Crazy Horse

We paid three times more for admission to this partially completed sculpture than to Rushmore, but the kids got to meet a native American whose wife was related to Crazy Horse himself. Here he is putting a turtle necklace on the boy. In native American culture, the turtle is a symbol for long life. (In a post a few weeks ago I described an incident at the zoo where we witnessed the life-making actions of two turtles.) We also purchased a rock from the blast site. COOL. Oh yeah, for $125.00 per person, you could take a shuttle down that dirt road to get closer to the action. Maybe next time . . .

Mount Rushmore, of course

We watched the lighting ceremony last night and then had breakfast on the terrace this morning. The kids had a good time spending quarters through the viewing lenses. The boy met a kid from WA with the same name.

WWM

Here are the kids after about an hour of hiking in 90 degree heat and "no oxygen." I officially earned the title "WWM - World's Worst Mom." Yeah . . . until I let them go swimming and eat pizza in Keystone. Helipad is just outside our hotel. We'll keep you posted.

Friends!

The picture on the right was taken with the kids as friends, refreshed from a 3-hour car ride and ready to tackle the 1.3 mile hike around Devil's Tower.

The picture on the left was taken after about 50 yards of the hike. Already, they were banding together in order to not die in the high altitudes because the worst parents in the world wouldn't carry them up the mountain.

While we were out that way . . .

OK, so this was a bit more of a jaunt than expected. A morning trip turned into an entire day, but the Devil's Tower trail was worth it. Quinn only threw up once and Rachel only almost passed out.

THE Badlands

Look, Mom! We are all standing on the correct side of the railing. The views here are really amazing. The daughter says she prefers to stand on level land where she doesn't loose her footing so often and she was also opposed to the prairie dogs as she supposes that they will attack and eat us.

A-maize-ing?!

So, here we were today at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota. Yeah, that's about the highlight of the Corn Palace side-trip (taking the picture!).

BUSY!!!

Rachel is back from camp, having crashed from her 6-day Mountain Dew high. Tomorrow we leave for a 10-day roadtrip. I'll let you know how we survive. Thank God for portable TV/VCR units. At lunch today, the boy said to Mr. Rellim, "Ya know, Dad, there are things you should know about how a man should treat a woman!" We wonder where he gets all his information, but so far all advice seems respectful and loving. It took me about 10 minutes to stop laughing!!

Planning a trip to South Dakota

We are planning a trip to South Dakota and I'm looking up information about various attractions. Check out this link. It says here that the time needed to see the Buffalo Grasslands varies depending upon "your tolerance for nothingness" and that the highlight is "watching grass grow."

I'm thinking that I can do that from my own house. And I wonder if Buffalo Grasslands people are aware that someone is being so darn judgmental?

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

We saw a preview for this movie and about laughed our brains out! Check out the trailer for yourself. My sister and brother-in-law are NASCAR junkies, so this made it especially hilarious. ENJOY!!

Bambi

I suggested "Stu" since rabbit stew may be it's ultimate destination, however I was outvoted and - well - screamed at. The has definite ideas about her 4H project/summer pet and it's name is officially "Bambi" (as opposed to "Thumper").

PS: The boy slept through the night for the first time in five days and seems to be on the mend.

Clematis

My mom says that she doesn't have any luck with clematis. Do you say it cleMAtis or CLEMatis? Anyway, this is one of the prettiest ones in our backyard.

Medicine

What do you get when you mix Zyrtec, Singulair, Flovent, Albuterol, guifinesin, Nasonex, Prednisolone, Omnicef, coarse coughing and an ear infection? Hopefully a healthy little boy in a few days. By the way, the Prednisolone bottle prescription reads (and I'm not joking) "Take 1tsp 3x daily x2days, 1 tsp 2x daily x2days, 1 tsp daily x2 days, 1/2 tsp daily x2 days." And that's only one set of instructions. . . Never mind the side effects!!!!

Choices

The Federal Marriage Amendment failed in the Senate last week, in a great part due to the following thought process by various Senators: "Of course I believe that marriage should be the union between one man and one woman, BUT I believe that this matter should be left up to each individual."

My thoughts? Everthing a person does is based on individual choice. We all have choices to make each day. I choose not to smash into the side of an idiot driving next to me on the interstate, pull over and strangle him because it's wrong. It's also illegal. I choose not to steal bacon and eggs from the grocery store no matter how hungry I am. Why? Because it's wrong. It's also illegal. I choose to hold my son and coerce him to take life-saving medicine even when he resists. Why? Because I want him to get better and live to grow to be a strong .

Marriage is the foundation upon which every society in the world is based - the best medicine for a healthy America. I believe that marriage should be protected in order to preserve natural families and provide the best environments for our children. I believe it is the responsibility of our lawmakers to support measures that will maintain best practice in any given area, so I am greatly disappointed in last week's FMA vote.

Vacation Bible School

Tonight was the meeting for all VBS helpers. Each parent was requesting to help with his/her child's group. NOT ME. I've recently been informed by the boy that manners are for use with teachers and other grown-ups, but not parents. We will continue to work on that misconception.

June 9, 2006

A trip to the zoo with two young cousins yielded fun for all! The highlights included 1) the youngest boy shouting, "Roo! Roo!" to the wallabies, 2) the blushing at the turtles caught mating, while oldest boy said, "Those are NOT turtles! I don't know what that is, but it's NOT turtles!" FYI - Did you know that turtles CAN make noises?

June 7, 2006

We had a little birthday fun at the 4H farm. The kids played a game called "Have you ever?" which involved asking a "Have you ever . . ." question, then those who HAD, were required to swim the length of the pool. A little exercise - a little information about the children. My favorite "Have you ever?-" was "Have you ever peed in the pool today?" They all jumped in and swam! I stayed in my seat on the deck for the rest of the afternoon. Happy birthday!

Big Stick

That's a big walking stick! We are getting ready to send the boy to camp tomorrow and wonder if "walking stick" is on the list to be packed. I suppose it depends on how big the mosquitos are there.

Doughnuts

We like doughnuts - especially these square shaped chocolate ones from Valparaiso.

June 5, 2006

While shopping in Wal-Mart, I allowed my son to peruse the toy aisle while big sister and I looked for swimming suits. Within two minutes, I notice two clerks holding the boy's hands and leading him off toward the front of the store. I stopped them to say, "He's with me." They looked at me with surprised expressions because they were certain he was the lost little boy they were looking for. I assured them that my son was not lost, thank you. I was also utterly amazed that my son was going willingly with the clerks.