We have learned in the last year that if our family really wants to have a successful vacation, we should stay somewhere other than a hotel. More sleeping options, a place to prepare and eat meals, space to play (both inside and out). These are pretty high on our priority list. And after being able to return to an air-conditioned home base after some of the hottest days of the year, we are glad that we choose NOT to camp :)
We started looking for cabins in the Black Hills and found one that looked like a good fit, even if it wasn't labeled as "handicap accessible."
We are SO glad we chose this route for our time away. It even turns out that the owner of the cabin is a professor at the University of Wisconsin. Small world!
Not only was the cabin itself a good fit, but it was situated not far from a nice meadow and a cool (dry) creek bed.
But before we reached our cabin, we stopped at Badlands National Park, our first national park experience with the kids. We learned, yet again, how we will have to continue adjusting our family experiences to Anna's needs. Most national parks these days have some kind of boarded trail for wheelchairs, but the other kids like to explore on dirt trails. We will keep working on different solutions to the never-ending problem of meeting everyone's different interests and physical needs.
Back to the visit to the Badlands. It was H-O-T. Ethan was C-R-A-B-B-Y during our lunch time. But somehow we usually manage to come around to having a good time. This day was no different.
Matt took Ethan and Kate on a little scramble up some hills.
Meanwhile Anna and I did our own version of a hike/walk.
We also found one of the boarded trails and checked out some different views.
The weirdest thing about our couple of hours at the Badlands was that we actually ran into two different families from McFarland. Seriously! After Kate went to the bathroom in the visitor's center, she said "I saw Brody's mom." Really?!? (Brody was one of her classmates this year.) Turns out she was right. So we visited with their family for awhile. Then while we were finishing up our lunch, another family came to say hi. Their daughter also just finished 3rd grade, but she hasn't yet been in any of Anna's classes. The mom is even going to be one of Kate's summer school teachers later this summer. Small world.
When we had all had enough of the heat, we drove the rest of the way to the cabin. By then the kids simply wanted to play, so they did just that while I ran in to town to get groceries.
The next day (Wednesday, for those keeping track) Matt's sister and family from Wyoming came to spend the day with us at our cabin. The last time we saw them all was at Anna's wish trip last year, and there wasn't exactly a lot of down time to hang out that weekend. This day together gave us the opportunity to reconnect with one another, especially those nieces and nephews who are growing up way too fast.
After lunch, the older kids went exploring down along the creek bed and found a variety of interesting objects.
The younger ones were supposed to be resting, but apparently playing with trucks is resting. Right, mom?
Kate made a few new friends, especially two-year-old Zeke, who decided life was too exciting to need a nap, until he just couldn't take it anymore and crashed on his mom's shoulder :)
Do you think these three girls are related?
Anna played a few rounds of Old Maid with the cousins.
And we learned that the Needham kids like to have epic adventures with stuffed animals, just like our kids.
The older kids had another memorable joke telling session during dinner.
This was supposed to be the "nice" picture.
And THIS was the "silly" picture.
We are very grateful that the Needham family was able to spend the day with us. I don't think any of us will forget this day anytime soon.
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