Oregon

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The coast of Oregon might be as close to I can imagine what Heaven might look like....it is truly something to see. This is my perfect idea of beach living...I could have the backyard of sand and ocean, hear and watch the waves, and see whales and seals from my windows all while never having to actually get into the fish water as it is just too cold! Our drive into Oregon was its own adventure as we were taking the scenic coastal highway...something we can now say we've done that is on so many people's bucket lists :)  Seriously...seeing the teal blue ocean out your left windows and the massive Redwoods out your right is something I hope everyone gets a chance to see at some point in their lives!

We stopped with the kids for a break to play in the massive trees...and of course Luke managed to give us a laugh :) Why he thought it was a good idea to kick his legs up and down over the river like he was a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, sending his shoe flying into the river is beyond me! He literally just stopped and burst into sobbing tears screaming about his shoe as we all watched it float down the river, laughing our butts off like the good parents we are!! Fortunately Luke has some seriously awesome big brothers who bolted down the riverside and actually managed to catch his shoe downstream!!!

Gold Beach, Oregon was our home for a few days and one we literally had to drag ourselves away from. Looking out our RV windows at the Pacific Ocean is hard to replicate anywhere else and something we will miss having the opportunity to do when this adventure is over! We spent so much time playing on the beach, sitting face to face with seals, whale watching, spending hours watching the wild sea otters, and even saw a few bald eagles! The coolest thing about Gold Beach is the treasure hunt they set up for the visitors. They continually hide these beautiful glass balls all over the coast, in the grass and dunes and you get to search for them. You even get to keep your treasure! We spent hours playing pirate and searching for treasure!!! Craig and I took the kids on a private tour of the Salmon Hatchery and had the most fascinating hour learning every little detail about this sleepy fishing town's main industry! The kids couldn't let a trip to fishing land go without giving it a hand ourselves...of course Craig had to work so I had to take them...YUCK! I about passed out when the rod I was holding for Luke managed to snag a fish and I had to reel it in!! Matt had the biggest catch of the day and we all left Gold Beach with smiles on our faces!

Our second stop in Oregon was Portland...we stayed out by the waterfalls and spent a full day hiking the falls, exploring the forest and even meeting Herman, the world record holding Sturgeon! The kids and I ventured into downtown Portland to spend the day at Portland Science Museum (OMSI). What better way to learn science than spending a full day fully emerging ourselves! Definitely recommend this place if you are ever in the area! This family spent a week in Oregon and it was no where near enough! Oregon...we will be back!!!

California, Part 2

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We are back in California...this time up in the Northern half of the state! Our first stop was a highly anticipated one, particularly for the kids...back to Craig's Aunt & Uncle's house for a fun filled weekend with Craig's cousins and their kids who are all around the boys ages! Over the years we have done most of our keeping in touch remotely as we all live so far from each other. This year we were blessed with not one, but two trips here to spend time with everyone! The first was last February when we made a long weekend trip out, the primary reason being to say goodbye to Craig's Grandma. Craig's Aunt Mary & Uncle Jud were fantastic hosts as always, they are very welcoming and make us feel as if we were at home with my parents as they just dote on everyone. Mary and I even managed to sneak away for pedicures :) Luke's dreams were met when he spent more than a few hours in the giant bathtub in the guest room...the only thing he has missed this entire trip is taking bubbly baths (the kid is like a fish and stays in for hours!). All 3 boys had a fantastic time running around with cousins and Craig got to spend time hanging out with all of his cousins :) Definitely a successful weekend!!!

Our second stop was another place we were just at last year but this time we had a super cool visitor flying in to meet up with us for a few days...Aunt Key (my younger sister!). The kids were so excited to show her San Francisco and drag her (and her poor broken foot) all over the city to show her their favorite places! We even got to squeeze in something new for all of us...a tour of the Guide Dogs for the Blind Headquarters. What an amazing place!!! And the puppies....it was so hard not to just grab them up and run as fast as you could! We learned so much on this tour and have such a new-found respect for these incredible dogs!

Our last adventure in California was a doozey...we had our first "emergency". Kerry and I were driving back to Napa with the boys from SF when the Jeep had a tire blowout! I have never had this happen to me while driving in my life. I was well trained to call Craig and have him help when much to my amazement my baby sister decides to showcase her hidden talent of apparently being an auto mechanic in a prior life and hops out of car, rolls under the Jeep and promptly changes the tire while the kids and I got to be her assistants! Craig watched the whole thing live on Skype and was as impressed as I was!  She had the whole thing done before he could even get there to help us! Her reward...her very first ever campfire cooked dinner of hot dogs and S'mores, followed by her very first time ever camping :) We were so sad to see Aunt Key head back home but so happy she took time from her own family to come spend a few days with us!

