South Dakota

Last week we traveled with my parents to Custer, SD for a family vacation. My step-dad, Brian, has a sister who owns a house out there so we were able to visit with them as well as his parents who are there for the summer. Addie did great on the drive - we only needed to stop two times during the 10 hour drive (and those stops were at the request of the adults, not Addie!). We stayed busy each day with different activities, swimming at the pool, and making dinner. We had such a great time, and there are so many "firsts", stories, and cute moments that I will spare you all the details, and just list some highlights below!

• Driving and Wall Drug. Addie was scared of T-Rex... we heard about this EVERYDAY.

• 4 Mile Ghost Town and the Flinstones! Addie said she liked riding the train and going for a car ride with Fred best on this day

• Brian and I hiked Little Devil's while Addie spent the day with Grandma and Grandpa

• Mount Rushmore and Custer State Park. We had fun looking at the "Big Heads" and walking around the park. Addie LOVED seeing all the animals, but enjoyed the buffalo most.

• Mammoth Site and Sylvan Lake. Addie was excited when she finally got to dig for her own fossils! We spent the afternoon hiking around Sylvan Lake and climbing on rocks. We were told many times that day that "Addie likes hiking"!

• Storybook Island and the Badlands. Addie LOVED Storybook Island. I just wish we had set aside some more time and that it wasn't so HOT! Her favorites there were the train ride, Humpty Dumpty, Santa (go figure!) and Bambi. We were not able to hike in the Badlands as much as we wanted due to the 100+ temperatures. But we still headed out on a few trails and completed a little program for Addie to become a Junior Ranger. This day was the highlight of the trip for me, with being able to camp with Addie for the first time (and it will definitely not be the last!).