The Greatest Show in the West

Saturday night we headed to Medora as it looked to be the only evening without rain for the remainder of our stay. We headed out a little early so the kids would have time to play and we could hit the gift shop as well.

The kids absolutely loved the musical. Last year on our trip the show was cut short due to rain, but we were fortunate to see the entire show this year! This year marks the 50th year for the show! I remember the amphitheater when it was a dirt floor, railroad ties, and portapotties. Now it's concrete, metal chairs, an escalator, and actual bathrooms. Quite an improvement!

The Dakota Zoo

The kids and I headed to North Dakota to visit Great Grama Terry while Jason took some R & R in Canada with his dad, uncle, brother, and cousins. Unfortunately the cold rainy weather followed us all the way there. Hard to believe the kids are wearing jeans and fleece shirts at the end of May!

The rain let up enough for us to enjoy a day at the zoo. We rode the train to get a quick glance at the zoo. The kids enjoyed howling at the wolves, however I don't know that the wolves enjoyed it as much.

The prairie dog exhibit is always a favorite. They love to climb up to get a dog's eye view of what is happening. Man can those things dig! There were quite a few new babies there basking in the sun.

We enjoyed some hot dogs and watching the kids climb a big tree. The reason for the hoods? Tic helmets silly! Maison and Libby were quite concerned with tics falling into their hair while tree climbing. Leave it to our kids to be worried about tics!

http://www.dakotazoo.org/

Tiny Kix Finale

Libby's dance class had their big finale tonight! Each class performed all of their dances throughout the year. We watched this a couple of times just because Libby's facial expressions during some of the dances are absolutely priceless! She is looking forward to participating in the North Liberty Fun Days parade with her class as well as starting up in the fall again. Hard to tell if she likes singing or dancing better!

Den Graduation

Maison and his den graduated tonight from Tiger Cub to Wolf Cubs. It was a great ceremony! Maison will be attending a couple of Scout Camps this summer as well as participating in monthly Pack events. He really enjoys scouts, especially since it's just him and Jason.

African American Museum

The kids to a trip to the African American Museum in Cedar Rapids to learn more about George Washington Carver. We learned important things like the fact he went to Iowa State University. Our tour guide was absolutely amazing!

The kids were able to participate in their own science experiements. They made icecream and tried to burn a dollar bill. Way Cool!

Why Women Live Longer Than Men

I am sure many of you have seen the email circulating with men doing everyday things in the most dangerous way. I don't know about you, but I would have never thought my husband could or would be grouped in that category until this past weekend. The video and picture explains itself!

Weird Science

Maison's school had their science fair tonight. Maison made a solar oven for smores out of a pizza box. He did a great job on the whole thing! From the research, construction, and typing to assemble, presentation, and coloring. He had lots of complements and is looking forward to next year.

Farming Around

Maison's class went to 3 farms today. First of which was a turkey farm. His teacher's daughter just received 20, 000 baby turkeys 3 days ago. They estimate that about 10% will not make it past the first few days. I never realized how delicate turkeys in general are. We entered a little room where we had to put bags over our shoes and then dip them in some solution before we could enter. The kids were then instructed to remain very quiet, calm, and still. ( I have never seen or heard these kids be so quiet...ever!) Unfortunately, there were quite a few turkeys "sleeping" when we walked in. Every now and again a turkey would escape and be chased down by a kid, only to be man-handled by every kid in that vicinity! Libby even got in on the action. When I asked her to gently put the turkey back in his cage, she tossed half way across the ring! (Good thing I left my checkbook at home! Mama couldn't afford to buy all the turkeys that were petted and squeezed!)

We were then taken to see turkeys that were "closer to seeing Jesus." It really is amazing that from the moment they hatch to about 12 weeks later, turkeys are ready to see Jesus. Here's the ironic part, the night before the field trip, we had turkey for dinner! HEE HEE.

The next farm the kids visited was a farm where a young girl was raising animals for a 4H project. The kids looked at lambs, chickens, rabbits, and cows. These cows were randomly standing around and the kids thought it would be funny to moo at them. When they began mooing, the cows immediately lined up in a straight line. It was truly weird!

We rounded off the day at Mrs. Ruess's farm. The kids had a weeny roast, smores, and birthday cake. They enjoyed their nature walk and of course the cows.