Whew, what a week. The kids had the whole week off for spring break, so I took the entire week off as well and we spent the whole week together.
Overall, it was a really good week. The kids did pretty well, the fighting was minimal, and we had a lot of fun. We got really lucky on Monday, and got a 85 degree, sunny beautiful day. So, we packed up a picnic and ate in park, played in the park, and then went to the Great Plains Zoo for the first time in over a year. It was a beautiful day to walk the zoo grounds, and we saw a lot of the animals out and about. The kids really enjoyed it as well, but did get a little whiny about being hot and tired.
After the zoo, we headed home and the kids played with the other kids in the neighborhood, and just had a really great rest of the day.
Unfortunately, the rest of the week was pretty rainy and chilly. On Tuesday, we played at home and had a pretty chill day. The kids played with the neighbors as soon as school was over for them. We did have some problems with the kids being quiet enough for John to work in the basement, but we survived. Around supper time, Jim and Barb stopped by to pick up the kids for a sleepover so they could play with the bunnies and I could do some studying for my certification exam. The kids happily packed up and went for the sleepover, and John and I enjoyed a quiet evening at home.
On Wednesday, I spent the morning going to the gym and studying, and then went out to Jim and Barb's to pick up the kids. The kids are getting better with their bunnies, and really enjoy holding them, brushing them, and helping take care of them. It's pretty cute.
Thursday, we went to Brookings with Poppy to get her updated on her shots with Dennis and Jenny at their vet clinic. Poppy did not like her pet carrier, and she meowed the entire way to Brookings, which drove us all pretty crazy in the car. Once we actually go to Brookings, she did really well with her visit, and took her shots like a champ. I stayed and visited for a while, and then we headed back to Sioux Falls. Emma and Elliott really enjoyed the trip, and they had a lot of questions for Dennis.
By Thursday afternoon we were all feeling a little stir-crazy. It was still raining, and we were just sick of being home and trying to stay quiet for John to work. We played with everything we could think of. I finally just let the kids have some TV time, and decided it was a veg-out day.
We finally made it to Friday, and the kids were so excited to go on our trip to Sioux City. We spent the morning packing, cleaning, and getting ready, and we left home around noon. John and I planned this trip because we wanted to get out of town, stay in a hotel where the kids could play in a pool. and just take a mini trip. We decided on Sioux City because we had never really explored that city before, and it wasn't very far away.
Our first stop was the train museum. It was a really good stop. We got to see some steam engines, get a tour of the place, and then we got to see two rooms of model train setups, which the kids really loved. It was a really fun, educational stop, and the kids really enjoyed it. When we were done there, we checked into our hotel, and then headed straight for the pool, per instructions from the kids. We had the pool to ourselves, and had a lot of fun. We worked up an appetite, so then we headed to a bar and grill for supper. It was good. We had some good burgers and fries, and then headed back to the hotel for more swimming.
Emma and I also checked out the exercise room. It was fun to see her exercising and lifting some weights with me. Then we finally cleaned up, watched some Despicable Me in the hotel room, and finally went to sleep.
Saturday was a fun, busy day. We started the day with the Launch Pad, which is Sioux City's children's museum. We spent two hours there, while the kids played really hard and met some new friends. Then we walked over to the Palmer Candy Company, and let the kids loose in a giant candy store. We spent too much money there. Then we ate lunch at Schweddy's Hotdog Shoppe, which was pretty good. Definitely a unique experience. And then we finally went back to the hotel to rest and regroup. And of course the kids wanted to swim again, so we did. We had the pool to ourselves again, and we had a blast.
Around 3pm, we headed out to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, which was an educational center about the Lewis and Clark expedition. It was really well done and had interactive things for the kids to do. Everyone seemed to enjoy the visit. We also went on the steamboat museum, which was okay. We had a little time to kill before supper, so we went to the Floyd Monument. Sergeant Floyd was the only explorer to die on the Lewis and Clark expedition, and there is a monument in his honor up on hill in Sioux City. We went and saw that, and enjoyed the view as well. Finally, we ate some supper at El Fredo Pizza. It was a run-down place, but the pizza was pretty good.
When we got back to the hotel, the kids wanted to swim again. John and I didn't want to, but we sat there and watched them swim for a couple of hours. The pool was way busier this time, so I was happy enough to just watch. The kids met some friends, and had a great time. Around 8:00pm we finally called it quits, got cleaned up, and got the kids snuggled in with a little TV time, and then bedtime for everyone. What a day.
Today was another busy one. We started the day by walking through Trinity Heights, which is a catholic park with statues of saints, and Mary and Jesus. It was really beautiful, and we had a great morning to walk through it. We really wanted to see the life-size last supper, but they didn't open the building until noon, and we didn't feel like waiting around for it. We will have to go see it next time. After the park, we headed to LeMars, IA.
We let the kids play at a big park, and then we ate at La Juanita's for a light lunch before going to the Blue Bunny ice cream store. We all got giant ice creams and then explored the Blue Bunny Museum and gift shop. Finally, we headed home. It felt really good to be home. It took most of the afternoon to unpack, and then John took the kids to their 4-H meeting in Hartford. I spent my time going to the gym, doing laundry, and doing some studying. What a crazy day. The kids are finally in bed, and I'm going there soon. We all have to go back to reality in the morning.
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