Mount Rushmore and Co.

A little over a week ago Spencer and I took the boys out to Mount Rushmore to go camping and see what the area had to offer.  I had been there once before about half my life ago so it was a trip of discovery for us all.

Peter's favorite President was Teddy Roosevelt (because his bear has the same first name) and Eliot said that Teddy Roosevelt was his favorite as well (because he's going through a phase where everything Peter has/does, Eliot must have/do as well).  This was a couple of days into our trip and, I'm not going to lie, it was a little rough.  Both boys were exhausted (both parents were a little tired as well) and let's just say I photographed whatever smiles I could.

On the way out we stopped for the night in Sioux Falls.  The falls were fun to explore and the hotel had a swimming pool so the boys could burn off the pent-up energy from the day's drive.

We also stopped at the Corn Palace to have a look.  I felt a brief pang of childish disappointment to find that it really wasn't made of corn so much as decorated with corn (I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting) but it was still fun to have a look around.

The boys were a little creeped out by "Cornelius" at first but eventually opted for a photo.  It didn't help that he was first ever costumed figure to speak to us.

And finally, the Black Hills!

Peter was still a little small for some of the hiking, though he did give it his best shot when he was in the mood.  Eliot really got into it and enjoyed exploring some of the hikes.  It would be fun to do this trip with them again when they're a bit older.

Our campsite, situated on Horsethief Lake within the Black Hills National Forest, was a cozy little spot which looked better in close-ups.

I crossed the little road to take a picture to give a better sense of the close proximity of our neighbors.    It was still fun though and we had some really nice neighbors.  The neighbors to our right had two children a few years older than our boys and one night I could hear the mother reading "Mary Poppins" to them.  To our left, on the last evening there, a nice family showed up with one teenage daughter and a little dog named Rocky.  They introduced Rocky to the boys and let them give him each a treat (they didn't realize what they could have been starting) and later brought some S'mores over to share.

We ate all of our evening meals at the campsite and everyone was a good sport.  Our first night we had hot dogs (a favorite of Eliot's) and baked beans (a favorite of Peter's) cooked over the fire.

In the evening the bats would come out and swoop over the lake and above our heads, eating up bugs.  The boys would take a walk around the lake every day with one or both of us and enjoyed seeing our little campsite from across the water.

The sign said that you had to be at least six years old to ride.  It was as though Eliot and I had exchanged places.  I was the little kid, "Let's go for a ride!  Don't you want to go for a ride?" and he was the collected adult, "No.  I don't."  Oh well, maybe next time.  He was taking baby steps.  Patting them on the nose and feeding them hay was enough for him this time around.

Peter got in on the action too, which was impressive since huge animals haven't really been his thing up to this point.  I suppose it helped that they were penned in.

We visited a wildlife park called Bear Country to get our animal fix.  It was one of those drive-through parks where the animals wander free all around you.  Pretty up close and personal, but again, I think Spencer and I were the more enthusiastic participants.

We visited a cave which the boys really enjoyed.  They were delighted that there were sections in which the grown-ups had to crouch down while they could walk through up-right.

We took a ride on an 1880's train that took us from the town of Keystone to Hill City and back.  It was a half-hour ride each way (in theory) but when you're riding behind a steam engine on a hot summer's afternoon you have to be prepared to roll with the punches, or at least that's what the tour guide reminded us each time we stopped to let the engine cool down.  We didn't mind, there was a lot to look at.

Peter was exhausted before we even boarded, and the breezy rocking of the train was a little too much for him.

On the ride back both boys had been refreshed by a soft pretzels purchased in Hill City and we had a nice ride back to Keystone.

Saying good-bye to the train.

What's a vacation without a few souvenirs?  And what better place to find a souvenir than a quaint shop own and run by a local?  This little place was called "Earth Treasures" and we discovered it when we stopped at a small grocery store to buy some water.  Not only did it sport a really cool fence made up of tools and farm implements, it also sold rocks most of which were from South Dakota and neighboring Wyoming. 

We gave the boys each a dollar to buy something with and they both left with two rocks each.  Eliot chose a chunk of petrified wood while Peter found a rock from Australia with the fun-sounding name of mookite.  The shop keeper was a local woman who added up all of the prices and tax by hand and was full of information.  For example, the piece of serpentine that I purchased apparently contains asbestos.  Never fear, though, it won't do you any harm unless you try to cut or polish it, in which case you'd need special protective equipment.  It was a fun little shop, and I thought well worth the stop.

