Day 2

WARNING:  This post will scream TOURIST.

See, I told you so.

We started off the day by practicing our stellar camera skills. 

Of which we have none.

Reptile Gardens was for the little guy.  He loved it.  We took in an alligator/crocodile show -- where my 9 year old and I were sure this guy was going to get eaten alive.

We also saw a snake show -- where my 9 year old and I were sure this guy was going to get bitten by a poisonous snake or choked to death.



They also had a bird show.  It sounds lame, but I was shocked at how funny it was.  Here my 9 year old almost got his head taken off by this falcon.

 Amazingly enough, if you ask my oldest if he liked Reptile Gardens, I'm pretty sure he would say yes.

Next we went here.

We walked up to the National Monument Grand View Balcony and these were the first words out of my kids' mouths:

9 year old:  Now tell me again who they all are.  I know George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, but I can't remember the other two.  And which number of president was each one? 

6 year old:  Are these guys all dead?

Yep, that pretty much sums up my kids. 

Day 1

And we're off.

The vacation we have been planning for 18 months has finally arrived.

I've learned a few things both in preparation for this trip and on this very first day of traveling.

1.  I always plan to leave the house amazingly clean so I can return home not dreading to see my house.   More often than not, this is a dream and not a reality.  However, this time, I figured out the secret to success:  have house guests while you are gone.  It is a sure-fire way to spend hours cleaning before you leave.  You will even take the time to clean your pantry, cupboards, and trash can closet.

2.  I still hate driving for hours on two lane roads, and apparently my husband still has way better depth perception than me.  I thought he was going to kill us while passing no less than 5 times.  Turns out he didn't.

3.  Nebraska has lots of trains and absolutely no radio stations with decent signal.  I'm not sure where they are hauling all that coal, but there is definitely no shortage of it.  What there is a shortage of is reception.  Praise the Lord for iTunes.  The upside - the trains entertained my little guy for several miles.

4.  South Dakota struggles a bit to separate its city life and country life.  Check out this picture.  Rows of restaurants and car dealerships....LOTS OF COWS....interstate.....rows of restaurants and hotels (where I was taking the picture from).  I'm keeping this as evidence for when anyone comments on how redneck Kansas is.

5. Hotel pools with slides are the best.  A complete water park would have been nicer, but when you are staying in so many hotels in a row, this is as good as it gets.

6. Last but not least, here is a cool trip idea.  My mom got journals for the kids so they could write about each day if they wanted to.  We'll see if it lasts, but right now they are thinking this is awesome.  Score points for grandma for the cool gift (among many other great travel surprises) and points for mom for sneaking in something educational.

Tomorrow brings Mt. Rushmore and other area attractions, then we are off to Yellowstone the following day.  The boys traveled AMAZINGLY today - 10.5 hours with only two stops, one for lunch and one for fuel. Here's to hoping they do as well for the next 50 billion miles ahead of us!

Harvest Wrap-up

Harvest 2012 has come and gone.  It is the earliest we have EVER harvested (and when I say "we", I mean ever in my FIL's 71 years of life!).   In fact, harvest was finished before the cutting typically starts.  The week was full of its typical crazy harvest schedules, a severe lack of sleep, and lots of filthy, happy kids. 

There were a lot of combine rides...

Wheat truck rides...

And filling of time while waiting to ride some more.

There was plenty of silliness...

And playing in the wheat.

Next time you eat bread, try not to think about what all the kids do in the wheat before it ever hits the Coop.

Usually they climb in the wheat trucks, but this year they added in a new toy to play in.

I did not forgot that I have another child.  Unfortunately, after a few days of harvest, he was just doing a lot of this....

And this....

He is more than happy that harvest is over.