One of my favorite days of the year... the day my grandma & grandpa return from their winter in Arizona. It is a long 7ish months when they are gone for us not to see them. We chat on the phone & get to see them via facetime, but having them home for the summer is the best.

 And it only took about 50 snaps to get one shot of all of our kiddos looking and smiling! How cute is little Fitz smiling away in Grandpa Goessl's arms. GG arrived with gifts for all the girls as well. Small bear earrings just like the ones she wears. Pretty special & our girls just loved them!

Not sure how we didn't think about having slush in the summer sooner? It has forever been a Christmas drink/treat, but my mom brought the leftovers & I dubbed it as summer slush! Way more refreshing out of a Bob's Private Bar glass & when the weather is actually warm! Cheers! So happy they are home!!! xoxo

Church photo day! 

We didn't necessarily need a family photo but it is always fun to look through the church directory & see all of our parish families. We pulled some outfits together quickly & told the kids to behave/smile. They turned out pretty good!

 Even a cheesy shot of Gary & I 

We'll all be anxious to look through the book when it comes in a few months. But I was happy our girls cooperated! 

One more post about this past weekend & this one is not about Boston. We left Friday am & by Friday evening Winter Storm Evelyn was starting to come down in Green Bay. By Saturday morning we were getting text messages galore from home with everyone telling us how bad the snowfall was. Birthday parties were getting cancelled, school activities were postponed & it was a mess. 12+ inches overnight & the storm was not stopping there. This was round one at our house...our amazing neighbors clearing snow Saturday am.

{It had to be cleared two more times by the end of the weekend}

By Saturday afternoon we were getting texts that the snowfall was nearing 30 inches. While we were thankful that our flight was on time & we escaped the storm, it was still hard to imagine that much snow coming down in 24 hours.

We were getting photos via text message from my parents & sister throughout the day. This was taken of my dad clearing the front walk at their house Saturday afternoon. The snow had seriously doubled.

The snow was piled up almost as tall as our kiddos! Amazing & unbelievable. The had fun playing outside at my parents together.

 This picture made us laugh. So crazy to think that they were standing on snow & were as tall as the roof at my parents.

Again, incredible. Meanwhile, Maeve was stuck at my sister's house with Sloane & Fitz having sleepovers there. No shortage of fun.

Our neighbors & friends worked so hard to clear our driveway and we are so grateful. Gary would have had a hard time mustering up the energy to clear 30 inches of snow when we arrived home. Our neighbors even rewarded their hard work in our hot tub Saturday night with unicorn straws/decorations.

The snow was piled up higher than the hot tub. My dad said it was completely buried when they went out there. No one would have even known it was there. This was how high the snow was when they opened our back door heading out to the hot tub. Marg with grandma Jean's jacket on.

 So much snow, schools were still cancelled Monday. When we came home Tuesday the roads & driveways were still a mess. Hard to believe they got the kids to school Tuesday. There is nowhere for all the snow to go. The parking lots in our town have mountains of snow. Definitely record setting & in April! Where is our spring? So happy to be home. xoxo

We arrived home Tuesday evening after yet another fun filled day in Boston. Before heading to the airport late afternoon we spend the day in Cambridge checking out Harvard. The movies & photos do not do the place justice... the buildings are so beautiful & well maintained. The college was truly a sight to been seen.  

We had lunch, did a little shopping before heading to the hotel to grab our bags & head to the airport. We arrived home around 9:30pm to some very excited & tired girls. They hugged their daddy & were very excited to see us both but they really just wanted to see what we had bought them!!! haha

Yesterday we went to work/school but did some celebrating with my mom/dad, Katie, Mike, Sloane, Fitz & the Veraghen's. Pizza, drinks & cake to celebrate Gary.

 The cake was a surprise & he was pretty excited. It turned out great! Not a complete celebration with out the red plate too. 

I also snapped a pic of his name on the race day photo which includes the names of all 30,000 Boston Marathon runners. Believe it or not, he was the only Gary Brown to run the race.

The best Gary Brown... that is for sure!!! xoxo

Monday was race day 4.16.18

Our race day logo designed by our good friend Andy. Just love it!