On the way home we drove through the Bad Lands National Park.  The boys got out at the first stop and took a look around.  But as we continued to snake our way through the park they were just as happy to stay in the back seat and play.  So when we came to a spot that was worth having a look at Spencer and I would take turns running up and taking it in before moving on.

During the trip Peter decided that he was going to be a rock climber when he grew up.  He even came up with things that he would need for his climbs (a jug of water and a jug of milk).  Here he's doing his best rock climber pose.

We spent the night in Sioux Falls again before the long drive across Minnesota and most of Wisconsin.  We took the boys for a swim and then rented a movie on demand to watch with them and help them wind down.  I had assumed that they would fall asleep in the middle of the movie but they hung on until the end.  When they finally did fall asleep they slept like a couple of little mookite rocks.  I wonder what they were dreaming about.

To Canada We Go!

Two weeks ago the boys and I flew up to Edmonton.  It was first time in months that we had seen Spencer and we had all missed him.  It had also been nearly a year since the boys had been in Edmonton and they were delighted to discover how much they remembered.  Upon entering any house they would point out the things that they remembered from their last visit.

Eliot also had a recently re-aquired skill to show off.  Grandpa and Nana kindly bought bikes for the boys to use and they spent a lot of the time honing their skills.

Peter liked to make engine sounds for his bike--hence the funny face.

Peter was very taken with his helmet and would often wear it around just for the heck of it.  In fact, he wore it later on a nature walk.

During the nature walk the boys picked saskatoon berries with the help of Uncle Aaron and Auntie Patti.  Eliot would spot the berries and pull a branch down to pick them.

Aaron and Patti's new puppy Henry also joined us on the walk, much to Eliot's delight and Peter's chagrin (Eliot ran and played with Henry while Peter kept reminding us that he really aught to be on a leash).  Eliot took a real shine to Henry and kept asking me when we were going to get a dog.

It wasn't all fun and games either.  Eliot took his dog-owner-in-training role very seriously.

Very seriously.

I mean, honestly...

Eliot could get a little crazy and could be a little too liberal with the treats to both Henry and Grandpa and Grandma Bennett's dog Daisy.  But his heart was in it, there's no doubting it.

Peter's interactions with Henry were a little less tender.  Henry didn't mind Peter in the least, but let's just say that Peter wasn't asking me when we would be getting a dog.  There's still time to work on him though :)  He did seem a lot less nervous with Daisy (who is a much smaller dog) than he had been at our last visit.  Perhaps he just prefers dogs that aren't able to look him straight in the face at eye-level.  Fair enough.

You just can't beat mid-summer days in Edmonton.  Long, sunny, perfectly warm.  Nothing says "summer" quiet like spending a whole afternoon outside in nothing but a swimsuit and bicycle helmet with popsicle stains on your face.

A visit to Edmonton would not be complete without a visit to Gigi and Bapa's for breakfast.  Fluffy pancakes heralded us along with a chance to slide down the basement steps.  Peter has recently learned for whom he was named, and though he was a little shy he thought it was pretty neat to see "the first Peter Young" again.

We spent one of the days taking the boys to Drumheller to visit the dinosaur museum.  It was pretty impressive.

Drumheller was a three hour drive one-way from Edmonton and let's just say that the boys were not well prepared for it.  They discovered this little door that opened into the trunk of the car and that kept them busy for a while, but peace was not long-lived.  Both there and back, I started out in the front seat, and ended up in the back separating them.  

Toward the end of my stay (the boys were visiting for three weeks and I was only able to stay for the first week) we went to park nearby Grandma and Grandpa Bennett's home for a picnic.  Eliot learned to play fetch with Henry and Peter played in the sand with his Mighty Machines.

It was sad to leave them at the end of the week and I look forward to seeing them again soon.  But I know they're having fun, creating memories, and forming bonds.  Love these guys!

Cousin Outing #2: Camping in Door County

The weekend before last we took the children up to Sister Bay in Door County to go camping.  It was a first for Eliot and Peter and a first two-night trip for the cousins.  We camped in an old canvas tent that my parents had purchased from a friend when I was a girl.  It has to be at least 50 years old but still worked really well.  It's one of those old cabin tents in which an adult can stand fully upright all throughout, so no crouching down, which made up for the fact that we all slept on the ground.  I'd thought about bringing an air mattress, but I knew that all of the children wouldn't be able to fit on it.  If some are on the ground, all are on the ground.  Rissie fared a bit better.  The pack n' play we'd brought for Nora didn't really leave much room in the tent for anyone else, so she and Rissie slept in Rissie's car with the windows cracked and Janet and I slept on the ground in the tent with our respective children snuggled around us.  A poor night's sleep is all part of the fun, though, right?

