Western South Dakota...same state?

We got the opportunity to drive out to the west side of the state recently to meet Grandma Jean and Papa Steve! It was an awesome vacation and we got to stay in a small cabin for a reasonable price (since it was the weekend before Memorial Day).

On our way out west we stopped at a "minute man missile" information center and learned about the history of the Cold War and how South Dakota played a part. Very cool. Cache got to sit in a Minute Man chair ;)

We also stopped at "Wall Drug" in Wall, SD which is pretty much the "Ron John's" of this state. Tourist trap! But we had lunch and got to take a break, so yah!

 Of course out options were slightly limited due to weather and dates, but we had lots of fun! First we visited "Evan's Plunge" which is a water slide/pool made out of a hot spring! The water wasn't too hot, but it was lots of fun! Cache loved going down the water slide! Jared and I got to enjoy the speed slides and Hercules Rings. It's hard to swing across an entire pool with rings! We had so much fun, that we came back later that day with grandma and papa. 

On our way back to the cabin, we ran into buffalo on the road! Not something I think I've come across before. This was in Wind Cave National Park. 

The next day we made it out to Mt. Rushmore. It is a little smaller than I expected, but I think I've heard that before, so I wasn't too surprise. In fact, what surprised me more was the fact that they were having a high school graduation there! I didn't know they did that...

Camping was lots of fun and everyone was tuckered out! Cache even slept through 2 hours of everyone cleaning up around him and making lots of noise! 

Picked up some black hills gold while in the black hills!

The trip home was fun too. We got to visit the Ellsworth AFB and museum. 

And Wall Drug again!

And of course, the best thing at Wall Drug was the BTTF car parked outside! Complete with a mr. Fusion or Parkinson's donations! Awesome... :)

Hot!

So earlier this month it was snowing...today we are melting!!! A friend and I took the kids to the park this morning but it was so hot, Cache asked to go home! After a Popsicle, he was fine but man! 

And not long after we got home and ate lunch, another friend invited us over to play in their splash pad and mini pool! Too hot to pass up! 

And yes, that is Avelyn with a scrunched up nose! She likes to sniffle at people with a scrunched nose :) fun to cool off with friends!

Mother's Day!

I can't be a happier mommy! I love my little family and nothing reminds me of that more than the smiles and hugs! 

A handprint flower cache gave me!

Speaking of cache, he was still sleeping while we took most of the pictures! Looks like snuggles for bear!

I love you guys!

First time at the dentist!

Today was Cache's first visit to the dentist! He was a little shy at first and kept saying, "Nope. " whenever we asked him to open his mouth or brush his teeth with his cool new blinking toothbrush. But then they brought out a cute stuffed dinosaur with what I would called dentures glued in, and he brushed "Diney's" teeth! That was the start of him warming up and after a few rounds of brushing his teeth, cache was willing to open and let them clean! 

He even let her brush with bubble gun flavor toothpaste and floss! His favorite part was the water sprayer! He kept asking for water and they would let him spray it across the room. :) When he was done with the cleaning, he let the dentist check his teeth and no cavities! He got fluoride put on his teeth and then he got to choose from the treasure chest!

And then when it was Daddy's turn, Cache wanted to go back to watch and play with the water again ;)

And Avelyn just played in the waiting room!

*Happy Dance!*

Why can't we all do more Happy Dances? If there is ever a lesson I have learned from my 2 (almost 3 year old) son is that the small things in life can be just as exciting as the big ones.

Lately, when he's happy, he does a little dance! I've started calling it his Happy Dance. His little hips swing and his legs kind of flail about. If you have seen him run, it's similar but just more of a dance :)

-Whenever he finds his bike while preparing for a walk, "My bike!!" *Happy Dance!*.
-Whever he gets a yummy snack, "chocolate!" *Happy Dance!*.
-Searching for his bear, "Where's 'Beau'? Where's 'Beau'? Oh! There he is!" *Happy Dance!* and hugs.

So the next time you get excited about something (let's hope that happens once in a while) remember to do your Happy Dance!! :)

Randomness

Happy Thursday! Without fail, Cache always asks for "chocolate" as soon as he gets up in the morning. Which, of course, is always followed by, "No, we have to eat breakfast in the mornings." from me. Well, being that I was tired of having the same argument this morning, I figured out a compromise! Or rather I remembered that you can make chocolate chip pancakes and wondered why I had never thought of it before! So after so diligently helping me make (gluten free) pancakes and sprinkling them with chocolate chips, Cache got to enoy chocolate in his breakfast! Win-win!

Also, just a cute picture of the kids playing on the couch...I can't believe the height difference! Wasn't Cache that small just a week or so ago?

Avelyn is crawling about 3-4 feet before getting tired, but she is doing it! And if you hold her hands, she will walk! What?! Too soon...