Daredevils....

While we were in Omaha we stayed at the Best Western again. The kids really enjoy the pool and we like how they are able to actually stand and play instead of just floating. This pool goes from 8 inches deep to 3 feet deep with two waterslides. Benjamin loves the pool and waterslides and was so excited about going back to this hotel. Ada likes being in the pool but she was petrified of the waterslides last time but apparently that was thrown to the way side this time. She went down both waterslides and was really getting into it. She would even go down the big waterslide by herself (we of course were there to catch her so she wouldn't drown). She couldn't get out fast enough. We barely set her down and she was off running toward the slide again. Benjamin would observe what the big kids were doing and would try to mimic it (we had to put a stop to his braveness every once in a while for fear that he would get hurt). Neither child wanted to leave the pool or the hotel after our weekend getaway.

DinoQuest...

Benjamin loves dinosaurs! He cannot get enough of them! Ada is even starting to really get into dinosaurs. So for their 2nd and 4th birthday we took the kids to Omaha's DinoQuest Adventure. We went over Native American Day weekend which we were looking forward to all summer long. We arrived in Omaha only to find out that they had received 5 inches of snow! Can you believe it? Our dino adventure was a very cold, snowy, icy, slippery experience. Benjamin loved it and really got into it. Ada could have cared less the whole time we were outside. She came to life the moment we went inside. Everyone received a map of the trails marking where the dinosaurs were and you were turned loose to explore the trails and find the dinosaurs. Benjamin loved reading the map, giving us directions and running to the next stop. It would have been very beautiful walk if the weather was nice. We were one of the only ones there so the trails were ours which was nice. Dave stated that if the weather would have been beautiful he was pretty sure that the trails would have been packed! Once inside there was a museum of things to look at and plenty of activities to do! There was a paleontology lab, coloring station, dress-up area with costumes, books, puppets, and other dinosaur toys. Like I said before this was right up Ada's ally. It was so much fun watching the kids explore while learning about dinosaurs!

Help me Daddy!

I love these two pictures of Dave and the kids! Dave helped the kids through an obstacle at DinoQuest. Both of these two could have done it by themselves but with the 5 inches of snow it made things very slippery!

South Dakota State Fair...

Dave, Benjamin, and Ada came to visit me at the South Dakota State Fair. I looked forward to seeing them and checking out the sites as a family. Ada loves/loved anything to do with animals so anytime an animal was near it had her attention. Benjamin loved going on rides (see the post below) and could have cared less if he saw any sites at the fair (except for the rides). In order to allow both kids to enjoy themselves Dave and I decided it would be easier to go our separate ways with each kid and then meet back up.

Can you believe my hands-on animal girl? She sure has come a long way! She used to be so shy and scared of animals and now she wants to man handle them! We had a good time and as Benjamin would say, "we were so exhausted."

Rides, Rides, Rides...

We bought Benjamin an unlimited ride wrist band while we were at the South Dakota State Fair. He loved it and he definitely got our money's worth out of it. We tried to count the number of rides he went on the whole day but when we got to 50 we lost count!

Skeeball...

Ada could care less about going on rides but she loved playing skeeball! Of course Benjamin couldn't just sit back and watch Ada have fun so he had to play too. Combining the tokens that each kid won we were able to bring home a small stuffed animal (lion). I must admit that I enjoy playing skeeball too but I am not good at it at all!

The Cutest Little Frogs that I Have Ever Seen...

The Outdoor Campus came to the Turner County Fair so Dave took the kids to their presentation and activity. Both Benjamin and Ada made frog masks. I think that they turned out pretty darn cute don't you?

Rides, Rides, Rides...

Benjamin loves going on rides. If he was allowed he would go on the "big people" rides (the ones he is too small for both in age and height). He has no fear and we have yet to seem him not like a ride. Ada on the other hand preferred watching the rides and only going in the bouncy house. She must think it is safer or something. Except, I must admit that somehow my bounced his way out the bouncy house surprising and confusing us all. He just shrugged his shoulders and went right back in. Going down the slide was a favorite of Benjamin's. I think Dave liked it to as Benjamin was to small to go by himself so Dave went with him every time for free! Benjamin just smiled the whole time while being on the rides while Dave would groan every once in a while when they would hit a bump or ridge on the slide.

Turner County Fair...

Benjamin and Ada got to come to the Turner County Fair for 3 days this year. They had a great time! Their favorite place by far is Old MacDonald's Farm where they get to see different animals like camels, miniature donkeys, baby chicks, baby pigs, goats, a water buffalo, eggs hatching, puppies, kittens, etc. Ada's favorite animal was the miniature donkeys. She would stay with them for hours if we let her! She had to say good bye to them every day. She was constantly touching them, hugging them, and then she even got into kissing them! What happened to my timid little girl who only liked looking at the animals and not touching them? Both the kids liked checking out all the different sites of the fair. Benjamin was intrigued by all the big farm equipment and had a great time checking it out. I have always said that he is all boy and one afternoon while Ada and I went to see the animals, Dave and Benjamin checked out the sandbox over by the 4-H Show Ring. As I am told, Benjamin proceeded to dig a big hole in the sandbox leaving Dave to wonder what he was going to do with that hole and then all of a sudden Benjamin sat down and proceeded to bury himself in the sand! He was so proud of himself that he had Dave call Ada and I over to see the "surprise". This fair is very family friendly and we always have a good time--okay, okay I am a little biased as I work in Turner County and have to be at the fair whether or not I want to but we really do have a good time. I look forward to eating at the Pork Producers Booth every year--yummy! I have other favorites but there is something about those pork loin sandwiches that have me hooked!!

Pool Time!

While in Omaha we stayed at a hotel that had some indoor slides. Dave was pretty excited to stay there so Benjamin could go swimming and sliding. Let's just say, Benjamin LOVED it!! He was in Heaven! All we did the first day when we got to Omaha was go swimming/sliding. Benjamin would wake up early and go to bed late just so he could go swimming/sliding! He would sleep hard each night as he was so tired from all of our activities. Don't let the pictures fool you...Ada HATED the slides. She went down each slide once. One time with me (little slide) and one time with Dave (big slide). For the picture I put her on the slide and let her slide down by herself. She did great but she didn't like it at all. She enjoyed swimming and had no fear of the deep water she just didn't like the water slides at all!

Children's Museum

A trip to Omaha is not complete for us without a stop at the Children's Museum! We spent all Sunday afternoon there and the kids were in heaven. By far the favorite for both kids was picking corn and playing house. Benjamin's favorite thing to do every time we are there is pick corn. Our little farmer! And Ada is following right in his footsteps.

These two decided it was bedtime at the house. Don't they look so cute play sleeping? Benjamin enjoyed cooking in a kitchen that was just his size! He liked looking in the fridge, oven, cupboards, and microwave. He was always busy cooking somebody some food. Ada enjoyed sitting on the couch and organizing the food and dishes.

Another area that Ada spent a good hour at was at the supermarket. She enjoyed grocery shopping. Can you tell she likes fruits and veggies? She did not leave one in the store. She had to put them all in her cart. That was a lot of toys to put away when we were done!

These two had to check out the seat where they had to pull themselves up. Neither one was afraid of going up high. It was only a few feet up in the air but they had a blast. Dave and I were always close by and hanging onto the other end of the rope (so they wouldn't come crashing down).

Benjamin enjoys playing dress-up so he loved being able to dress up and pretend that he was a fireman. Both Benjamin and Ada enjoyed putting out the fire with the water hoses.

We had a great time at the museum and it was hard to believe that we spent all afternoon there! I could have sworn that we were there for only an hour or so! I guess time flys when you are having fun!