I am sitting down to my computer for the first time this weekend, eating a late lunch of what I have decided to call “yummy hot and cold Thai salad.” Although I’ve missed my hubby and kids (at least a little 
) I have had a pretty fabulous weekend so far, so I’m going to share about it. At the last minute I changed my plans for Friday night (thanks for being SOOO understanding–you know who you are!!!) and as soon as Josh got home from work I took off toward Coralville. My fabulous husband stayed and entertained himself and the kids without me all weekend. I picked up Kate (and her fabulous husband did the same!) and we loaded up on caffeine to scrap the night away with Angie in West Branch! We had SOOO much fun! We listened to fun music and shared ideas and techniches and products! I scrapped in ways I’ve never scrapped before! I only completed two pages, but by the time I finished the second I’d already lost Kate and Angie to the sandman, so I packed up and took Kate back home and we crashed on her lovely tempurpedic bed. That was about 4:30 am. I slept till around 10am then left Kate to do some homework while I checked out the Hobby Lobby for sales and found a PERFECT album for our vacation photos! Then I made an impromptu trip up to Muscatine to see my folks ever so briefly and gather some stuff they’ve been wanting me to take away. I was able to catch ahold of my good friend Jeanna also who is having her twins on Monday! (I’d kinda hoped to be able to meet the twins, but apparently Jeanna is from good breeding stock that can keep twins in up to the very end!) I ALSO got to meet the illusive David (father of said twins) who keeps such busy hours I’d never been able to meet him before. I had just enough time to grab a quick dinner with Jeanna so we went to the Thai restaurant that my parents RAVE about. I liked it. The atmosphere was calming, the prices not too bad, and although my entree was really nothing special, I LOVED the appetizer that I had been daring enough to order despite the fact that I knew nothing about it. Those leftovers are what I have turned into the salad that I am just finishing up now–a good reheat! After dropping Jeanna off with a fond “adieu and best of luck for Monday and after” I drove back to West Branch for a SECOND night of scrapping with Kate and Angie! MORE FUN! Unfortunately I am ridiculously allergic to Angie’s abode, but I refused to let that annoying fact get in my way! We did a round robin with scrap pages and I started my very first mini-book! But we all had stuff we needed to function for today so we cut the night short and got back to bed by about 1am. If I get to it, I may add pictures here of my new pages. But now I am back at home and Josh and kids are at church so I have a few more minutes to put all my stuff away so the house will be as nice as I found it when I got home (thanks Josh, I can tell you did a lot of work this weekend). So I look forward to a nice relaxing evening with my family, and then we’re back into another crazy week!
Author Archive for Becca
The hotel had no breakfast included, so Jacob and I went to the W-M down the street behind the pirate golf place to get some breakfast for everyone and kill the time before the water park opened. This time, I took the camera to the pool with me! 
The water slides wrapped around outside the building–which freaked me out a bit, so I only rode them a handful of times. 
But the hotel also had a big separate pool area that had a lap-like pool, a small children’s wading pool, and a hot tub. The kids and I had an underwater handstand contest. 
We needed to get going because we still had a very long drive ahead of us and now we’d be going right into the work/school week when we got home, but while we were swimming the sun started to come out so we decided to squeeze in one last attraction before leaving Rapid City. Storybook Island. 
We didn’t have a lot of time to let the kids play, but we tried to see and enjoy as much as possible! 
We got back in the van just as clouds started to roll in again! The drive was mostly overcast and fairly dull, so I took a few pictures at the rest stop. 
This was very near the Badlands of South Dakota. 
And farther on down the road, there was a whole lot of nothing! 
And here’s an intereesting shot I took as we were passing back over the Missouri River. 
We stopped in Sioux Falls about 6:30 for dinner at a KFC Buffet and a bathroom/gas pit stop. After dinner we switched drivers and I drove the rest of the way home in the dark while everyone else slept! There was a lot of road construction. Honestly, I don’t remember much between Council Bluffs, Ia, and Des Moines. But I managed to keep it together until just before we turned onto our own road when I must’ve closed my eyes for a longer moment because we veered slightly into the gravel at the roadside, but I got us home safe. Safe, and exhausted! We partially unloaded the van and then just crashed. I slept hard. It was nice to be in my own bed. And it was difficult to get up this morning, but here are Jacob and Elise ready for school in their new souvenir t-shirts! 
Although we still woke somewhat early, we’d had a MUCH better night’s sleep and then a MUCH better hot breakfast. We planned to see one of the caves in the area before leaving, but the kids (and Josh!) voted instead to go to a pirate themed mini-golf course just down the street from our hotel! It gave me yet another opportunity in my life to say “Parrrrrr, matey!” 
Josh got a whole in one (bounced off Elise’s shoe)! 
Then it was to the stockades with us all! 
And the kids got goodie bags on the way out! 
