More of our trip...

My parents, the kids and I were the first to arrive in Nebraska. It was really nice to get settled, go grocery shopping and let the kids explore. The first of my cousins to arrive was this guy...

He immediately made my kids day by asking if they wanted to go to the hotel room and have a pillow fight, which lead to horsey rides and pretty much kid chaos! He became a comfort for them the rest of the trip. I can not say how much it meant to me that both Pumpkin and Critter (or nicknamed Crash by this guy) felt comfortable with my crazy family. That is the thing with both kids. They can sometimes start off a little timid, but once they warm up and decide they love you...there is no looking back. Just today Pumpkin said she wanted to color a picture for the fun cousin who had a pillow fight with her...
The hotel had a small basketball court on the property. The nice thing with the later days is that after dinner most nights we would borrow the basketball from the front desk and the kids would play basketball with my dad! It was so much fun, and a great way to get end of the day energy out. The kids ended up staying on AZ time while we were there. They slept in until about 8:30 and went to bed around 10, which is their normal 6:30 wake up and 8 bedtime. It made for slightly long days there, but man has it made bedtime easier here!

My aunt and I took my kids, my cousin and one of my uncles to the Zoo on Friday. (Actually my uncle took us...I don't want to get in trouble with him if he reads this!) It was a small zoo, but perfect for the kids. They had an area to feed animals. The two bigger kids, Pumpkin and my cousin, wanted to feed the baby goats. Critter got to feed the huge llamas! He was so happy with himself!

There was also this really cool butterfly garden. When you walk in they spray some stuff on your finger which attracts the butterflies. It was so cute to watch the kids walk around the area with their fingers out trying to catch butterflies. All the kids got to hold at least one...

So...apparently my cousin is even crazier than I remembered. The morning of his wedding, he organized a softball game for friends and family. Of course, he played in it too! His new bride was upset...not because he played but because she couldn't! After the big kids played, Pumpkin and Critter tried to play too.

Pumpkin actually got a few hits. My cousin got a kick out of pitching to the kids. He did have to watch himself though...you never know where kids will hit the ball! :)

There is still so much more to remember. I have not even scratched the surface of stories. I am so thankful that Pumpkin is at an age where she will remember a lot of these stories. More stories to come still!