Bye Bye Privacy

We have hit a new milestone with Allyson.  All of a sudden she can reach light switches and door knobs. This means that she is always turning lights and fans on and off.  It also means that no closed door is off limits unless its locked.  There is no such thing as a solo trip to the bathroom these days.  We are trying to teach her about privacy and that she can't just go opening doors whenever she wants in a room but its a slow process.  Its sort of funny because she is in no way quiet when she is trying to "peek on you" so she does give you plenty of warning that she is coming. 

She is also becoming more independent in the bathroom herself so if she needs to go while we are home, she will just get up and do her business herself.  She can pull herself up on the big potty and has learned to flush it but sometimes she still prefers her little one downstairs.  These seem like small things but she is very proud of these latest accomplishments.

Dominican Vacation

Karl and I took our first true "all-inclusive" vacation for a friends wedding in the Dominican Republic in early June.  I realize I am way behind in my posting but better late than never.  We had a busy travel schedule so we took the girls (Ally and Ella) up to Oshkosh on a Tuesday, hit up a Brewer game in Milwaukee on Wednesday then flew out super early on Thursday morning.  We were in paradise by 1pm and weren't quite sure what to expect when we arrived. 
The trips to and from the airport were by far the most interesting parts of the weekend because there are no rules when it comes to driving in the Dominican.  The resort was a 90 minute bus ride through the very poor country full of winding roads, livestock, and families of 4 on little scooters.  We stayed at the Dreams Punta Cana along with about 50 other people that were there for the same event.  The hotel was fantastic with both a huge pool and beach access.  This was out first time at an all-inclusive resort which was really great.  All we needed was some tip money and everything was taken care of.  The food was the most disappointing part of the trip for everyone and most people weren't feeling their best at one point or another (me included but Karl was spared).  Karl enjoyed a day of golf with friends and I enjoyed a lot of time poolside.  It was also our first vacation with other couples which was really fun too. 

The wedding itself was very beautiful and the setting was amazing.  Beyond hot but still beautiful and a very fun reception.  We headed back home on Monday to get Ally then make the trip back home on Tuesday.  Ally had a great time on her vacation as well, spending lots of time with grandmas, grandpas and other family members.  We only really got to talk to her once but we knew she was in good hands.  She didn't mind we were gone at all.  It wasn't a real long vacation but just enough relaxation and adult time for us.  We will definitely consider going back in the future or trying another all-inclusive somewhere else.

 

Happy Birthday Ella

Yesterday was Ella's 6th birthday.  Ally decided to give the gift of song while we went with a new collar and bag of treats.  We think Ella appreciated all the gifts equally! 

Dancing Machine

Rewind: Memorial Day Weekend

We had a very busy weekend planned for the Memorial Day holiday.  We were trying to pack in as much as possible and we sort of succeeded with everything we had planned.  First on the agenda was celebrating the wedding of two great friends, Sara and Kevin in Madison.  We left on Friday afternoon and got there in time to enjoy dinner with Grandma, Grandpa and other friends.  Ally got to spend some time playing in the hotel pool then Saturday was full of wedding festivities.  Everything was beautiful and very pink.  My Aunt did the flowers and they were amazing star-gazer lilies that looked great on everyone and at the reception.  Sara's dress was perfect and she and Kevin looked so happy.  Ally was one of the few kids invited to the ceremony and one of Sara's interns stayed with her during the dinner so we could have some adult time before she came in to dance at the reception.  It took her a bit to warm up but once she did she had a blast dancing with everyone.  She loved looking at Sara's princess dress and only really wanted to dance with her or where she could be seen by Sara.  They had a photo booth and we sat at a table with our great friends from Purdue.  Once it got late, Grandma Sharon and Grandpa Henry took Ally up to go to bed and we enjoyed more dancing and fun.  This wedding was a long time in the making so we were all excited to be a part of it!

 

Sunday we got up and headed home to Oshkosh because Uncle Corey was in town and we had planned a surprise 50th Birthday party for my dad.  We knew it was going to be tough to pull off but we did it with lots of teamwork.  We had invited a lot of friends and family and the turn out was great.  It was Corey's job to get dad there which was the biggest issue of the whole day but once he got there, everything was just fine.  His cake was great and everyone had a fun time.