We pulled in to their driveway on Friday night and their 3 girls were jumping up and down waiting for us. Our kids burst out of the car and I quickly realized how much the kids had missed each other. Then at 3:00 in the morning when Jen and I had lost track of time and were still busy gabbing away, I realized how much I have missed her. She is so easy to talk to and we go from the silliest to most serious topics and then back again and I have missed that.
Before we even woke up on Saturday morning the kids were attending art classes with Annie. Gotta love when kids get up and entertain themselves. Here are some of the creations that decorated the halls when we woke up.
They had dot art and puzzle art class.
Shading class
And my personal favorite...cozy cup class. They put socks on these cups and couldn't figure out why no one wanted to use them.
Before we even woke up on Saturday morning the kids were attending art classes with Annie. Gotta love when kids get up and entertain themselves. Here are some of the creations that decorated the halls when we woke up.
They had dot art and puzzle art class.
Shading class
And my personal favorite...cozy cup class. They put socks on these cups and couldn't figure out why no one wanted to use them.
After a few hours of sleep we awoke to a farm fresh breakfast and then we toured the farm. They have chickens, cows, pigs, pheasants, cats, a dog and then some. Their house is also pretty cool. It is older than the Ingall's house but has a giant cistern under the living room that pumped in running water. I bet that was pretty fancy living 140 years ago. The kids have been watching farm life on the Hawley's blog and they were so excited to see it up close.
Taking a ride with Mike and Seth
Taking a ride with Mike and Seth
Chloe and Violet spent most of their time hanging out in the kitty barn.
Alyssa took a liking to the cat they told us wasn't friendly or cuddly but it seemed to like Alyssa, of course. This is where my camera died so I had to steal a few cat and chicken pics from Jen.
They have full grown egg laying chickens and had also just received a new batch.
Seth put one in his pocket and it left a little surprise behind when it departed.
After a morning on the farm we went in to Watertown to check out Mike's office. Did you think he was a farmer? He's not...he's an endodontist and his new office is pretty sweet. We still wish he would have started his business in WI but we are happy that he has found success in SD. After our office tour and lunch we had planned on the waterpark but it was only 68 degrees so we went to the zoo instead, after I grabbed the camera that wasn't dead.
I love the zoo when it is chilly because all the animals are playful.
This guy had a friend in his cage with him who graciously choked on a hairball and puked for us.
We wanted a group shot but the boys quickly shot that down so we got a mom and kids pic instead. Do you like my powdered wig? I didn't want to wash my hair if we were going to swim so Jen showed me how to powder my hair, but I overkilled on the powder and looked like a skunk.
After our zoo adventures we returned to the Hawley farm for one more night of fun. Thanks so much for having us. It was a great end to a great trip!
Sunday morning we loaded the car for the last time and headed home. When we got home our trip odometer looked like this
And our hours in the car....
No, that is not 7 hours...it turned over at 100 so that is over 107 hours in the car. Our van also hit this fun milestone...
When we got home The Gowans' were loading their car as we were unloading ours. They left us flowers and gift cards to 3 restaurants. They really didn't need to do that. Our house was empty and they were houseless so it was a no brainer to have them stay here, but we appreciated the treats they left behind.
This trip was a huge undertaking but it was so worth it. Easy for me to say since I did not drive a single mile, but it really was the trip of a lifetime. I know, you are supposed to say that about Hawaii or a summer in Europe but this trip was filled with so many good memories with people that we love and you can't beat that. Sadly, there are so many people who were on or near our parade route that we did not get to. It doesn't mean we don't love you, just that we ran out of time. I guess we'll have to do it again!
I love the zoo when it is chilly because all the animals are playful.
This guy had a friend in his cage with him who graciously choked on a hairball and puked for us.
We wanted a group shot but the boys quickly shot that down so we got a mom and kids pic instead. Do you like my powdered wig? I didn't want to wash my hair if we were going to swim so Jen showed me how to powder my hair, but I overkilled on the powder and looked like a skunk.
After our zoo adventures we returned to the Hawley farm for one more night of fun. Thanks so much for having us. It was a great end to a great trip!
Sunday morning we loaded the car for the last time and headed home. When we got home our trip odometer looked like this
And our hours in the car....
No, that is not 7 hours...it turned over at 100 so that is over 107 hours in the car. Our van also hit this fun milestone...
When we got home The Gowans' were loading their car as we were unloading ours. They left us flowers and gift cards to 3 restaurants. They really didn't need to do that. Our house was empty and they were houseless so it was a no brainer to have them stay here, but we appreciated the treats they left behind.
This trip was a huge undertaking but it was so worth it. Easy for me to say since I did not drive a single mile, but it really was the trip of a lifetime. I know, you are supposed to say that about Hawaii or a summer in Europe but this trip was filled with so many good memories with people that we love and you can't beat that. Sadly, there are so many people who were on or near our parade route that we did not get to. It doesn't mean we don't love you, just that we ran out of time. I guess we'll have to do it again!
4 comments:
Whaddya mean, once in a lifetime. We've been planning the 2013 fishing derby at Spirit or Browne Lake!! The girls would win this one--again!
I'd have to agree with your closing paragraph. That had to be an amazing experience! A lifetime of memories. :) I had fun following along in Blog Land.
We are so glad you guys went out of your way to visit us. The girls are still talking about it. I definitely realized, too, how much I miss hanging out and talking about EVERYTHING with you. This post brought tears to my eyes thinking about it. We must make an effort to get together at least every other year if not annually. We need to get those girls writing to each other, too.
So much fun!
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