south dakota -day 2

waking up at circle view ranch.
petting the burros: baby burrito, mama and dusty.

catching grasshoppers-they were everywhere!

a little grass snake we came across.

the homesteading cabin.

checking out the outhouse.

inside: 2 beds, a table, sofa, wood burning stove and small kitchen.

view of the ranch from the homesteader.

sweet lucy.

look at that view!

ice cream at wall drug.

out back at wall drug-lots of fun stuff for the kids.the clouds were so fluffy!

more views of the badlands and the road we will take to go see buffalo.

prairie dog town.

our first buffalo!

buffalo crossing.

back to the homesteader.

night is coming.

we sat around the fire making s'mores, singing songs and looking at the stars. they were truly amazing-the kids couldn't believe how many there were!

good night

south dakota-day 1

let the roadtrip begin!
a stop in mitchell, south dakota for a tour of the corn palace. all of the murals are made from different colored corn cobs and changed annually.

mount rushmore mural.

lucy kept asking if corny if he could talk and laughed each time he said "uhuh".

our first view of the badlands.

excited to be out of the car and running!

awesome views from the window trail.

rock climbers.

henry.

charlie.

lucy and mommy.

the badlands are badass (our quote for the week).

being greeted by hank the ranch dog at b & b circle view ranch. lucy thought he was bootiful!

view from the ranch. the little homesteading cabin that we will stay in on the 2nd night is down by the river.

rainbow after the storm.

fiery sunset. what a beautiful way to end our first day!

winter escape

we were lucky this year to be able to escape from kansas city for the warm beaches of playa del carmen in mexico. we were celebrating our 10 year anniversay with friends, unfortunately one couple did not get to go because they were lacking a passport. don't know how we missed that fact since we planned this trip about 8 months ago! despite feeling horrible about that and missing them we had a great time: yummy food, cold beverages, lots of laughs, sunny days and relaxing on the beaches listening to the ocean.

we haven't had much snow this winter but we came home to plenty! and excited kids, both for the snow and to have their mommy and daddy back home.