Nevada, Part 2 :)

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Well, we are back in Nevada...this time we went across the part of Nevada not as well traveled as that famous bottom corner...the top of the state. Our destinations being Reno and Lake Tahoe. I'll be honest, Reno is a place I really could have cared less to go to but it was Brian's Birthday week and we wanted to be somewhere fun for him! We ended up staying at the neatest RV park, it was attached to one of the massive casinos. They were completely kid-friendly and boy did my guys enjoy themselves!!! Brian's Birthday was a full day devoted to his wishes...we started with presents and pie, followed by airsoft paintballing/laser obstacles/inflatables, next up was the over the water driving range they were dying to try at the resort, with wacky bumper cars to finish off the fun before dinner at Chili's!  Brian's day of fun about exhausted us but he had the best day ever and that's all that matters :)

Lake Tahoe is so beautiful...you drive through the switchbacks and literally end up at this gorgeous, blue piece of water that looks like it fell out of the sky! We had such a fun time exploring the surrounding cities, playing football on the beach and enjoying a picnic together :) What  a neat treasure so close to such a big city...who knew?!?!?

Utah (Part 2)

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We are back in Utah! On our way back west through the Northern part of America we decided Easter in Park City sounded perfect! My adventure loving family has declared this a state we would definitely consider moving to if we decided to ever leave Texas! On this trip we have been to three different parts (Zion, Moab & now Park City) and have loved one more than the next! We were so lucky to have my BFF of 25 years and her two kids (one of which is my godchild) join us for a super quick, but super fun 24 hours, including Easter morning!

Park City was supposed to be a five day stay and thanks to Mother Nature turned into a nine day stay and there was not a single complaint! The first part of the week included a lot of trips to Olympic Park...we literally couldn't get enough! We visited the Olympic Museum, tried out the virtual rides, watched the history videos, bought all day passes to the Extreme Adventure Park (more on this in a minute), played in the snow and did the funnest thing ever...watched Craig go in an actual Swiss Olympic Bobsled down the actual Olympic track! Talk about a once in a lifetime experience! The only two places in the world you can do this is Park City and Vancouver, and they only offer 6 time slots each day in the winter months. The kids and I got him this for his Birthday and he has been looking forward to it since. Craig has spent a good amount of time on this trip working (to pay for it!) and it was so fun to get to do something just for him! You could not pay me to hop in one of these but Craig got off with a smile lighting up his whole face! Flying down the course at 74mph, taking 16 turns with the g-force shoving him against the side of the sled was "the funnest thing ever" according to Craig! The extreme adventure park was not for the faint of heart! From extreme tubing down the ski jump hills, extreme ziplining at 65mph down a mountain and the adventure ropes course towering in the sky, my crew opened up the place and then shut it down 6 hours later! They even managed to convince me to zipline!

Easter was our final major Holiday of the trip and it was successful! The Bunny came for all 5 kids, leaving baskets and a huge egg hunt for candy and money! Waking up with 5 kiddos made the day so much fun. My guys were so excited to have Lance & Madison here for Easter...the kids all love each other so much and do not get to spend nearly enough time together.

Our trip is now officially in the 2 month homestretch. We know life is going to soon return to normal and the days of endless playing together, sleeping in, staying up late watching movies as a family and just being lazy are coming to an end. Even waking up to the excitement of massive amounts of snow is soon going to be a distant memory. While we are so excited to get back home and see family and friends and our pets, it's hard not to be a little sad at the thought of all of this ending. My kids have become closer than ever and Craig & I have had the chance to just enjoy them without all the stress and chaos that is normal life for us. We have given them the opportunity to truly just be kids, without all the pressures kids now face (completely different than when Craig and I were kids) and will always look back on this as the best thing we ever did! Now...let the countdown begin...Texas here we come! (after a few more stops!)

Wyoming

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We had a very low key visit to Wyoming. We will be back in May to see Yellowstone but since it is closed for April we went a different direction. While there might not have been a lot to do in Casper and Green River, there was no lack of indoor swimming pools! The kids and I spent quite a few cold, snowy days playing in nice warm pools in Wyoming. Casper is also home to The National Historic Trails Interpretive Center, quite possibly the coolest realistic history museum I have found so far! The hands-on and virtual experiences that teach you how the pioneers lived had my kids full attention for hours and I cannot give this place enough stars! Highly recommend if you are in the area!