I woke up several times throughout the night & I could tell that Gary was awake, not sleeping well. He always gets a little anxious the night before a big race & this one was no exception. Around 6am he was up for good. I wished him well as he left to go catch the shuttle to Hopkinton for the start of the race. Wendy, Travis & myself sleeping in until about 7:30. When we woke up & looked out the hotel window we could barely see the amazing view from our 35th floor hotel room. It was foggy & so rainy already at that time in the morning. My heart hurt for Gary knowing how much he had looked forward to this race & knowing this was not what he had imagined it to be like. But there was nothing we could do about the weather... we showered & put on all our layers & rain gear, ready to go out and be the best spectators we could. We watched the 10am first wave {which included my #1 unicorn Gary Brown} start from our hotel room on the live tv broadcast & headed outside shortly after. One step out the door & we were hit with heavy rain & wind almost instantly. Totally sucked!

But we made the most of it & had so much fun. We found a great spot about 1.5 blocks away from the finish line and were able to see the first place male & female finish which was pretty great. We had been getting Gary's run check point times all morning & were so happy to see that he was crushing the run, the weather wasn't stopping him. Must have been the fancy TJMaxx women's coat! Soon enough we got the notification that he was one mile out. A few minutes later he came running by with the biggest smile on his face & we couldn't have been more proud!

Finished in 3:13!!!

 At this point Travis, Wendy & I were so soaking wet and freezing. I could only imagine how Gary was feeling, but he looked great! A few minutes later we were able to find him & snap a few photos of him with his cheering crew before getting upstairs to the hotel room as quick as possible to warm him up.

Afterwards we were all full of questions. Although he was cold & wet he had an incredible experience. We assumed the course was empty because of the weather & he said that was not the case. Constant spectators the entire 26.2 miles just as it was every other year. The rain didn't stop people from getting out & showing their support. I was just so happy that it was everything that he had hoped for {minus the weather} & that he finished without injury or hypothermia. I love that no matter what, he is always smiling and making the most out of things and he definitely did that Monday. After the race the crazy amounts of calls & messages were overwhelming. So much love and support which was greatly appreciated. The girls sent messages as well...

He's already saying he'll do it again, but not as soon as next year. So much fun & excitement, we were all ready to celebrate with him Monday night. I could never put into words how proud I am. He continues to amaze me...Every race becomes more exciting & always something new. I look forward to more adventures. I enjoy this job... being his biggest fan. xoxo

Boston Marathon time!!!

It feels like we waited forever for this trip. We were so happy to arrive Friday morning to beautiful weather. Our flight was perfect, we escaped Wisconsin just in time before snow storm Evelyn started.

 We checked into the hotel & headed straight outside to start exploring the city. First stop, the Boston Marathon Finish line which was only about 3 blocks from our hotel. So fun to see where it was all going to happen Monday morning. So much excitement for Gary, huge bucket list item became a reality for him over the entire weekend. Just seeing the finish line gave you all the feels... goosebumps for sure!

 So many beautiful old buildings in the city, we walked & walked for days just admiring the scenery. I could have stopped every 5 steps to take a picture, although I may have annoyed my travel companions. We hit up the expo & bought all our Boston Marathon apparel & accessories that afternoon. So much to see there; vendors, samples, photos & everything Boston Marathon you could imagine. After the expo we headed back to the hotel for a quick change of clothes & headed to our dinner reservations at an awesome Italian restaurant in the North End. Our food was amazing & the company was even better. Perfect end to our first day.
This was our view from our hotel room...

After spending Friday in the Copley Square area, Saturday we walked to the Faneuil Hall market with a few stops there & back.

 There were a lot of really cute shops, places to eat & enjoy live music out in the Feneuil Hall square. Wendy & I walked around a bit while Gary & Travis were quite content at the Salty Dog Bar. I was thrilled to find a Magnolia Bakery. I had to buy the marathon cupcake for Gary. They were so delicious.

 Sunday morning we were lazy & needed it after two full days of walking around the city. We took a bit to relax before heading to Fenway for the Red Sox game. Our first two days the weather cooperated really nicely. It was in the 50's which was comfortable walking around weather. Sunday the temp dropped & we even saw snow a few times during the baseball game. We made the most of it & were very happy with our last minute decision to pack an extra bag full of our winter gear. Our light up GB Packer hats were a hit {with most}.

