Have I mentioned the view? um, and that I'm afraid of heights?

Let's Say...

Let's say there are 10 people staying in one condo.

Let's say that the condo is PLENTY big enough for 10 people to vacation there comfortably.

Let's say that the condo complex has 2 indoor/outdoor pools, and even more indoor/outdoor hot tubs (see?)

Let's say, though, that the day in Paradise turns cloudy and even rains.

Let's say that the kids, then, can't go swimming because of said rain.

Let's even say that one of the oldest children was terrified of the rain/clouds/thunder.

Let's say that all of a sudden, the condo seems to get smaller with all the restless children.

Let's say that the moms happened to see a sheet of paper with all kinds of stuff for children to do in town.

Let's say that the very first thing on the list was a local children's museum that offered all kinds of hands-on stuff for kids to do.

Let's say the moms make record time in loading the kids up.

Let's say that once the moms/kids arrive, they discover it's not really a museum so much, but it's a DEFINITE hands-on kind of place.

Let's say that there are all kinds of stations.

Let's say that there was an art station that had glue, feathers, beads, markers, tape, colored paper, white paper, etc. that children could spend up to an hour at.

Let's say that there was a station with artificial snow to scoop up, put through funnels, load on little tractors.

Let's say there was a skeleton by the anatomy station that kind of freaked the kids out when one particular mom would make it wave to them.

Let's say that there was a VERY popular medical station that had a hospital bed, all kinds of children-sized crutches and canes, stethoscopes, and braces/casts that the kids could play pretend with.

Let's say that by this time, the sun was out, the rain had stopped, and not one kid even noticed.

Let's say the piece de resistance (did you know I was French? Or is that Spanish?) was the "lab."

Let's say with just a little water, a few colored tablets, some beakers, some pipettes, some measuring spoons and cups, some safety goggles, and a lot of test tubes, LOTS of experiments can be done.
Let's say the kids played in there so long that the moms had a chance to go over to a little sofa and visit (and be jealous of some other moms who thought to bring their own coffee!).

Let's say the rainy day was saved.

Let's say the kids begged to go back.

Let's say a good time was had by all.

I'd say!!!

Swimming in paradise

So, we're on our way back from our lovely vacation... (boo) And while we were in Colorado, one of the kids' favorite activities was swimming. They would swim any time, any where. Such as:

The bathtub! The HUGE jet tub provided lots of swimming opportunities when we weren't able to make it to one of the pools... Doesn't Bub look stressed out?

Even though it was quite chilly outside, the pool was heated to 90 degrees everyday. So awesome!

Even so, sometimes it was cool enough to go to the hot tub instead. This particular hot tub had a waterfall coming into it, which was quite fascinating to the kids.

But as nice as the pools/bathtubs/hot tubs were, it was the fabulous VIEW from the hot tub and pools that made the trip so spectacular. Here's a view we had from the pool:

It was truly swimming in paradise!

Unexpected Beauty

We started out the day by going to Mt Rushmore. Absolutely BEAUTIFUL! And amazing, really, the history of how they created the faces in the granite...


And even at Mt Rushmore, Bub couldn't stop climbing on the rocks! He's got the fever!

Proof I was there!

A kind gentleman took our pictures so Don would then take a picture of THEIR family in front of the faces.

After we left Mt Rushmore, Don wanted somewhere to mountain bike ride. He's training for a race next weekend, so he really needed to ride. We drove through the STICKS to find a trail that Don had seen online. I was getting nervous about what the kids and I were going to do while he was on his ride... we seemed to be going into no-man's-land. And then we drove up to this:

It was breathtaking! Bub decided to take a little ride with Don before Don went for his big ride, then the kids and I hiked for a while around the beautiful lake.

Then, the last 1/2 hour or so before Don got back, we spent in the car. The kids watched a movie on the DVD player, while I played Guitar Hero on Bub's DS. Hey, we can't be nature lovers ALL the time. Right???

Because I'm such an outdoorsy kind of girl...

... I thought I'd share some pictures of my outdoorsy kind of adventure I'm currently having! Well, I'm not really so outdoorsy, but I am having a GREAT time right now in the Black Hills of South Dakota!

Oh Give me a home
Where the buffalo roam...

Wait, wait!!! I've found it! I've found the place they HAVE to be talking about in the song! Check this buffalo/bison out (what's the diff, really? Are they the same? I think they are, but I'm actually not positive... all I know is that people here interchange buffalo burgers and bison burgers like they're the same). These guys were hanging out RIGHT NEXT to the highway we were driving on. Like RIGHT. NEXT. TO. No guardrails or anything separating them from us. Check this one out with the bird hanging out on his back!

And out our back window (I was too chicken to get out to take pictures at this point)... they're just crossing the street!

Once we passed the bison/buffalo, we were stunned with the gorgeous BEAUTY of South Dakota! Check this out...

We decided to try a little rock climbing on our own... Bub and Sis posing.

Bub loved loved loved climbing on all the rocks. This one isn't even in focus, but it shows him in action...

Then he got Don climbing with him.

And look, I even got up above the ground level... all for a photo opportunity!

So, while my norm may not be to be outdoorsy, I'm having a BLAST enjoying God's creation in the north!

Starstruck

Family

As seen at my cousin's wedding last weekend...

Bride and Groom

Grandma and granddaughter

Husband and Wife

Aunt and nephews

Cousins

Sister and Brother

Brothers

Dad and kids

Sisters

Dad and daughters

The whole kit and caboodle (well, at least all who were at the wedding)

Family rocks!!!