Touring the Ranch

This post is about day 3 of our trip, so if you missed the first two days scroll down!  Grandpa drove over to meet us at the ranch where he grew up.  His sister and her family still live there and run the ranch.  They have chickens (which Allie thought were stinky) and sheep (which Mommy thought pooed too much).  We toured around and the kids shot a real gun for the first time.

Three generations of Pik men surveying the land

Thank you Grandpa for driving to Broadus to show us your family ranch!  We loved it!

What's In South Dakota?

I'm guessing when travelers get anywhere near South Dakota they stop by Mount Rushmore.  We did!  And it was pretty awesome!  I wasn't sure if the kids would really care about it, but they had fun spotting the Presidents as we weaved through the Black Hills. There are some amazing bridges and tunnels on that road!

We stopped and got out of the car when we caught our first glimpse of Mount Rushmore (I may or may not have instructed everyone to point!)

 Mount Rushmore is super "touristy."  There was an observation area, then a trail that went around the base of the mountain and gave you views of each different Presidential head.  In the gift shop, which was enormous, one of the men who helped carve Mount Rushmore was signing autographs.  How crazy is that?

You could walk in between these rocks and get a great view of Washington

After leaving Mount Rushmore we drove through Deadwood.  I have to admit I'm not very informed about the old west and shootouts, but it was a neat town.  We took the kids into a bar to watch a reenactment  of Wild Bill being shot and killed.  The slot machines kind of distracted them though.  Hmm...  My kids in a bar, surrounded by slot machines, witnessing a murder.  Not really how I envisioned my family vacation.

Love this picture!

That was Day 3!  (No one was harmed in any of the reenactments.)  We arrived at the family ranch in Broadus late that night.  I'll share those pictures next!

How to Have a Successful Road Trip

I hate to brag, but our family recently returned from a road trip where we spent 8 days in the car together.  What am I bragging about?  That we ALL made it back!  No one got kicked out of the car!  I have to admit the thought of kicking someone (who shall remain nameless) out of the car did cross my mind.  But my reasonable self prevailed and our family in its entirety is now safely at home.  We brought back some great memories!  You may hear me joke about losing a bit of sanity being in the car that long with three kids, but it really was a fun time.  We saw some interesting sites, visited family and friends, and took lots of pictures.  So what makes for a successful road trip?  Keeping your expectations in check, realizing little bladders will need to be emptied at the most inconvenient time, knowing your junk food limit (Some hotels will charge you $25 to clean a puked on mattress. Yes, unfortunately this is experience speaking.), and getting home with everyone you left with!  Brian and I also discussed installing one of those glass partitions you see in limos before our next road trip.  That could really up the success level!

Early on the morning of July 7th we headed for Wichita, Kansas.  Our main stop that day was in Oklahoma City to see my friend Theresa and her family.  Even though we only got to visit for a few hours, I'm glad we got to see them!  We made such good time getting there that we may have to do that more often!  Once we arrived at the hotel in Wichita, it was no surprise the kids were ready to be out of the car and play.  There was a basketball court, putting green, and a pool.  This is also the hotel where we paid an extra fee to have the sofa bed cleaned after Coleman ate more than his fair share of pizza, cheese sticks, and Oreos!  Live and learn.

Allie joined the game even though she was already dressed for the pool

We knew Day 2 would be a long day driving through Nebraska, but luckily our stop this day was extra intriguing:  Carhenge!

It's like Stonehenge, but only with old spray painted cars!

 And I saw the most beautiful rainbow I've ever seen in Nebraska.  The pictures don't even come close to showing how gorgeous it was, but I had to include them!

That was our first two days on the road.  I'll be back later to add some more of the trip!

Now that She's 4...

 ... Allie has graduated from the church nursery and now goes to the worship service then Children's Church on Sunday and Kid's Bible Club on Wednesdays!  On her first night in KBC, I walked in at the end just in time to hear her telling the teacher that Jesus died on the cross for us.  Big smiles!  She acts like she's been going to "big church" and in with the older kids forever!  She's full of wisdom. Just listen to what she told me today:  "I know God is bigger than an elephant standing on his tippy toes." So true.
 

Allie's first night in Kid's Bible Club her friend Drew invited her to sit next to him

Now that she's 4, she also has her own castle.  Well not completely her own, she has to share it with her brothers.  We have a ton of boxes in our house, so this was our first attempt at repurposing some of them. I wonder if all business-owners-who-work-out-of-their-homes-and-get-large-box-deliveries kids' have it so good?

This week is all about getting ready for our big road trip.  I'm really excited and nervous at the same time.  We're stocking up on snacks, treats, and dollar store finds to keep everyone occupied in the car.  A sweet friend gave the kids a Nintendo DS, and another pair of sweet friends gave them lots of games to use with it!  I've been putting together some activities for them to do on the long drive, and one of my favorites is what I like to call Magna-Daughter.  I'll post some pictures of it soon!