South Dakota, 4th of July... I LOVE SUMMER!

We have had a busy last couple of weeks. Last week we went on a little adventure to Deanna Rose Farmstead. We tried to beat the heat and get there right when they opened at 9 am, but it got hot quick. Within the first 5 minutes Sidda got her hand pecked by a chicken, and therefore was a little timid the rest of the visit. Shortly after a goat got a hold of her dress and wouldn't let go. And being the great mom that I am I took a picture before pulling the goat away.

They both toddled all over the place seeing the cows, ducks, goats, and other animals. Halfway through the trip we picked up a wagon to lessen the walking. Afterwards we grabbed a quick lunch at Culvers with Jenny, where both of my children threw their entire lunch on the floor and refused to eat :)

Later that week we headed towards South Dakota. To break up the trip we stopped in Omaha to visit the Henry Doorly Zoo. All I can say way... awesome! I am not a big fan of zoos, in fact I hate going to zoos. But this zoo was so cool and I could tell the animals were happy! The environments and space this zoo has designed for animals is awesome. All the animals were busy moving about and fun to watch. We saw otters swimming, monkeys swinging, jelly fish swirling, and sharks pacing!

By Friday we had made it to South Dakota, for Brett's family reunion. It was great to see Grandma Lucy and all the cousins. Since Lucy moved in with Curt and Joan the family has not had their usual meetings in Salina. The kids had a great time as well. My favorite part was Bear Country. If you ever got to Rapid City, SD you must go! There were all kinds of animals that walk right up to your car as your drive along the designated path, but the best part was the bears! There was nearly 50 bears just hanging out... we watched the bears scratch their booties on logs, go swimming in the pond, take a nap on a fallen tree, and chase each other across the field.

Here is a picture of the 4, one year olds. North was born in March, my two were born in April, and Mabel in May. We got about 5 picture of this shot and this is my favorite, as North goes for the outlet :)

And finally the Fourth of July! One of my favorite holidays of the year. We decided to head to Topeka. We started at the lake for the arts and crafts, plus kiddy activities. Then we went to my mom's and grilled burgers. We hung out for the afternoon shot of some fireworks and then headed to my dad's. Over there we had grandpa Eells and crazy aunt Shellie. We grilled again. Played Uno and Croquet and then, of course, shot off more fireworks. Siddalee and Max stayed up until 10:00 as they were so mesmerized by all the fireworks in my dad's neighborhood. I was so happy they were not scared!