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Love it or hate, Facebook has become a quick way for me to post about our life. While I'll still be blogging, if you have a Facebook account, "friend" me at www.facebook.com/3grahamcrackers

South Dakota

South Dakota's Mount Rushmore has been on my "bucket list" for years. I was actually surprised to see the "faces." They seemed much smaller in scale than I imagined. And, indeed, they could fit all within Crazy Horse's hair. This is a state with great history, beautiful green (black) hills and plains. Thanks to my Mom for always researching the best places to stay and things to do. Custer State Park is a must do for everyone! Staying at the Bell Blue Lodge within the park allowed us to see wildlife up close that we wouldn't see anywhere else in the state. Wild turkeys, pheasants, burros, prairie dogs, antelope, deer, elk and buffalo. Imagine driving down the road only to come upon a herd of 100+ buffalo or even a single buffalo. Buffalo within a few feet of the car (windows down!). The Black Hills provided us with endless entertainment - Keystone's alpine slide, Mt. Rushmore and the zipline, Hill City's train depot, gem panning and winery, Custer's antler shop and Crazy Horse monument, along with geocaching and wildlife viewing. As we passed through Rapid City for the plains and Badlands, we took in the mystery spot, Old McDonalds Farm, Bear Country and the famous Wall Drug. The plains provided Ethan the opportunity to see true farm life. While we enjoyed taking care of the horses, Ethan is clearly a city boy. The 1,000's of grasshoppers drove him to the brink multiple times! He came home in his favorite pair of cowboy boots that he wore non-stop the second leg of the trip, even in shorts. He was also happy to find a sling shot and rabbit fur pouch for storing his collector's coins and gems. We can't wait to take Daddy-o on a trip to the Black Hills in the future!

Funday Sunday

Another fun day visiting Smeeks and Frances Vintage in Phoenix. We love goofing around in the photo booth! We've got to stay indoors when it's 110+ outside.

{Videos are down on Blogger. Hopefully, they will fix this problem soon!}

SUNsational Sedona

What's a vacation without some cuts, scraps, bruises and sunburn? Our Sedona trip with the Blairs was jam-packed with excitement. Ethan and his best buddies Hudson and Carter enjoyed bunking together, exploring Bearizona, swimming, hiking Oak Creek Canyon, star-gazing (Ethan even made a map for the night hike), sliding and fishing at Slide Rock and tubing down the Verde River.

Top 10 Memorable Moments

1. Hillbilly from Arkansas feeding the Artic Wolves M&Ms. Can you say "common sense"?

2. Baby black bears napping and playing about 100 feet up in the trees. Who knew?

3. The Artic wolves running to the car when Jen accidentally shook the snack bag. The windows were immediately rolled up!

4. The skunk that scared Jen half to death outside the condo. Thankfully, this didn't include giving her a tomato soup bath!

5. Making our way through Oak Creek when Ethan realized there were lots of crawdads (mini lobsters) amongst the rocks and jumping about 3 feet out of the water!

6. Jen tripping over a big boulder with Carter in Oak Creek which pretty much ended the rest of our trekking through the water to find a fishing spot. Didn't you know the best spots require some outrageous hiking even with a 3, 4 and 5 year old?!

7. Within minutes of exploring an upper slide in Slide Rock park, I did the splits twice! Everyone on the sidelines got a good laugh. I got a massive raspberry!

8. People watching at Slide Rock park. Who could forget the topless French family and obese ladies in bikinis? Really now!

9. Star-gazing with the iphone app. We were addicted to finding all the constellations.

10. Stripping in the desert after returning from tubing. Anyone who saw boobies got an eyeful!



Thanks Jen for inviting us to Sedona and helping us make more magical memories!