Finally, my computer has agreed to upload pictures! Yay! I was starting to get annoyed. Don't you just hate technology problems?
Anyway... Here are some long overdue pictures from our trip! Generally, we have to plan out a trip for a while before we go. Dad needs to take off from work, Mom and I need to plan the menu, everyone needs to get used to the idea, etc. This year was different. It was a spur of the moment idea. Mom was like, "Hey, kids want to go to Mt. Rushmore in a week or so?" and we said, "Uh... Sure! Why not?" So, Mom and I got online, found a cabin to rent (Camping is a huge ordeal for us - not so much a relaxing vacation.) and there was no backing out after that.
We managed to fit a week's worth of stuff for 10 people in the back of the van without taking out any seats. This is fairly close to a miracle if you ask me.
Dad bought 3 mini DVD players so that the little kids would have something to do during the 14 hour car ride.
We drove about 5 hours the first night and made it to York, Nebraska. The hotel we pricelined to stay in from 12 a.m. to 8 a.m. was... oh, boy. I could hear people stomping around above and around us all night. Our bed had a bug in it. Half the lights wouldn't turn on. Do I recommend this hotel? Nope. I do not. Was it manageable for only one night? Pretty much.
We were happy to leave the next morning...
(Isaac CRACKS ME UP in this picture. Like, who jumps for a picture like that? Hahaha!)
some of us anyway.
We took a 30 minute detour to check out the town where Dad was born.
Mom spotted an owl. If you know us well, you know that all of us girl love owls. I don't know why, but we do.
Isaac went to Walmart and bought these tiny cars for the trip. I warned him that they would be easy to lose, but he thought he'd be able to keep track of them.
He didn't make it home with either one.
Jonah watched his first movie, Baby Einstein, on the trip. He was in a trancelike state for the duration of the film.
Jack wasn't as impressed.
On the last leg of the trip, we stopped for a buffalo crossing! So cool.
We were all so relieved when we finally saw the cabin!
Check out our view from the back deck. Awesome, right?
As soon as the van stopped moving, we stampeded into the house. We ran frantically around the whole place yelling out when we claimed a bedroom or discovered something cool.
This is the living room area. The kitchen is off to the left and the front door is around where Isaac is standing.
Our cute little kitchen. We quickly learned that only about 2 people can cook comfortably at a time here.
We actually had a laundry room!
We also had a second sitting room area, which we made into our game room.
The view from the dining room - they actually had a table bit enough to fit all of us! - into the kitchen (right) and laundry room (left).
Living room into the kitchen.
Mom and Dad's room.
Their bathroom they shared with the boys.
And... the girls room! All four of us shared a room, so Mom and Dad were generous and let us take the master bedroom! It was so nice. Ally, Emma, and I all shared the giant bed, while Kate slept on this couch thing.
We had two closets! Heaven.
Our bathroom didn't stay this clean and tidy for long...
Looking down from the balcony upstairs to the living room below.
Dad was trying to teach Emma and Landon how to do a lay-up. Trying is the key word here.
Nice shot, Em.
Mom enjoyed eating lunch outside.
Someone had offered to watch Jonah for a while so she could read her magazine in the awesome weather.
Even though staying in a cabin is much easier than hotels, vacations are still exhausting.
I'm not really sure how great of an idea this was... but they had fun!
No kids were harmed in the taking of this picture.
That was the end of our first two days. We were so excited and happy with the house, that Emma announced we should never leave. We should just stay there every day for a week. But, we had stuff to see!
Keep an eye out for the next part of our Mt. Rushmore adventure!
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