Peter and Stephanie

My younger brother, Peter, got married in Madison and I flew back to the Midwest for the wedding. The wedding was beautiful and the couple very happy! They wrote their own vows and had the ceremony outside at Olin Park. It was a perfect day filled with love and joy. I only wish that Shawn and the kids had been able to join me for the trip back to Wisconsin.

Bratt Family Reunion

On Sunday, all the Bratts in and around Rockford met at Shawn's cousin, Mike's house for a potluck style family reunion. It was great to meet many of Shawn's relatives who I had only heard about. And all the "little" cousins enjoyed getting to know each other.

50th Anniversary

Shawn's parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a party at the Cliffbreakers in Rockford. We all dressed up - even the boys wore tuxes - and toasted the happy and very inspirational couple. Congratulations on a remarkable 50 years, Phyllis and Jim!!!

The kids

The kids looked so cute in their fancy clothes!

Toasting

The kids sang a song for Phyllis and Jim during the "program". Although the boys had a bit of stage fright, Anais and Ellen loved the attention and were happy for the help from their cousins.

Dancing the night away

We had a great time celebrating at Phyllis and Jim's anniversary party. The girls loved being on the dance floor!

Stockholm Inn

We went to the very swedish Stockholm Inn in Rockford for dinner and to see Shawn's cousin's band play. I had swedish meatballs and corn pudding - just like at Grandma and Grandpa Peterson's back when I was a kid.

Tractors and Cemetaries... only in Rockford

In Rockford, Phyllis and Jim gave us a "Bratt/Higgins historical tour" taking us to various spots where they grew up - family farms, one-room school houses, 1st apartment together and yes, even their future gravesite! The highlight of the day was a stop at the old Higgin's farm where Uncle Jimmy pulled up his tractor and gave everyone rides. Nic and Dylan were beside themselves!

Ella's Deli

On the way to Rockford, we stopped back in Madison and met a friend and old college roommate/French TA for lunch at the kiddie wonderland, Ella's Deli on E. Wash. After a rather chaotic lunch (sorry Andrew!) we enjoyed a ride on the merry-go-round in front of the restaurant.

Happy Birthday, Ellen!

Ellen had another birthday celebration along with her "twin" cousin Shannon - who is just 10 days younger. They had cake with plenty of candles and of course more presents. Can't believe it's been 6 years since we first met you, Ellen. Happy Birthday!

The Dells

We then moved onto Wisconsin Dells where we spent 4 nights with Shawn's entire family enjoying the Wilderness Waterpark Resort. We stayed in 3 adjoining townhouses, spending the days floating down the lazy river, jetting through waterslides and chasing the ducks that hung out in the pond at the park. We took turns making dinner for everyone each evening. It was a very fun family reunion and wonderful to be all together!

Water Park Fun!

Although Ellen never made it down a slide and Anais, Nic and Dylan only managed one short, forced ride down a kiddie water slide on our laps, the kids had the time of their lives. Thanks Papa and Ghio for bringing us all together!!!

Peter's band

On Saturday night, we all went to a local restaurant to enjoy listening to one of the bands that Peter plays drums in. The kids LOVED dancing to the music!

Madison

We drove up to Madison on Friday afternoon and spent the weekend with my brother, Peter, and his family. They live near the arboretum and I was able to run each morning there which was a great start to the day. Grandma Sandy and Uncle Mark met us in Madison so it was a nice Johnston family reunion of sorts. We were only missing Grandpa Dave and Aunt Suzi. On Saturday we celebrated Ellen and her cousin, Raina's birthdays. The 3 girls got along very well and enjoyed spending time together. It was fun to see the next generation of Johnston "brats' together!