South Dakota: That's a Wrap!

 

For our last full day in South Dakota we decided to stay close to "home".  The town of Deadwood is just 10 minutes from the cabin we stayed at and it offers plenty of sightseeing and souvenir shopping as well as something we knew would be of particular interest to Peanut.  Flipping through a brochure I just happened to notice an ad for a hotel featuring movie memorabilia and a mention of the "Transformer Car".  Oh Boy, was he excited!

Here he is and the look on his face sums it up.  He had me take about 10 pictures of him in various positions around the 2 vehicles shown, but this face was pretty much the same in all of them!

Another fun stop was the basement of a little tshirt shop that held this humongous model train display.  For a dollar we watched her go round for 10 whole mins!  Well, actually I watched for about 2 and then left to do some "Mom shopping" across the street.  Smile.

We took some pictures at the same spots we had when we were on our honeymoon.  I remember thinking how that time of my life was probably going to be the most exciting ever, and although it was great, having our family of four now makes everyday a million times better.

We stopped for a bite to eat and got to watch a boy take a glass blowing lesson.  It was so cool and I would love to try it sometime. 

They worked quickly and the kids were really interested in the whole process.

 

 We made it back to the cabin and I took Peanut to the pool while Daddy and Bree had a little rest, then we all met up at the clubhouse for some air hockey.

 And a ride on the bar stool. 

Back at the cabin we just took time to relax and play, Peanut and I took a nature walk and got some souvenir rocks...

and then we all collapsed in the basement for a bit of hockey to end the day.  And again, in full disclosure... I snapped a picture and then went to read my book on the deck until it was time to put the kids down.  Thanks Best.

Another good nights sleep and we were up having coffee on the deck.  It was hard to leave such a beautiful setting.  We had one more night to go on the road and then back to real life...which is also pretty nice so I'm not complaining!

The kids did great in the car and we thought about driving through for a few minutes but then decided to stop and break up the trip.  Good thing because it gave Peanut another chance to practice his "diving show" in the hotel pool, we went to the mall playplace across the street, had more ice cream, and I bought myself a new book for the rest of the ride!

So there you have it.  Another successful vacation in the books.  And a 5 year old in the family.  I am so thankful for my Best friend who works so hard to provide us with these opportunities for new experiences together. I am thankful for my children who love each other and have fun together when we go places.  And I am also thankful that when we get home and things get back to "normal", that these are the same wonderful people I get to live with every day.  Have a great week friends and family!

South Dakota: Rocks and Reptiles! (Part Three)

After a great first night at the cabin we were rested and ready for another adventure.  We had breakfast on the deck and it was nice not having to pack up before we headed out.  Best and I had been to Reptile Gardens on our honeymoon and knew it was a great place for hands on fun!

 First we saw a snake show and then on to the alligators.  It was the same guy doing the show that was there 6 years ago so I guess he knows what he's doing!

 This was one of the big reasons I wanted to bring the kids.  I knew Peanut would LOVE to be able to pet a real live alligator.  He's so funny now when he tells people he always adds, "it was a baby and it had it's mouth banded."  Almost like a "don't try this at home kids" warning...

 And of course Sissy needed some bragging rights too so we made sure she got to get her hands on something just as impressive.  This Boa Constrictor fit the bill and his mouth was not banded...

 The kids split a bison burger for lunch and said it was delicious! 

 I had totally forgotten about this part of the gardens and it was actually my favorite this trip.  So cool to watch these giant tortoises lumber about and get to see them up close.  Bree kissed one.  Does that surprise you?  It didn't me in the least.  She loves everyone and everything. 

 In addition to giant tortoises, scary snakes, and fierce alligators they had some of the most beautiful tropical birds.

Not to mention some gorgeous orchids and other flowers that reminded us of Grandma Sharon!

After a half day of reptiles Sis was pretty tired and Best was kind enough to stay with her in the van while Peanut and I conquered another first for him.  Cave tour!  Oh, and don't feel sorry for Sis.  She was snuggled up in the van with plenty of snacks and air conditioning watching her favorite episodes of Daniel Tiger!  Peanut was not a bit hesitant about going on the tour.  He felt confident that he could do it and I knew he could too.  All 444 steps. Pardon my pictures, cave photography is a skill I have yet to acquire and we were pretty much moving the whole time...

He was so interested and asked lots of questions and kept up with the group.  About half way through the tour the guide told our group that if we were tired we could wait where we were and rest and rejoin the tour on the way back.  Peanut immediately looked at me and said, "We are NOT going to do that."  Smile.

 Cave Selfie

We had fun talking about what it would have been like to discover such a cave. 

The tour was great and if you talk to Sissy she will tell you she went too (which Peanut will quickly correct "She only went in the gift shop").  I have a feeling it won't be long before she is going on cave tours too, but in the meantime it was such a special date for just Peanut and me.  I was telling Best that although sometimes it feels like his childhood is whizzing by (and I get a bit emotional that it won't last forever) it's experiences like this that show me what fun it is to have a big kid in the family now.  So many new experiences for us to share. 
   After all that we actually got back to the cabin around 2 and we had a relaxing afternoon before another fun surprise!

 Although we had done pinatas at friend's birthdays, we had never had our very own!  Peanut and Sis were very excited, even though we tricked them into thinking it was full of vegetables, ha!  We said that since we had been having so many treats on vacation that we wanted it to be fun but healthy.  Peanut bought it hook, line, and sinker and was even optimistic about it: "That's ok because I like carrots!" What a great kid. 

 But look what was really inside.  He was pleasantly surprised and admitted our joke was pretty funny.  We just needed about 10 more kids to share the loot!

So four days in we are still going strong.  Amazingly we got these two to bed on time again and we were fresh the next morning for our last full day in South Dakota!  Coming up next...