trip down!
We enjoyed the train again! Here Madeline reads one of her favorites, Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom with Grandpa.
A few weeks ago my dad got a call from the owners of the house I grew up in. The neighborhood is full of tear-downs, and they wanted to let us know that they will be tearing down "our" house and building a new one. They offered us one last walk-thru before auctioning off everything inside and tearing it down. I've been through the house a few times since we moved, and although I thought it would be sad knowing that it would soon be gone, it was more of just a pleasant drive down memory lane.
Our cutie patootie. 
Clint and the Wyckoffs came over for a picnic in early August.
We spent a wonderful week up in Michigan's Upper Peninsula with some very dear friends. All together, there were 18 of us sharing two cabins.
One cabin was on a lake, so although it was too cold for me to get in the water, there were many brave souls.
Madeline even dipped her toes in!
While the rest of the crew took a canoe trip one afternoon, we took a much shorter paddleboat ride.
All the kids enjoyed the sunshine on beach day.
Evenings were spent playing games and just hanging out.
When the weather got warmer we enjoyed the beach.
Madeline and her buddy, Nicholas.
We celebrated Dan's birthday a few days early. The kids made him cards and we ate birthday cake. Everyone loves an excuse to have a party!
Here's the crowd on our last day. Tracy, Bill, and their dog Sadie had already left so we unfortunately missed them in our picture!
As Buffy said, Madeline had enough stimulation to last her the next 7 months. :) We look forward to going again in two years!
Dan had a day off work July 3, so we took advantage of the day and met the Wyckoffs at Brookfield Zoo.
The weather was perfect, and while their kids, Miles and Ella, enjoyed watching the animals, Madeline enjoyed watching them.
Her favorite exhibit was the aquarium. It was exciting for her to see the fish swimming right by.
My lifelong friend Bryna was in town visiting from Boston this weekend.
She and Chuck spent time with us Saturday night,
and Bryna was entertained by the fact that Madeline smiles on cue for the camera!
