There Shall Be Dancing!

This past weekend we traveled by car up to Nebraska and South Dakota to attend our niece's wedding. Sophie, Piper, and Riley were great travelers. Before we had kids, our trek to Nebraska took only one long 13.5 hour-day. Now that we have three little kids, we break the trip into two days and stay overnight at a hotel. The girls enjoyed eating complementary cookies in bed while watching a movie. (free cookies and DVD rentals are wonderful hotel bonuses).

The wedding was held at a beautiful outdoor chapel in the pine covered hills of Rapid City, South Dakota. During some free time, Judd took us to Dinosaur Park atop one of the tallest hills. Judd used to visit this park as a child. This particular dinosaur sits at the very top of the hill and on lookers in the town below see his silhouette against the sky.

 The girls had to sit on Dino's tail for a cute photo op. The Black Hills are visible in the background.

Sophie wanted to keep hugging the dinosaurs and wished she could take the big guy home with her -- or out to lunch. Riley maneuvered well and handled the long steep stairs back to the ground level just fine.

Leah and Jarrod were married on Saturday and Sophie was their flower girl. Sophie's dress was so pretty and she did a great job walking down the path and throwing petals.

The reason I particularly love this shot of Riley and Sophie at the reception hall is because my late Grandma Etta Cole used to stand just like they are, with her hands behind her back. Riley recently started copying everything Sophie does because she adores her big sister.

Jarrod and Leah make an adorable couple. Leah looked stunning in her exquisite gown and her hair was beautiful.

The Mother and Father of the Bride were so gracious and hospitable.

Sophie and Andrew (the ring bearer) really hit it off. They were inseparable. They danced together for a long time and Andrew even asked Judd for Sophie's phone number -- Sophie is 4 years old! (I'm not ready for this.) I changed Sophie out of that gorgeous dress and into this one so she wouldn't spill food on it. She is going to be a flower girl in my friend's wedding in a few weeks and needs the flower girl dress to look pristine. Check out Sophie and Andrew as they dance. I think they thought they were on Dancing With the Stars. Andrew was so sweet and really wanted to show off for Sophie. At the 1 minute and 34 second marker, he even shows her his 'Risky Business' moves.

Not to be left out, Riley joined in the reception fun by twirling hundreds of times to the DJ's music.

Back in Gordon, Nebraska, no trip to Grandma and Grandpa's would be complete without a walk around the farm to see the cows, cats, barns, and equipment.

Riley is intrigued by the cows.

"Cow says, 'Moo!'" repeats Piper.

Shortly after we started our drive back home, we had to stop the car for the cowgirls and cowboys who were relocating a herd of cattle to another pasture down the road.

We had a great trip and enjoyed seeing friends and family. Cheers to Leah and Jarrod!

Photo Updates and How to Lose Weight Over the Holidays

This Thanksgiving we loaded up our three little chicks and headed to Gordon, Nebraska, where my husband's family lives. Without kids it takes 13 1/2 hours to get there with limited stops, so with 3 kids, we broke the trip into into two days of travel. Sophie loved staying in the hotel and swimming in the pool.

The weather in Nebraska was mostly in the upper 30's during the day. We saw just a few flurries of snow. At night, though, the temperature dropped to -2 (not wind chill). I'm not sure how the farm animals survive such cold weather. Although you can't tell it in these pictures, our nose hairs were freezing as we breathed.

We enjoyed spending time with Judd's parents, visiting with his sister, her kids, and seeing two aunts and uncles. I ran to Gordon's grocery store and overheard the cutest thing. I was the last of three customers at the checkout. As I was leaving, I heard the bagger say to the checker, "Whew! We're having a morning rush!" Yes, small towns are different than cities. I would have never thought 3 customers were considered a "rush". Of course any visit wouldn't be complete without the fifty-mile trek to the nearest Walmart, where we picked up some items to make the World's Best Lasagna.

Unfortunately, our trip didn't go as planned. On our second day there Riley became ill with a stomach bug. Two days later Piper got it. Then, Judd's dad got it. Then, on our way back home it hit Sophie at the hotel. Not really the kind of "vacation" anyone was looking forward to. We only had 3-4 hours of sleep each night. We sure wish everyone would have felt better.

All are on the mend now, and we are reminded to be thankful for good health. And on the bright side, I had no appetite while tending to my kids, so we all lost weight over the holiday instead of gaining. I'm down 4 pounds this week. There's always a bright side.

And I don't want this post to be a downer, so I'm going to end it on a good note. These are some pictures of our kids at our church's Fall Festival a few weeks ago. We had a great time taking the girls on the carousel horses and letting Sophie play all sorts of games and ride rides.

 

Blowin' Off the City in Gordon, Nebraska

We live in Tulsa - population 385,000.

It's not a huge city, but every now and then the hustle and bustle pushes us to get away.

Bring in my husband's hometown - Gordon, Nebraska - population 1,800 (that's not a typo).

Gordon has no stoplights. The nearest mall and airport are two hours away in Rapid City, South Dakota. Most Gordonites are very friendly and hospitable. Life in Gordon is much slower, but can be more meaningful with fewer distractions. Judd and I just took our girls to visit Judd's parents for a week. We played cards, baked cookies, rode the 4-wheeler, played at the park every day, and ate at the two main cafes.

Back when Judd and I were college kids and dating, I admit, I was scared to be in that little town on my first visit. While driving to get there I decided to time how long it took for us to meet another car on the winding road. It took 32 minutes. That seemed crazy to me. It was before cell phones, (not that we could get reception anyway) and I just prayed we didn't have any car trouble or hit a deer as we traveled. It freaked me out to see so much wide open space - no houses - no cars - no people - no buildings.

I took these pictures last week during our trip. Now I find Gordon relaxing. Maybe it's because I can get cell phone reception and high speed internet access (at the library - when it's open).

We took Sophie fishing at nearby Shell Lake.

The girl caught 6 fish in about 15 minutes.

It was one of the funniest thing I've seen. She would drop her line in and within 60 seconds catch another fish.

Once, Judd dropped the line in just to untangle it and a fish jumped on the empty hook in one second! No fish were hurt in this venture and all were released safely back into the lake.

Any future fishing trips will pale in comparison.

Judd's parents live on a farm just outside town. It's a great place for kids.

Sophie enjoyed playing on the swings her Grandpa made

Riley liked playing in the dirt.

Piper liked playing with bubbles.

Sophie even helped make two apple pies - from scratch. Yummy!

We really enjoyed blowin' off the city in Gordon, Nebraska. We made memories to last a lifetime.