South Dakota

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Brace yourself...South Dakota has a crazy amount of pictures as we had SO MUCH FUN here!!! We started in Sioux Falls...where apparently there are the most beautiful falls! Seriously...we must've looked like total idiots to the locals because all 5 of us were literally dumbfounded by these beautiful, amazing waterfalls!!! Come to find out, they originated in the Ice Age and were formed by the rush of melting glaciers...beautiful falls and a science/history lesson! We actually were so awestruck by the falls, we went back and got Craig to see for himself! The kids and I also spent a day exploring the Butterfly House/Aquarium which ended up giving us the neatest lessons on the ocean forest in Key West we apparently missed while we were there! Guess we need a trip back!!! From there we went to the local children's hands-on science exploratory. What a fun place this was! We happily spent a few hours playing, exploring and learning! Our night was topped off with a visit to what might be my new favorite store...Scheels! It is like Academy on steroids! I freely admit I have an unhealthy love relationship with Academy...well this is bigger and has interactive games/activities/rides to entertain the little people while you shop! A shooting range, bowling lanes, a basketball court and a ferris wheel to name a few!!! I am going to miss this when we leave this part of the country!!!\

Our next stop was a long one...we decided to spend Spring Break somewhere really fun, especially since we had two Birthdays here! Rapid City is home to a crazy amount of fun stuff! It has definitely changed since I visited as a kid!!! Besides the obvious (Mt. Rushmore & Custer State Park), it is like the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg of this part of the country! Unfortunately for us, a good amount of stuff was closed as it was still considered winter, but this means we are for sure going to come back!!! No worries though...there was still more than enough to keep us occupied! Custer State Park was something the kids and Craig were not expecting! You can have someone tell you as many times as they can that there are wild buffalo that walk right up to your car but until you actually experience it you have no idea what you are in for! The kids were literally hanging out of the Jeep in excitement! We saw so many animals including buffalo, many types of deer, bighorn sheep, and our favorite...wild prairie dogs! There were so many you could hear them talking to each other! The kiss and Craig thought it would be a great idea to get and out see if they could catch one...guess who stayed in the car taking pics of this brainiac idea!?!?! Next stop was Mt. Rushmore, Luke's stop! Our little president fanatic was so excited to get here!!! Let me tell you...it did not disappoint! Something about this massive mountain with images of presidents carved into it takes your breath away! We had watched a PBS documentary about it prior and the kids were fascinated to see how this wonder of art was actually built and then seeing how big it is in person left them speechless! Mt. Rushmore has changed since I was a kid and now has this mile long path you can take that literally leads you right up to the base of the carvings. Craig and the boys went out there and the picture I got is a real-life "Where's Waldo?"

Matt and I celebrated our Birthday here and Matt chose our activities for the big day! What fun we had with a visit to an indoor waterpark the night before, followed by a visit to the Reptile Center on our actual Birthday and dinner at a Japanese steakhouse! The reptile center is the Guinness Record Holding Center for most different types of species under one roof. We saw the biggest gator in North America (who looks like a baby dinosaur he's so huge!), the gator from James Bond, birds, owls, snakes, frogs, and so many random things we had never heard of before! Sharing my Birthday with my Matt means I have to look at crazy animals but there's always time for other activities when he is older and not interested in me! I was spoiled by my guys all day from start to finish and Matt had the very best day ever so we can call our Birthday a huge success!!!!

North Dakota

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North Dakota wasn't really more than a "we should go to North Dakota" kind of stop. South Dakota is a crazy fun state with lots to see and do but North Dakota is just kind of North Dakota, a state at the top of America in our minds. We headed to Bismarck, smack in the middle of the state to explore and spend Craig's Birthday! I'll bet he never thought he'd spend a Birthday in Bismarck, ND!?!?!?! Bismarck turned out to be a great little town. We went to the zoo and saw some of the local animals, spent a day swimming, and visited the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center. The kids and I have had on ongoing Lewis & Clark unit going on and this was our final destination in our studies. We even saw their camp and held some actual artifacts the museum has in possession! It was a neat way to end our unit and I feel like I have more knowledge of the Lewis & Clark expedition that I ever dreamed I would (or cared to have...ha!!!!)

Nebraska

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Nebraska will hold the place in my heart for the state all my people got sick :( Quite an accomplishment to make it this far into the journey without this happening!!! Nothing major, but lots of whining, crabby, snotty, coughing, wheezing boys (Daddy included!) so Mommy did not particularly enjoy this state :) Of the four day we were here, the kids and I only ventured out to explore one time! We spent almost the whole time lying around, watching tv and playing video games and you know what...it was kinda nice!

