Black Hills Trip

It was decided months before Bub's birthday that we go to Cabela's. So ALL summer he saved his money up so he could spend it there. So on Friday the 19th of Sept we took off for Rapid City to celebrate his birthday and visit my brother and his family.

With everyone in our family I always make a "birthday meal" so knowing Caleb enjoys the Applebee, we ate there on his birthday. Of course since he is now 13 he is not thrilled about all this picture taking in public.

Here is Caleb at Cabela's and I am driving him nuts by poking along OUTSIDE. :) HEHEHE!!! I so enjoying having fun like that...maybe I should repent but don't feel the need yet.

Then on Saturday we joined my brother and his wife watching his girls at "playdays". It is a time where a bunch of kids can perform at barrels, poles, etc. It is like a kids rodeo...even the adults got to compete. This is how Samantha spent the 4 hours...sitting on anyones lap who would take her...she didn't have too many who didn't take her.

They asked Emily if she would like to participate and of course she jumped at the chance. For the littlest kids it was called lead line and this is how they do it. An adult pulls the horse through the course while the child rides along...doesn't seem far but that is how they learn. Emily caught on quickly to kick and that will make things go faster.

Emily got 2nd on 4 events...those are the ones that Michael pulled her through. But a I think it was 3rd on the one where Michael pulled her out to a barrel where a gentleman give her a cracker after she was off the horse, she then at to take a bit of the cracker and run for the finish line. She had so much fun and we enjoyed watching Michaels girls also. Michael even competed, he looks so gracefully on the back of a horse. I guess you probably would after you spend nearly everyday on the back of one.

I had to capture this photo of my dad and Michael riding...I am jealous of the time they are spending together. They are total enjoying themselves. Michael promise Samantha ride when the rodeo was over...so she is getting a good long ride.

We were headed back to the vans to go eat lunch at Michaels before we head off to see some sites. And I looked up and show Samantha carrying Michaels halter...way to cute to miss sharing with you.
Well obviously one of the sites we took in was Mount Rushmore...AWESOME. Enjoyed the history...learned allot about the making of it. There was a trail you could hike...long and at times strenous. But we all had a very wonderful time.

We decided to stay for the lighting ceremony at Mount Rushmore and one of the things they did was honor our veterns. I encouraged Lance to go and when he got done there he had the opportunity to help fold the flag. He is the one stand beside the short lady in a hat (she was a ranger and MC). It was a very moving time. I couldn't have been more proud of my husband, it was awesome to see all those who have worked to keep our country free. I can't even began to put it into words.

So has we left feeling tired, and content with the days events, I turned around to get a last look at Mt. Rushmore and this is the site I saw. If you haven't been there, there is a isle you walk through that has all the flags of the states and a few others, that is what you are looking at below Mt. Rushmore. It was a pretty awesome weekend, I really enjoyed spending time with my brother and wife Sarah, and of course there beautiful daughters.

Black Hills Trip pictures

Point at the picture to see it and read the caption...sorry so many!

New bathroom help...a very cute one.

This is Samantha helping her dad sand on the floor the even up the old floor with the new floor so tile can be laid. Lance took his vacation Sept.15th - 20th to work on the house. At first I was disappointed that was what he was going to do for his vacation...no visiting family....but then I was excited to have the bathroom making fast progress. It was REALLY fun having him home all day for a week. The first day Emily followed her dad around and helped him with all kinds of things...but then the second day Samantha was his consist shadow. It was so cute she had to have her hate on and then because dad had on gloves she did too. Then Lance put on a handerchief around his neck so she had to have one also. So they were busy sanding away when I found them.
This really the first picture I snapped...he had told me she was helping so I sneaked up on them and this is what I found. She quickly showed me how she can sand but Lance said this is how she was "helping".

Fort Robinson reunion/vacation!!!

Here is my family that got to go to Fort Rob. April unfortunately had sick kids and was moving while we were having a relaxing weekend. This year (the 2nd year) we got T-shirts...all the girls got pink and the boys blue and the adults just did gray.
This is what we did allot. On the houses called adobes there is a wonderful porch that is great to sit under. It is the front of the house and along the back sides of the house so we sat allot and visited.
While everyone but Lance and I and the girls, we went on a stage coach ride. I can't remember the price for this 10 minute ride but it was like a couple of $ for the adults and one dollar for the kids. At first I was like disappointed it was only going to be a 10 minute ride but I soon discovered that you don't care to go any longer then that, it was a VERY rough ride. I REALLY like my modern transportation.
On Sunday evening it decided to rain, that was very enjoyable to sit on the front porch and watch it rain...the only damper was there is a short rodeo (rancher style) that goes on but it was raining so hard that they canceled it.
On Monday morning before we left Lance and I got to on our jeep ride while everyone else watched our kids...hehehhe! It was a very fun and enjoy trip. The scenery was FANTASTIC...I took so many pictures that I haven't even showed them all to you. I really enjoyed doing the photograph thing.
This is our next years housing arrangements for our 3rd annual McCoy reunion!!! Actually it is one very simlar to this one...we got to go in this one and check it out. We will be staying in on that is a duplix unit. This is one of the victorian house down the end of the row of housing that the officers and his family would live in. This one is actually an one family unit but they have made it in to sleeping for @ 22 peoples. There are 3 "bricks" as they call them. I can't wait to share pictures for next years. I will have to dig up the pictures I took of our adobe from last year.

Fort Robinson...pictures.

If you put your pointer on the picture you can read the note and also see the picture easier. I took so many and want to share so many that I put in on fast moving to you don't get bored waiting.

Bathroom nearing completion!!!

Ok after we came back from my brothers Sept 21, a friend of ours had the tiled all laid when we got home...yeah!!!! It was absolutely beautiful. Where Lance is sitting is where the toilet will be.
Then on this side is the tub. For certain it isn't going to be the most spacious bathroom but much better then it was. I am totally loving the tile up the wall. That is my most favorite thing in these pictures.
Ok now we have covered the tile with some heavy duty paper called Rosin paper so we can texture and paint. As you can see it is already textured and I have painted the top part of the wall. It is a linen color...light tan. It looks yellow in these pictures but there is no over head light at this point.
These walls are all done. The other wall on the lower half will have a navy bluish color. I am keeping those pictures from for a surprise.
Here are the beautiful young ladies that live in our house trying out the tub that Larry and Lance carried in last Monday. There is alittle rust we discovered there on the edge but it is all gone now...we were about to clean that up. The end of the tub that is the closest to you will have the exposed chrome pipes and an awesome spout and hand shower thingy. I am also keeping that from you for now. We are actually nearly all done painting in there...I have some touching up to do...there is a trim piece to put on and the plumb to run for the water to the fixtures then we are in business. There will be a cabinet that will fit beside the sink but that isn't an absolute need at this point. But we USING OUR OWN TOILET NOW!!! Sunday Lance was about to get temporary water to it so can now quit running to Marge's for such needs. Thanks Marge!!!

Bathroom update

I have decided to post some progress photos of the bathroom. Just to refresh or inform some of you we tore out ALL the plaster and lath. We decided we really needed more space in that bathroom so we stole the closet from one bedroom and made the other one smaller (this closet was bigger then the standard size). So Lance had some framing to do. So this is the framing back up process.

This is where what use to be our bedroom closet(we traded rooms with the kids)is. We shorted it up probably a foot or so. That is where the sink sat so that is where the sink will sit again...of course back just a bit. Here is a picture of the rest of the unfinished bathroom...as you can see some of the sheet rock is been put up. We also added an attic enterence in the ceil of the bathroom...a much easier access then above the closet. This is all the further we were when Labor Day came.