We left just enough time to scurry through the dinosaur park before heading back home. 
On the way home we planned to stop at Wall, SD, to see the famous Wall Drug store. We avoided doing any shopping or eating there, but we took plenty of pictures at all the touristy attractions! 
While there, we had a family vote that decided that instead of heading on home, we would backtrack back to Rapid City and spend one more day in the area! Prolong our adventure! So while the kids dried off a bit, Josh searched for another hotel! 
The vote had not been unanimous. Cameron wanted to come home to play Nintendo on his day off from school. But he stopped complaining as soon as he heard that we got our last room at a hotel with a water park inside! It was almost 4 pm when we got checked in, so we took the kids to the water park for about an hour, then we went to dinner. We ate at a Golden Corral (which was actually quite yummy) so that we’d be sure to finish with enough time to make it back to Mt Rushmore to watch the nightly closing ceremonies and lighting of the monument which we hadn’t seen when we were there earlier. Unfortunately, while we were at dinner, it started to rain, so Rushmore was out of the question. Josh and I were both feeling pretty exhausted, and we had a nice (and fairly expensive) hotel room , so we decided just to go back and relax and make the most of our hotel experience. Josh fell asleep right away. I watched a show about searching for giant octopus on the History channel until Elise pleaded to keep the tv on the channel that was playing National Treasure. I fell asleep shortly after that. The boys played DS.
I forgot to mention one thing about the night before. While driving through the dark Dakota hills, Sweet Home Alabama came on the radio and all of the kids started singing “Sweet Home South Dakota!” Which was very cute and soon became their theme song for the rest of the vacation. But I digress. So that first night was NOT very restful. The beds were hard and the kids took turns trying to climb into bed with us and they were double beds–I am used to sleeping on a king-size, so it was close quarters! And Jacob woke up at like 5 wanting to go to the pool! But the pool didn’t open until 8 and breakfast didn’t even start until 6:30 so we made him wait, but it was too late to sleep any longer. The “hot continental breakfast” was a dissappointment for me. Josh and the kids enjoyed it alright, but the only “hot” thing offered were biscuits and gravy–which I don’t like, and sliced bread that you could toast, but the toaster automatically burned them. Finally the pool opened and we all made a mad dash for the water slide! 
We swam until 10:30 then showered, dressed, and packed up. We checked out right at 11 and headed straight for Mt Rushmore! 
Despite all our travels, Josh and I had never been there before. So it was exciting just to be there. And since the kids had all just seen National Treasure 2 the weekend before, they were all very excited too. I stepped out of my comfort zone and asked a complete stranger to take our picture all together, but I was dissappointed that he only took one and not everyone was looking. 
We walked along the presidential trail and I took some great pictures of the kids and the monument, but halfway through Cameron needed to use the bathroom, so I had to run him back UP the last third of the way which was mostly steps! I was impressed that he made it as far as we had to go without an accident, and equally impressed that I survived as well! While we waited for the others to catch up to us I had Cameron take my picture to prove that I had been there too, and then we got a little goofy with the camera. 
We let the kids pick out some postcards, then it was back to the van. We’d packed water bottles and trail mix snacks etc, and had planned to forego a formal lunch in order to see and do more. We’d hoped to ride the Alpine Slide down the mountainside, but Josh thought Cameron and Elena were too young, so I considered taking the family on the helicopter tour–but I was too afraid, so instead we took the kids panning for gold! 
It was not as easy as I’d thought it would be, and the yeilds were minimal. I tell you, miners must’ve really put in some long hours to collect any respectable amounts of gold! The kids were just as excited by all the fools gold though, and I admit even I had an incredibly difficult time discerning the one from the other. 
Our next stop was the Cosmos Mystery Area. 
BIZARRO! 
I took several pictures, but I don’t know if you can really tell from them just how strange the place really felt. It was pretty difficult keeping steady footing. 
We looked into the maze place but it was getting late and the kids were hungry so we went looking for a fun place to have dinner. We asked and looked around for about an hour but didn’t find anything terribly special so we went to the TGIFriday’s across from our first hotel. The kids and I had never eaten at one so it was still an experience. 
Cameron wasn’t feeling well and he slept through dinner on my lap. By the time we’d finished eating it was after 8pm so we decided we’d better check into our next hotel. It was just across the interstate from the first hotel and dinner. The second hotel had MUCH more comfortable beds, and after laying in them for about an hour Cameron decided that he was ready to join Josh, Jacob, Elise, and Elena at the huge pool. Our room was poolside, so it didn’t take long to get there, but right when we arrived Josh and Elena decided they’d had enough and headed back to the room. The rest of us swam around until about 10:45pm before finally going back to get ready for bed and another big day. The kids claimed not to be tired, but when Josh put the tv on political news coverage, they crashed pretty quickly.