There's nothing quite like camping for cousin bonding time and conversations around the campfire.

While we got the campsite set up the children explored.  Even little Nora got in on the action.

Peter had insisted on bringing along his truck, Crayon.  None of us we're especially enthusiastic about the idea of Crayon coming along and taking up precious trunk space, but we managed to squeeze him in.  And as it turned out, he was the perfect camp chair for Peter.

By this time Peter and Nora had become buddies.  He loves to make her laugh and she loves to laugh, so it works out perfectly.

Roasting starbursts over an open fire and planning the day's shenanigans.

The children all had a great time.  There were moments of stress for the "grown-ups."  Putting up this screen house, for example, just about put me over the edge.  But in spite of it all the little ones couldn't stop smiling.  After all, we were camping!

The next day we headed for Newport Beach State Park to have a paddle in Lake Michigan.

It was so fun to watch the cousins play.  Moments after hitting the beach Eliot started a collection of rocks and sticks (in the foreground) and the other children quickly joined in.  Here they're busily constructing a home for a little frog that they had found.

Peter asked what "that line" was in the distance.  He was pretty impressed to discover that it was the horizon.

Everybody loves a lake on a hot summer's day!  Lucy had come down with a cold and she was a little droopy-eyed that day, but it didn't stop her from enjoying the water.

Here's Maddie (our resident snake-charmer) with Flower, the patient--and ill-fated--frog.  Flower was generally happy to sit quietly in the palm of Maddie's hand.

Upon returning from the beach we found GranDad, Noni, and little Nora enjoying the shade of a tree.  Peter tried to entertain her with his go-to owl noises and the others joined in as well.

For dinner on our last evening we attended a Fish Boil.  We gathered with other vacationers on wooden benches that formed a horseshoe in the middle of which a large caldron bubbled over a fire.  The man at the center tended the fire and gradually added things to the caldron (potatoes, onions, then fish) all the while telling us about the Fish Boil.  It is a traditional Scandinavian cooking method for feeding large groups of people and something that nowadays you can only see demonstrated in Door County, Wisconsin (or so the man told us).  This is how it works:  Potatoes, onions, and fish are cooked in a caldron of boiling water.  As they cook, scales, fish scum, and other refuse rise to the top.

At just the right moment, kerosene is tossed onto the flames and a fire ball engulfs the caldron, consuming the scales, fish scum, and refuse--not something to try at the next block party.

Here were the reactions of the children to the fireball.  It was quite the show.

The fish was served up with the potatoes and onions, along with a side of cole slaw and assorted breads.  James, who had gone fishing during his last visit to Wisconsin, was delighted.

After the meal Eliot could not stop talking about how much he had loved the fish.  He told me, more than once, that it had been his favorite part of the meal.  This was really saying something since the meal was finished off with a slice of cherry pie.

All in all, Door County was a hit.

Bubble Love

A couple of Sundays ago we had a hot afternoon and six children to keep busy.  So I pulled out my never-fail "Time to Play" Pinterest board and made some bubble solution.  I had made some a month or so ago with Eliot and Peter so they knew what was coming and Eliot jumped right in with his hands and started blowing bubbles.

After waiting patiently have a few brief demonstrations from me Maddie caught right on and started making giant bubbles.  The boys tried hard to let the bubbles fully form before popping them, but sometimes it was too much to resist.

All of the children ended up covered in bubble solution by the end of the day (here Peter is trying to show me his bubbly hands.)  It was a great afternoon.

Cousin Outing #1: Strawberry picking

Early in June my sister Janet and her four children (Baby Nora not pictured above) arrived in town for a visit.  This was a much-anticipated event by all of us but especially Eliot and Peter.  One of our first cousin outings was to the strawberry patch.  All of the children worked hard collecting the ripe fruit and then it was home to make strawberry freezer jam.

Teamwork!

They're troopers.  It isn't easy when the number of small children in a house suddenly triples but everyone seems to be getting along as well as can be expected.  I think the visit is living up to everyone's expectations.