A Week in South Dakota

A week and half ago, my mom flew to Minnesota, and then she, the girls, and I drove to South Dakota for the week to play with my sister and family (and give Eric a week of good sleep and a bit more time to focus on the craziness of work). It was great to spend time together, as always, and good to get to know there new town a bit.
Annie and Siri were great little travelers. Siri thought the back of the carseat and interior of her infant carrier were very interesting, while Annie spent much time excitedly pointing out the silos, water towers, and cows we passed. She's also gotten quite good at manipulating stickers and those keep her occupied for long periods of time.



There was beautiful weather the whole time we were there (felt more like summer than when we were there for the Fourth), and so much of our time was spent outside: walking to the nearby garden, around the nature trail, and to the track where we got to see cousin Elliott running--he runs a mile and a half and makes it look easy--his talent landed him a little feature story in the town paper. While Annie didn't have the focus or energy to join him on his laps, she loved running with him in little spurts, exploring the track itself, and hugging Elliott when he was done.



On the mornings when Elliott had preschool, Kate and Annie had a good time playing together, reading books, hiding under tables, running in circles around the house, and other general silliness. Siri is getting more and more interested in everything going on around her, and definitely enjoyed the attention she got from her cousins who are so sweet with her.


We had a wonderful time there, but were happy to get back and see Eric, too. This week has been a bit quieter, because the girls came back sick. Today, they were feeling a bit more like themselves, and we enjoyed a walk to the park. We gearing up to head to Iowa tomorrow to visit with some friends for the weekend.