More or less on a whim, late Thursday night while watching the last bits of the Democrat Convention, Josh and I decided to take the kids to South Dakota for the long weekend. After booking our hotel, and before hearing Obama’s speech, Josh fell asleep, while I stayed up a few more hours working on laundry and packing for the trip (while listening to Obama). The next morning I sent the kids to school with notes for their teachers asking them to excuse the kids to come home at noon. I spent all morning packing and preparing and then Josh arrived just before the kids to start packing up the van–which I’d hoped to have done already but hadn’t gotten to, so we left about an hour after schedule. 
Still, we made pretty good time despite numerous bathroom stops, and arrived at our first destination just in time for a scheduled dinner break. But before loading the kids up on McDonald’s, we drove further in to Mitchell, SD, to see the World’s Only Corn Palace. 
It was A-maize-ing. Truly fun earchitecture! 
We’d missed their big festival by a week, so the building was in the process of being switched over from its 2008 to its 2009 display. 
The kids just liked following the cornprints along the floor. 
Back on the road, I started to panic that it was going to be after midnight before we even got to our hotel. After crossing the Missouri River 
it got dark quickly and it was kind of eerie driving through vast dark nothingness, 
but we hadn’t been planning on switching time zones, so we made it to our hotel by 10:30 pm local Mountain time. 
I took pictures of the boys going into their dance lessons yesterday, and this morning after her lessons Elena was feeling especially posey, so I got a lot of her. Elise has dance this evening, but her costume isn’t all in stock so I promised her I’d take her picture when she can be all decked out in uniform. So I’ll share that when I get it. I haven’t cropped any of these yet.
I know many of you have already read this so you may not see this late edition to this post, but I’d meant to say that yes, Elena IS now taking dance lessons also. I was not originally willing to pay all the extra money for a three year old to take dance lessons, I mean, I’ve been to recitals, they’re awfully cute, but it never looks like they know what they’re doing, it’s always felt to me like an expensive way to parade around your child’s cuteness. (Of course, I’m cynical and cheap.) But after taking all the kids to their first week of dance lessons and having to drag Elena along with me because Josh was working in Missouri, well, let’s just say it was made obvious to me that SHE really wanted to do it, and it is cheaper than preschool, and will provide some fun and socialization (not to mention a short break for me once a week) since she is not in preschool yet, and yes, I will look forward to parading her around in an utterly adorable costume in the Spring–even if she doesn’t know which steps the dance instructor would like her to follow.
I feel like I’ve been run over by a freight train!
I know it seems as though I’ve been neglecting my blog, but the truth is I just haven’t done anything worth blogging about. Nothing that I need to put out there. The kids have started school again and they’re fine. Josh is busy as ever with work. Elena and I do laundry, watch movies (Sleeping Beauty lately–as in almost every day since the others have been back in school!), and run errands. I also check email and stuff at the computer, but that’s about it. Nothing interesting or blogworthy. I haven’t even had any clever thoughts to regale you with. I do hope to get some pictures of the kids at their dance lessons this week, so perhaps I will share those tomorrow. Anything new with any of you?
Ok, so I don’t think I’ve watched any of the olympics (do I need to capitalize that?) since the year that Mary-Lou Retton swept through the gymnastics and graced my cereal boxes, but when the show I was watching that I had previously recorded ended and I was not quite ready to head up to bed yet, it just so happened that the olympics were on–and nothing else of interest. Since I wasn’t really watching, I was supposed to be working on the planned menu and grocery list for the next two weeks, I left it on. When the gymnasts started on the uneven bars Josh said he didn’t understand HOW anyone did that, so I mentioned that I used to do that. It was a LONG time ago, and I certainly never did anything like what they can do at the olympics! But it got us hooked watching long enough for me to hear the name of the gym where US olympian Shawn Johnson practices in Des Moines–a name I recognized because I just saw it last week when I was looking for a place for Elise to take the gymnastics lessons she desperately wanted. Anyway, we watched long enough to watch Shawn win a Silver medal in gymnastics all-around. The US took both the Gold and Silver, while China ended up with the Bronze. So, I don’t watch the news, or the olympics, and I don’t keep up on current events, but I saw the local girl win the Silver medal and just hearing them talking about Des Moines and West Des Moines in China–it was special. So I just wanted to give my little shout out. Congratulations Shawn!
So you may or may not know that my battle with my weight has stale-mated, but Josh and I have started supporting and encouraging one another to get serious about it again. And I have a new favorite “heathier food” to share with you! BROWNIES!!! I haven’t tried to figure out all of the specific nutrient information for them yet, but I had Josh make me some brownies with egg substitute and milled flaxseed–a way tasty way to get both fiber and omega-3’s! Probably not the best for anyone low-carbing, but since I am focusing on calories and just eating right, these satisfy my needs for certain nutrients AND my sweet tooth!!!