Nelson Family Blog: Emma's Birthday and a Trip to the Black Hills

We officially have a 7 year old. I'm not sure how that happened exactly, but Emma celebrated her birthday this past Saturday in the Black Hills. We had a really fun vacation in the Black Hills these past few days.

This past Friday, Jim, Barb and the kids headed out to the KOA resort by Hill City. John and I left after work and met them there. We stayed in a cabin that slept 6 people. The kids thought the cabin was the best thing ever, and they haven't stopped talking about it since. The whole reason for the trip was a Family Reunion on Barb's side of the family, and then we decided to stay a few extra days to do some tourist things.

Saturday was Emma's birthday, and I think she got sang to 3 different times. She's such a lucky little girl. The morning started with presents and a Happy Birthday song from us in the cabin. Then we started the day off with pancakes at their outdoor kitchen, and then I took the kids to the Fun Zone. We did some swimming, mini golf, jumping on the bouncy pillow, and even some Bingo. They had a blast and played really hard. We also did some 4 wheeling on some trails in the afternoon. For supper, all 38 people for the reunion went and ate at the Alpine Inn. It was really good, and everyone sang Happy Birthday to Emma, which made her blush a little. After supper, we had a campfire and cookie cake back at the cabin with everyone, and Emma got one more round of Happy Birthday sang to her. Everyone was pretty much beat after the busy, busy day.

On Sunday, we had a potluck-style lunch with all the extended family. The kids all enjoyed playing with each other, and it was nice to visit with the distant relatives. In the afternoon, most of the family headed home, while we enjoyed some quiet time at the cabin, and some resort activities. After supper, we headed to Mount Rushmore. The kids really enjoyed seeing Mount Rushmore for the first time, and they completed an activity book which made them Junior Rangers, complete with a pin and everything. They thought it was pretty special. They also got some Mount Rushmore shirts, which they proudly wore the next day. We stayed for the lighting ceremony, and then it was time to go back to the cabin and call it a day.

Monday was a pretty rainy day. We started the day by riding the 1880 Train from Hill City to Keystone. The kids were really excited, and they enjoyed the train for about 20 minutes, and then they got kind of bored The Train did not move very fast, and it took over an hour to go to Keystone, and then we had to ride it all the way back. They did pretty well, but I don't think any of us would get tickets for the train again. One time was enough for all of us. After the train ride it was raining pretty hard, so we ate some lunch in Hill City, and then went to a Dinosaur Museum that Emma wanted to see. Emma did pretty well looking at things and being interested in the museum, but Elliott did not quite understand the museum. He tried to climb on one of the exhibits and we all kind of freaked out, and after that he wasn't very interested at looking at things.

In the evening, the weather finally cleared up, so we made some foil packets for supper, and then we headed to Custer State Park to drive the Wildlife loop. The kids really enjoyed this as well, and they liked looking for all the deer, antelope, buffalo. and donkeys. They also really appreciated the scenery, which really surprised me. It was a beautiful evening for a drive, and we all enjoyed it.

Tuesday was our last full day in the Hills. We started the day off with some swimming, pet the horses, and then we took some of the roads that have the tunnels. The kids thought the tunnels were amazing, and then we stopped at some scenic overlooks where we could see Mount Rushmore from really far away. There were also some rocks around that the kids could climb, and they really enjoyed that. We eventually ended up in Custer State Park again, and drove the wildlife loop again so that the kids could feed the donkeys this time. They fed the donkeys carrots and crackers, and everyone had a good time. We ended the evening with some spaghetti and a campfire, and we called it a day. John and I got to sneak away and grab a beer at Miner Brewery. It was nice to get away for just a little bit and have an adult beverage.

Wednesday was the day to come back home. We got packed up and headed out at about 9:30 am Mountain Time. We stoped in Rapid City at Storybook Island, and the kids really enjoyed that. Elliott keeps asking when we can go back. It was really cute. They had multiple different themed play areas with some Disney music playing over the speakers. They also had a train the kids could ride. They had Snow White, Cinderella, Yogi Bear, Wizard of Oz, Winnie the Pooh, Barney, Raggedy Ann and Andy, Dr. Suess, 101 Dalmations, and many more. We stayed for about an hour, and then we had to drag the kids out of there. We had a picnic lunch in the shade, and then we hit the road again. It was a long drive back to Sioux Falls, but we made it home around 7pm or so. The kids were very overtired, so we unpacked, and then got them to bed as soon as possible.

It was a great trip to the Hills, but we were all ready to get home and back to a routine. Everyone was pretty tired today to get back to work, but we were all ready for it. We did bring the kids to a block party tonight, and they had a really good time. They got balloons, their faces painted, made some beaded necklaces, petted some goats, tried archery-which really went pretty well, and just generally had a good time. They did not want to leave, but it was time to get them home and to bed.

Right now, I'm watching the Twins lose, and thinking about going to bed soon. It's been one heck of a week. Goodnight!