At 4:30 am, on Friday May 29th, David and I packed up our car and picked up our sleeping baby. We left our house around 5 am, made it half way up Provo Canyon, and turned around because we forgot our temple clothes. So our trip officially began at 5:30 am when we left our house for a second time, this time with everything we needed. Our drive ended at 9:45 pm central time at Becky's house in Nebraska.
Here is a somewhat brief summary of our vacation. Thanks to picasa's collage-making tool I can show you lots of pictures without having an exceedingly long post. (Just in case you didn't know, if you click on the collages, they will get bigger.) I know it is still long, but I just had to get it done in one post or else it never would get done.
I know this picture is WAY out of focus, but it at least gives you a good idea of the beautiful sunset we witnessed as we were driving across Nebraska. Our drive was mostly pleasant. William did surprisingly well and didn't cry very much. Thanks to a well stocked supply of snacks, CDs, and books David and I also did well on the drive and didn't cry too much. :)
On Saturday we went with Becky, Matt and family to Lake Manawa in Iowa. We all piled into the boat for a great time on the water. We had lots of fun driving around really fast, swimming in the lake, and tubing. William seemed to enjoy the ride. He and Makayla also took a nice nap on the boat. Anthony demonstrated the amazing capacity of his bladder. He refused to go in the lake and claimed he wanted "to pee at home." He was able to hold it for quite a while until Becky took him to the restrooms by the lake. Not too shabby for a boy only recently potty trained. Josie loved sitting at the front of the boat while Matt sped around the lake.
On Sunday David, William, and I had a wonderful time in my old ward - the Papillion ward. It was so nice to see old friends. That evening Matt made us his delicious spaghetti for dinner. William certainly enjoyed his first spaghetti meal. He also loved sitting next to Josie since she was constantly slipping him more food. I had a great time watching him eat his food and make a mess of himself. It's amazing how messy kids can get in just a few minutes!
On Monday we went with Becky and kids to the Wildlife Safari. We all had lots of fun! The highlight was probably the sandhill crane that was standing in the middle of the road. We were able to get ridiculously close to it. Josie and Anthony thought that was pretty funny!!!
When we got home from the Safari we changed into our swimming suits and headed to the pool. This was William's first encounter with a swimming pool. I think his face in these pictures says it all. He really didn't like it. It was only about 75* that day, so the pool was really cold. Makayla seemed to like it, though. She especially liked the lawn chairs. Becky laid her on one and within minutes she was sound asleep.
On Tuesday we all went to the Children's Museum in Omaha. They currently have Sesame Street's The Body Exhibit. We enjoyed learning more about our bodies and getting sneezed on by a giant nose. William really liked the infant section of the museum. I thought it was a great idea to have a section completely dedicated to infants. It was nice that he could get down and play without fear of being trampled to death by the multitude of children. After we played in the infant section for a while, William fell asleep in his stroller. I love our stroller! It's amazing!
Tuesday night I met up with my best friend, Mindy, to celebrate her birthday. It was so nice going out to dinner with just the two of us. I hope she had a wonderful birthday!
On Wednesday Becky met up with an old friend of hers from high school at a place called Tiny Town. While they and their kids were playing, David, William, and I went shopping at the Outlet Mall. It felt more like a ghost town than a mall considering that more than half the stores were empty. But we enjoyed what few stores they had and only spent a little bit of money.
Wednesday night David and I were able to do an endowment session together at the Winter Quarters Temple. It was wonderful being there with him. It was our first endowment session together since before William was born. I was amazed at the beauty of the temple and at how small it was. The endowment room only seated 40 people! But still, it was so nice that the room was mostly full and to see the faith of the saints in that area.
On Thursday we went to my favorite zoo - The Henry Doorly Zoo! I love this place! It has really incredible exhibits. Going to the Hogle Zoo after you've been to the Henry Doorly Zoo feels like you're going to a tiny petting zoo. It just doesn't compare. As Becky's friend said, "the animals look alive at this zoo compared to the Hogle Zoo." Anyway, we had a great time. William loved watching the gorillas. We were also able to get really close to a white alligator. It freaked Josie out, but I thought it was really cool. This was our first visit to the zoo's new butterfly building. I was amazed at the size of some of the butterflies and moths! The one pictured above was huge!
We really enjoyed watching this gorilla. It almost seemed as if he was dancing! He kept doing this over and over again.
Overall we had a wonderful time in Nebraska. I love going out there to visit my sister. I am always reminded of all the great times I had while living in Nebraska. The children had lots of fun together. Anthony certainly enjoyed having "two babies" around. Josie would even say that William was Makayla's boyfriend and that Makayla was his girlfriend!
We left around 11 am central time on Friday the 5th. Our drive home went pretty well. William came down with a nasty cold on our way home, but he still was a trooper and was mostly pleasant. We stopped at this rest stop in Wyoming that had a huge Lincoln Monument. It was pretty cool, somewhat random, but cool. We returned home at 12:45 am mountain time. It was so nice to sleep in my own bed! I sure was exhausted the next day, though.
Thanks to Becky and Matt and their family for your hospitality and friendship. We love and miss you all!!!
