our lily pad...

mt. rushmore was a rush...

we pulled into sidney, nebraska yesterday to a campsite that was hosted by cabela's outdoor store.  we had passed it on the way back home in july and the kids begged us to stay here.  so they were stoked and bryant was geeked.  i am excited because there is a super walmart down the road (i've traded in nordys for sammy).  

today we headed up north to keystone, south dakota to go to mt. rushmore.  the kids were excited to see all the secret caves behind the monument (we totally burst their bubble when they found out it was just in the movie "national treasure").  but i was kind of disappointed because it was smaller than i thought (i mean, it was still big, but all the pictures i've seen makes it look ginormous--but then again i wasn't the one dangling on the side of the mountain carving faces into it so i guess i should keep my comments to myself).  we took pictures and the kids got to hear from one of the rangers how life was for native americans.  they even got to skin a deer's hide.  pretty cool.

okay, so all that's great but the real excitement was when daddy got pulled over for "speeding" ("what, who me. i was going the speed limit--i think."---as he claims)  so that's not even the story--the story is that ONCE again he gets away with a warning!  dah!  if that was me, i would have been dragged down to the police station in handcuffs and fingerprinted with the kids hanging onto my legs.  i was like--seriously?????!!!???? however, the scrapper in me needed to take a picture but i did not want to pull out my big ole hunkin' camera (and really irritate the officer who was really nice) so i tried to be discreet with my iphone....i highlighted the police car (circled in red).  

   

notice the look on kenny's face---but once again, my dear sweet hubby got away with a warning.  that was our renegade experience in nebraska.

other pics...

the kids listening to the park ranger...everyone is so fascinated by what she is saying (yeah, right)

the kids took turns skinning the deer hide

we've been trying to complete schoolwork while on the road, but we took a little swim break one day....

tomorrow we pack up and continue on i-80 towards south bend, indiana (via a stop at grandma alice's house).  

written from sidney, nebraska.  happy labor day!!!!  

***last summer my sweet nephew caleb said to me, "women must really like labor day." to which i responded, "well, everyone likes labor day." then he said, "well, women must really like it because it gives them a break." "from what?"  i said.  "from labor.  like having a baby." he responded dead serious.  i choked laughing.****

yellowstone rocks...literally!

we arrived uneventfully (thank you, Lord) in rock springs, wyoming on tuesday, dropped off samson at the rv park and headed up in the car to jackson, wy on wednesday.  we have been staying at the trapper inn (which we once again realized that our kids are totally spoiled when kenny asked when we were going to get room service) and drove up to yellowstone today.  the boys were looking forward to seeing some bears and bison--no luck (like they would be of any help if we actually did run into one).  but we did see old faithful geyser do her thing and God's handiwork first hand.  what a beautiful place!  we also got to check out the aftermath of the wildfires twenty years ago that burned large part of the park (in 1998).  it was quite a sight to see acres of bare trees with new vegetation thriving underneath.  woweeeee--if God can still grow such beauty out of ashes, imagine how He can work in our lives if we let Him (or like me, stop getting in HIs way)!

pics....

at teton national park on way to yellowstone (notice bryce with the blankie which i spent an hour getting the prairie grass and spurs out of after he dragged it across the ground)

at overlook inside yellowstone...notice the bare trees in the background left over from the fires...

waiting for old faithful to erupt...

thar' she blows...

bryce did not appreciate the sulfur smell (eewww mommy, stinky)...

on the way back to jackson, we stopped at a waterfall and met a cowboy who was with a group of people trying to ride the continental divide by horseback in one season (apparently, a guinness record).  he was a hoot---he kept telling us to get closer to the edge---and it's not the fall that'll kill ya, but the sudden stop at the bottom (yeah, right)...

bryant has been drooling over all the motorcycle riders going cross country.  i just don't understand the fascination---like what happens when you are the passenger on the back and you fall asleep??????  colby yells, "nice, harley, honda, ____ (fill in the blank) to every rider he sees.  he has been begging bryant to rent a motorcycle so the boys can ride (over my dead cold body).  

on another note---how 'bout them obamas????? ok, michelle rocks!  we have also been glued to the tv watching the dnc.  what a race this is gonna be.  

 

we are heading back to rock springs tomorrow to pick up samson and then head over to nebraska and up to south dakota to go to mt. rushmore.  

(note to master suzy:  i finished my layouts and am overnighting them to you tomorrow--can you feel the love---i am thinking about you even in yellowstone)

written in jackson, wyoming.

on the road again...

just can't wait to get on the road again!  

we finally are back on the road after a week delay...

we seem to have a reoccurring theme of little fender benders before we take off-

this time, my car was hit in a parking lot so we had to delay our launch day for a week

while it was getting freshened up in the shop.

the good news is that it gave us an extra week to back,

the bad news is that we are still procrastinators and still were until 3am trying to get us ready (well, that 

would be me as the driver snuggled in bed way ahead of me).

we had to cancel the first leg of going up the coast through oregon and washington (sorry lynches and graggs), but we are heading back I-80 east through nevada, utah and into wyoming to go to our first stop--

yellowstone national park!  (woohoo).

the kiddies are adjusting to having school.  colby-snacks has the attention of about 3 seconds before he starts to look out the window and gaze.  kennedy has started kindergarten and constantly begs to have school work like the big kids (yeah, i know, i'm praying that her enthusiasm does not wear off in high school).  kai, is well, kai and has already completed one book report and halfway through another (and we are only a week into school).  and poor bryce is content being bryce (and has learned that if he goes potty many times he will get many potty treats- i made the mistake of giving him candy--bad mommy---so now he announces "gotta go potty" every 15 minutes).  i wish i had pictures but have not loaded them up yet--tomorrow-i have a suh-weet picture of kenny "studying."

just wanted to let yal know the traveling gypsies are off again.  please pray for God's protection as we are gone---we saw an overturned fifth wheel this afternoon--which reminds us that He is really in control!

written in winnemucca, nv.