After the game we made a quick pit stop at one of the TJmaxx stores in the city near Fenway {it seemed like there was a TJMaxx or Marshalls around every corner.. a city after my own heart!} to find Gary a rain jacket for Monday. We had been watching the weather all weekend & it appeared race day was going to be a really wet one. We were not able to find a men's rain coat... however, we did find a nice women's size large gray rain jacked that would have to do. He was going to rock it no matter what it looked like. We spent Sunday night at the hotel ordering food & spending a bit in the hot tub. One more sleep til race day!!!! xo

We made our usual stop in Louisville on the way back to Wisconsin. As much as it suck to leave the beach & head back to snow, we all look forward to our time in Kentucky. Fourth Street is always so fun for all. Gary even has his own restaurant there!!!

We found a fun restaurant that had all sorts of indoor games for the kids to play & Hayden got serenaded in a fudge shop for her birthday. And we couldn't leave downtown without a pyramid pic of the kids. They all agree it is a tradition.

Sunday morning it was Easter Sunday so we got dressed up, had some breakfast & headed to church at the same cathedral that we attended Easter mass at two years ago. The kids love the inside of the cathedral, it is so beautiful.

Love these kiddos so much.
They have all grown up quite a bit in the last two years, still cute as ever!

After church we conquered the 2nd half of our drive home. We made it home in time to stop home to look for Easter baskets & head to dinner at Grandma & Grandpas house. I was very thankful my mom made dinner for us... we were all exhausted. Perfect end to the trip & Easter. xoxo

Spring Break 2018 Orange Beach, Alabama.

I am not a huge fan of the road trip down because of my anxiety in the car, but we did it! The kids always love the drive. They love to mix up cars & watch movies all day. The snacks are always an added bonus as well. I would prefer if they all slept a little more, Maeve won for the most sleeping. She napped like a champ. I was again impressed with how great they all did in the car.

Arriving to this view always makes the drive well worth it. So amazingly beautiful, there are not enough days in our vacation week. There is nothing like sitting on the balcony with this view in the mornings with our coffee. Why do we live in Wisconsin?

 We traveled with Veraghen's again this year & shared a condo as well. Our families travel & work so well together which makes the week so enjoyable. In addition to our two families, there were quite a few other friends that stayed in the same complex which made the beach time & evenings so much fun. Such a fun {and pretty cute} group of kids & adults. The more the merrier!

 Our little beach bums always feel right at home playing in the sand with their friends.

 Margaux can draw a piggy anywhere... no surprise there were plenty of pigs drawn in the sand & sculpted out of sand by her and Hayden.

 Throughout the week we had so much fun off the beach as well. Orange Beach/Gulf Shores has some pretty fun restaurants that are not your typical restaurants. The kids enjoyed dancing on the tables, playing in foam, making sand castles & drinking pina coladas. We made time for an adult dinner one evening as well. Much needed as always.

Hawkers even surprised us with a visit. We were all so excited to spend a day with them on the beach. The kids really loved seeing Hannah as well. All three wrote their names in the sand as per usual. Maeve even wrote hers in cursive this year. My baby is getting big! We also made Gary pose on the unicorn... two weeks til the big marathon. We are getting so excited!!!

 I always have such a hard time choosing photos to post from any trip we take. This trip is especially hard with all the adorable beach shots. This one of Maeve is easily at the top of my favorite list.

 They had so much fun with their friends.

Love our beach chicks...

Our last night we took the kids out crab hunting. We typically see a few tiny little crabs {about the size of a fingernail} but this night there were a few older boys on the beach {who we didn't know} that were hunting in the ocean with big nets. They were kind enough to share one of the big crabs that they caught with the kids. Fun for them all to take turns holding him... Maeve of course wanted nothing to do with it!!!

I love that our girls will look back on their childhoods & remember all these fun moments we shared together. The weeks fly by but the memories will last forever. We had such a great week, leaving the beach never gets easier. We need to figure out a way to extend our trip...
we're working on that for 2019. xoxo