The coolest realization of the trip came in Nebraska. It made living in an RV and doing this trip all the more worthwhile! While in DC, we got to talk to an astronaut live in space on the International Space Station. The Smithsonian live chats with them everyday and we happened to stumble upon the time when it was happening. It was really neat to talk and see them floating around. The kids all asked questions and we left with the coolest experience under our belts. Well...it got cooler! Papa called us and told us that the astronauts were leaving the space station live on tv and to turn it on. Imagine our surprise when Sergey Volkov, the astronaut we chatted with, was one of these guys! We all sat glued to the tv and remembering our chat with him. Talk about once in a lifetime experiences that we would never have had without this trip!!!

Our super fun adventure was to downtown Lincoln where we found the trains and a restaurant full of retro video games! After a few days of playing nurse to these whiners...I happily parked myself in a booth with my book, gave my boys cups full of quarters and let them go at it! Nebraska...success!

Iowa

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Talk about a slower pace of life and a relaxing stop...Iowa would be this place! Iowa was exactly what you would picture...nothing as far as you can see! I am not kidding, you could see for miles as there is nothing obstructing the view and there was nothing but windmills and farmland. The kids and I learned that 90% of the land in Iowa is farmland...I find that number to be crazy high! I get that it is a farming state, but 90%?!?! That's insane! We anchored ourselves outside of Ames, one of the bigger cities in Iowa and a total college town. We spent a day poking around the city and exploring the college...what a beautiful day we picked! 74 degrees in the middle of Winter in Iowa is unheard of and we got to enjoy just that!

Our only "adventure" in Iowa turned out to be quite the interesting one! I found that there was a kaleidoscope factory in Pocahontas, Iowa...about 90 minutes from where we were. This small town is literally a blink and you missed it kind of place. One main street with about a half dozen shops and businesses. The kids and I ventured off for a day of fun and exploring. Imagine my surprise when Leonard (the builder and 'factory' owner) ended up being a member of Mensa! To say this man was crazy smart is an understatement! He gave the boys and I the most  fascinating Physics, Math and Science lesson for the better part of an hour! He then had the boys make their own kaleidoscopes which made the day even more fun! The BEST part of the day came when Leonard asked the boys if they wanted to do the daily news and weather report for the town. What fun this was! The kids made the report 'live'-on air' and were delighted to get to watch it later on the Internet! After spending almost three hours with Leonard, we hit the local bowling alley for pizza and bowling with the entire place to ourselves! Iowa...for as small and unoccupied as you are you were definitely a success!

Minnesota

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Minneapolis, Minnesota in the dead of Winter...isn't that on everyone's to do list??? The good news is there is plenty of indoor fun to be had in this city :) I remember being impressed with Mall of America as a kid and was so excited to take my own kids there. At first I got "why is a mall so cool", "shopping is lame, who cares about a mall" and various other responses from my boys. Well throw a bone to Mom cause once again I managed to knock the socks off these kids! We walked in and their faces froze, eyes huge as they exclaimed "there is seriously 3 roller coasters in the middle of the mall?!?!" We had so much fun we actually spent 2 full days at the mall! The first day we got passes for the Nickelodeon Theme Park. The boys had a blast enjoying all of the rides, smack in the middle of the day with no one else there but a few toddlers! They literally had entire rides to themselves. Day 2 was spent using my Groupons. (I literally need to be an advertisement for them at this point..."how to travel America using Groupons" could be my show!) I had bought tickets for the Maze of Mirrors which entertained them for a good long while, along with unlimited video game cards at the sports bar (think Dave & Busters or Gameworks). Four, yes four boys, each with an unlimited video game card was like Christmas all over! I happily spent 4 hours shopping all four floors of the most massive mall in America while my people happily played till their eyes were blurry ;)

Another fun find in the middle of Winter was the indoor water park, conveniently right across the street from the mall. They are home to the tallest indoor family raft ride and big surprise my people wouldn't let me miss that fun ;)  The extra fun part of this day came when I became the Mom kids (not just my own) were impressed by. This water park was home to a flow-rider (a surfing machine). My crew is big fans of these, having spent lots of time on them at Schlitterbahn and on cruises we have been on. Imagine my surprise and horror when Luke begged Sweetie Pie to to try it too. Brian and Matt burst out laughing at the thought so that was all motivation I needed! I threw on some shorts, tucked my swimsuit into them (no need to show the innocent people of Minnesota what is lurking under that!) and waddled my way (like the penguin I now resembled!) to the line. After watching multiple people wipe out and go flying, I was seriously reconsidering this plan but my guys were now fully invested in having their Mom try this death trap! I took my turn like a champ...I had water spraying down my top and up my butt, could barely see anything but my wonderful husband laughing and videotaping me, but I managed to actually stay on my board and impress my kids...WIN for Mom!