Mt. Rushmore Trip

 Paul had a great idea to plan a fun family trip to South Dakota for Spring Break. I'm so glad we went because we won't be able to go too many places for the rest of the year with a baby coming, and we had the best time! Joseph and Lani drove behind us to join us for the trip and it was so fun having them along. They are great travel buddies, easy going and up for anything. 

We were a little nervous with how the kids would do on the 10+ hours in the car but with the help of books and games and tablets and snacks they did great! 

We stopped at Martin's Cove on the way. It was closed but it was still cool to have a look around. We'll have to go back when it is open. 

We also stopped in a little town called Deadwood. We had just watched Calamity Jane with Doris Day with the kids and thought it might be cool to see the old western town. We saw the saloon where Wild Bill Hickok was shot and went to a trading post and saw some neat train models. We also stopped by the cemetery in town and saw where Wild Bill and Calamity Jane were buried. 

Mt. Rushmore was closed when we drove down due to a wild fire so we were relieved when it opened back up the next day. Whew, 10 hour drive, not wasted! Mt. Rushmore was so amazing. We drove around the mountain and it took our breath away when we saw it! It's amazing they were able to carve these presidents out of granite almost 100 years ago. (They started carving in 1927 and finished the project in 1941). 

We also stopped at the Crazy Horse monument. The monument is still under construction and you can't get too close but we went inside the visitors center which was neat. 

Custer State park was the coolest. There were beautiful lakes and so many buffalo. We stopped at a fun park to play and walked through a visitors center. Susie was limited on how much walking she could do because of her dog bite so we only did a few short hikes. The kids loved throwing rocks in the semi-frozen lakes.

There is a highway that goes through Custer State park called Needles highway and it is full of awesome rock tunnels and rock formations. It was really cool to drive through. 

Braden's favorite part was buying his first pocket knife. He's wanted one for a long time and we finally gave in. He whittled sticks along the way whenever he got the chance. 

Our hotel room was perfect because it had two rooms with enough beds for all of us and a full kitchen. 

 

My favorite part of the trip was the Wind Cave. We went on a short tour with a tour guide. During the tour she turned off all the electric lights and it was so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. The cave was beautiful and fascinating! 

On the way home we made one last stop at Devil's Tower in Wyoming. Yet another breathtaking sight! 

It's amazing to learn about how all these different caves and rock formations were formed. 

Such a fun time and so many great memories. I love spending time with this family of mine! 

Having Fun

We've had fun in preschool this month learning about space. We went on a field trip to Papa Murphy's and it was so fun! The kids each got to make their own pizza to take home. We had a fun craft and treasure hunt for St. Patty's. My kids did the treasure hunt again when they got home from school. 

I really like St. Patrick's day! Maybe it's just because as a mom at home, you want things to mix up the norm. But I love the rainbows and the corned beef dinner and doing fun things like treasure hunts or leprechaun traps. Kids get excited about any little celebration and that makes life fun. 

We've been able to see Olivia and JP a few times latley and that is always fun, plus some fun cousin time. Micayla and I are both having a baby soon and Aspen and Kimbol recently blessed their baby Royce. 

Our family date for March was the zoo! We have a membership and we need to get good use out of it. It was chilly but it was fun. 

We love having Grandma and Grandpa closer now and seeing them more often. Grandma threw a little party for Grandpa's birthday. There is always lots of yummy food to be had at a West family party, including two birthday cakes and orange rolls. 

We celebrated pie day with coconut cream pie and invited a few ladies in our neighborhood. 

We love going up to Rexburg every year for our eye exams. We love to see Dr. Thueson in at the optometrist office I used to work at in college. It's were Paul and I met so we love to go back to "where it all started." We always take the kids on campus and see some of our favorite spots. We went to Florences for a chocolate and Bid Juds for dinner. 

I'm curious to see if anyone is reading this so here's an experiment, the first one to text me after reading this gets a crumble cookie gift card! 

The kids all got new glasses! 

Susie got a butterfly kit for her birthday. They had fun watching them form into a chrysalis and then turn into butterflies. We let them go on a warm day, it was magical! 

Olivia threw me a little tea party for a birthday party/ baby shower. We had some really yummy treats. My favorite was the banana walnut cake she made! I got to practice some new recipes too, like this puff pastry prosciutto and asparagus tartlet.