A lot of catching up to do...

Well, we're finally home. We enjoyed a month-long road trip, visiting family and enjoying each other's company as we toured the US in our Birdvan. We spent a week with Sam's parents, then ventured to spend two weeks with my parents in Denver, continuing on to central Kansas to spend a night with my Aunt Linda and Uncle Glenn, then to Kansas City to spend a few days with Grandpa Chuck and Grandma Lisa (aka Daddy and Lisa to me), then up for a few days in Wisconsin for my grandparent's fiftieth wedding anniversary, then back across South Dakota, stopping for a night to visit my good friend Michelle. After one more night on the road, spent in a hotel in Gillette, WY (with a pool and a water park!), we arrived home. And now, the month in pictures (minus our time in Denver - see previous post):

Tjabe and Uncle Glenn having a serious conversation on their back deck

Tjabe playing in Uncle Glenn and Aunt Linda's "cowboy hot tub"

In Kansas City - one of Maggie's post-dinner cleanup looks

Tjabe fishing with Daddy and Grandpa Chuck on Grandpa's boat

Grandpa Chuck and Grandma Lisa

Here we have the first of Maggie's multiple on-the-road blowouts. We were made aware of this by Tjabe calling from the back seat (and I quote): "Mom, there's poop everywhere!"

We pulled over, laid Maggie on the hood of the car, and went to town with the wipes (since the poop got all over her legs and feet, on her hands, and subsequently on her face).

Here's Maggie after the blowout while we're cleaning up the hood of the car

On the trip between Kansas City and Wisconsin (or through "Iwowa" to "Wisconskin", as Tjabe puts it), we stopped at the Amana colonies. Our favorite part of them was the brewery, with it's lush outdoor tasting room, where both kids fell asleep (see photos above and below) while we enjoyed the beer.

Below are some pictures from the photo shoot with the family in Wisconsin:

Grandpa S and Tjabe

One of us and the other one

Grandpa and Grandma S

Us

Me and Michelle

We were excited to return home to a fruitful garden:

***************************************************

Here are some shots from the short hail storm we got Friday. It made the parking lot by our condo flood more than usual so Tjabe and I and some neighbors were out playing in the lake.