The Kassel Family Project Life 365

Their backpacks are packed and ready to go for the first day of school!

You know you don’t have babies anymore when Daddy and Uncle Jeremy have to replace the main posts of the swing set with taller 4 X 4 posts so that Laura and John can actually swing without hitting their feet on the ground.  I don’t know whether to smile or cry.

With all of our travels and other events this summer, the kids have not had many chances to play all day with their friends.  That changed today as we stayed home all day.  Kathryn was here for about six hours and we had different neighborhood kids in and out of the house all day.  To say that Laura and John were tired this evening would be an understatement.  This is what tired looks like after a very long day of playing, playing, and more playing.  John was done and Laura was struggling to smile.  I *think* it was a successful play day.

Laura has had Girl Scout meetings and activities throughout the summer, but today she actually had all her new Brownie materials.  It took me quite a while to iron on all the patches, but her vest is now done and ready for meetings!

Today, Laura’s Brownie troop met at the public library.  The girls began work on the “World of Girls” Journey badge.  Journey badges take a very long time to earn and are truly a “journey.”  There are four different ones that they can earn.  As part of the “World of Girls” badge, the troop will learn all about different countries around the world.  They got to begin with France and were lucky enough to have a special guest at their meeting, Ms. Suby, who took a trip to France just this past summer.  Ms. Suby works at Ridgeway Elementary and the girls all thought it was “awesome” that someone they know got to go to France.  They very much enjoyed hearing Ms. Suby’s stories and seeing her pictures.

Also, the girls worked some more on the “Snack” badge.  Each girl brought in a fruit or vegetable to share.  The girls learned different facts about each fruit or vegetable and talked about food miles.  They should complete the Snack badge in September.  On to another great year of Girl Scouting!

It is almost school time!  We went to the Ridgeway Elementary Open House and Ice Cream Social this evening.  John got to see his classroom and say hello to his teacher, Mrs. Hanney.  He also got to meet his new Student Teacher and deliver his school supplies.  Since Laura had Mrs. Hanney as a teacher for the last two years, she showed John around the classroom.  He is so excited and he is really ready to start Unit A and be a big boy!

Laura saw her new classroom and met her new teacher, Mrs. Sandstedt.  She found her coat hook and tote box and delivered her school supplies.  While she is excited to move up to Unit B, she is worried about some of the changes like no more Choice Time every day.  Unit B will be an adjustment for Laura, but she will be fine.  She just needs to get through a few days of school and she will be back to normal.

After classroom visits, we headed outside to the playground for the Ice Cream Social and some time on the playground.  It was great to see all the parents again and Andy and I chatted away while the kids played.  Four days until school starts!

We left Rapid City, South Dakota, at 8 am (9 am Central Time) for the long drive home.  I think that driving I-90 across South Dakota just might be longer than driving through Kansas.  With short stops for lunch, breaks, and gas, we arrived in St. Joseph, Missouri, right about 7:30 pm.  We had dinner with Jeremy and Chaley and then got back in the truck for the last part of the drive.  We arrived home about 11:45 pm.  We put the sleeping kids in bed and then we crawled into bed ourselves.  We did not even bother to unpack the truck.  It was a fantastic vacation and I would have loved another day or two, but it is *always* good to be home!

It was a day of visiting national memorials and monuments.  The original intention of our vacation was to see Mount Rushmore and we began the day there.  We saw Mount Rushmore from the road as we were driving up, and the excitement in the kids’ voices was so great to hear!  They could not wait to get closer.  If you ever get a chance to go to Mount Rushmore, do it.  Pictures do not do it justice.  The kids were just amazed.

We walked the path that included over 250 steps and stopped at all the way points that included Gutzon Borglum’s studio and the individual views of each of the four Presidents.  Laura was so interested in all the history and wanted to look at everything.  John got a little bored towards the end, but he still very much enjoyed seeing Mount Rushmore.  We left with a squished penny, a magnet for our refrigerator, a miniature replica, some golf balls, and lots of great memories!

After a picnic lunch, we headed to Crazy Horse Memorial.  While incomplete, it is still quite impressive.  If it is ever finished, it will be simply beautiful.  You do not really understand the detail work and the sheer size until you stand on the deck and take it in.

We spent time wandering through the different exhibits and then happened upon a presentation of a Native American who was to perform some dances.  He was full of information and it was very interesting to watch the three different dances.  Laura and John did not want to participate in the Snake Dance, but they were both riveted during the presentation.

After the presentation was complete, we left for the 2+ hour drive to our final destination, Devils Tower.  Wait, you think I spelled “Devils” incorrectly?  Well, you are correct in that the name is incorrect, but I *did* spell it correctly.  You see, when the monument was first named, the apostrophe was left off of “Devils” and it was never corrected.  I find this highly amusing as an Editor and had to take a picture of the explanation.

If you ever get a chance to visit Devils Tower, go.  It is simply amazing.  It is so beautiful and it was my favorite of the three stops for the day.  Amazing.  I sat on a bench with John and just stared at it.  At least four times, John said, “Mommy, LOOK!  It’s WOW!”  That is the perfect description.  Wow.

We arrived back at our hotel about 9 pm with the intention of letting the kids swim before bed.  Laura said, “Mommy, I don’t want to swim.  I want to go to bed.”  You know it is bad when they ask to go to bed.  As you can imagine, they were asleep within minutes.

We head back for home tomorrow.  I am sad that our family vacation is over.  I hope that the kids remember this for years to come.  What a fantastic trip!