On Friday June 27th we left Dad's graduation ceremony in Jonesboro and hit the road headed for Springfield, Missouri. We traveled 217 miles. Yee-haw!
We had lots of fun swimming in every hotel along the way.
Here is Levi meeting dad's magical squirting turtle.
Naomi tested out all the luggage carts.
A happy Nomi-bird in a gilded cage?
On Saturday we traveled 340 miles to Salina Kansas, where we found an ice skating rink. Great idea, but we didn't bring any warm clothes, so only the most determined ice skaters lasted.
Determined ice skaters:
Frozen travelers:
Besides swimming, all of the hotels we stayed in were great for snuggling, bouncing, leaping, and resting.
I made travel-logs for the children to help them learn about maps and get an idea of distances.
We stopped off in Colby Kansas on our way to Denver to see the new puppy! Oh, and the Robbins' too.
Ruby and Vivi
The famous twin cousins--Levi is no longer the bigger one. It was great while it lasted!
I gave Cristal a turquoise ring. She loves it!
On Sunday we went to church in Salina, where one sister, upon inquiring about our plans, sighed, "They don't need you in Utah! We need you here!". It was a little awkward, but we continued on, nevertheless. Daniel commented to me later that Richfield definitely needs a new doctor, even if Utah doesn't need any more Mormons.
Then we traveled 432 Miles to Denver Colorado. That's a lot of are-we-there-yets, but Denver was a great reward at the end of a long stretch. The girls got creative painting ceramics at "My Art Workshop". It was fun to see them concentrating in complete crafting bliss.
Later we went to "The Downtown Aquarium". It was a thrill a minute for all of us.
Elora's cute profile:
An Eel's cute profile: Yikes!
Nice little eel. Make that BIG eel.
Nomi, Vivi, Creepy.
We walked through a tunnel-shaped aquarium, so we had to look in all directions to see the amazing animals that surrounded us.
Levi didn't get many naps on our activity days, but we arranged to bring his fingers with us so he was always happy.
We also brought along his toes. You can never be too prepared.
Elora's sweetness attracts a happy duck family.
This is what happens if you don't brush your teeth, Viv!
Please don't feed the monkeys!
Welcome to Casa Bonita! Observe the senoritas bonitas!
Dad teaches Levi that you might as well just smile if you ever want that camera out of your face.
The girls have no problems posing--but Elora kept getting car-sick on the trip, and this is her 30-minutes-to-purging face. Poor Ellie!
The food was yummy and we got to sit in the pink castle section.
Everyone loved the show!
The evening had kind of a sad ending, though: Elora and I retreated to the car so she could find a bowl while dad and the rest stayed in to have some more fun. When they finally came out to the car dad told the sad tale of how the girls insisted that they wanted to go through Black Bart's cave. They were sure they would not be scared even though it was a dim black-walled tunnel. As soon as they were in too far to turn around because of people behind them, they both started crying and screaming and begging to get out. Daniel had to mush them forward as the tour proceeded at a painfully slow pace through the rest of the scary cave. Oh well, it can't all be craft-heaven and animal-amazing.
Glenwood Springs: The Last Hoorah!
We spent all day at Glenwood Caverns Advernture Park. What a great place for families to play!
Here we are waiting for the tram to take us up the mountain to the park.
Grandma and Grandpa Smith joined us--even more fun!
And here we are on the tram--the girls in one and the boys in the other.
The view was amazing.
As soon as we got there I spotted the perfect photo-opp. It's a good thing we brought along photographers.
Daniel and I thought it was really cute to perch Levi on the bear. Grandma tried not to scream.
The older girls were great at flipping on the trampoline with the help of the harness.
Naomi achieved a triple flip and everyone watching was impressed.
Dad and the kids just loved this quaint attraction that came with charming sound effects. Grandma and Grandpa and I could have done without it.
This was an all-time favorite. The girls got to mine for arrow-heads and gems in the sandy water, then keep their findings forever. What great souvenirs those rocks are!
Another high note of the park: rock climbing! Viv was too little, but the other girls were fearless and agile as they scaled the heights. Dad was, too, of course, and even I was able to reach the top.
Bull riding--no one loved it, but it made for cute pictures.
Back at our favorite hotel, The AmericInn, we had another great time in the extra-fancy pool.
Elora and Levi are never far apart, as you can see.
Naomi always goes to the hot tub first and is often there by herself, doing her own thing. That's Naomi!
What a great slide!
Here we are before making the last leg of the journey from Glenwood Springs to Richfield. So long, happy vacation! Thanks for the memories!
After traveling a total distance of 1,450 miles, we arrived at our new home in Richfield. Grandma and Grandpa Smith worked like hired hands for days helping us move in, and the neighborhood and ward welcomed us with dinners, invitations, information, and lots of friendship.
No comments:
Post a Comment