Fun in the Sun & a Treat in the heat

I finally threw Kaycee's birthday party. I guess how they always say, better late than never. She was pretty whiny a few times but who could blame her. She gets overwhelmed with large groups but she also got hit in the face with a fast moving bat (right between the eyes), knocked over and stepped into a patch of stinging-netal with bare feet, not to mention is was pretty darn hot today. It was so hot that the ice cream was soft and already melting straight out of the freezer from our door one apartment building over.

Kaycee seemed to have a blast and so did the rest of the kids even though the pool wouldn't work very well because the water pressure wasn't high enough and the heat. Thank goodness for Tarah and Dan. They brought down their black tub and we hooked up our Nemo sprinkler. I think the flat pool, the tub and Nemo were just as fun for the kids. The ponies were a big hit. They had to be, they were so cute. It was worth the long night making and embroidering the handkerchiefs. (Oh, the best part of it, it was a great excuse to get me a serger!)

A few of our good friends came back over for a little BBQ and some WII. Kaycee had fun playing with her friends again, this time a much smaller group out of the sun. Though our apartment is so hot from lack of central air.

I'm glad we threw her a birthday party. She had fun filling the goody bags and especially making the cow cake. She was excited to have a barn animal theme birthday and buying all the fun stuff.

Oh, I have to add that Kayden was such a sweet little guy and let Kaycee have a great party. He just chilled in his car seat on the lawn without crying to be fed. After it was all over and cleaned up he got fussy and I realized that he went a whole 4 hours without eating. A record!

The kids liked hitting the ball. They didn't quite get the jist of playing the game and running the bases. This is how Kayc got hit between the eyes. She was gathering the balls for me and someone swung when they were not suppose to and hit her right in the face.



I didn't get pictures of the chicken toss. Tarah let me borrow her bean bag toss board and I would call two at a time over and they would ride their horses over and help gather up the chickens and then throw them in the holes. I think they had fun.


The best part for Kaycee though was the cake and ice cream and opening her presents.

Making the Cake

Kaycee had fun helping make her cow cake. We had games planned for her barnyard party. We had the horse races, chicken throw, pig pen pool, and her cow cake.

Kayden had fun watching sis help make the cake and sing and dance on the chair. He sang and danced along with her in his swing. We went and got it out of storage the other day and he loves it. He especially loves being apart of the action, just like his sister.

Kaycee had to add red candies to the cake. She said they were "powers" (flowers). It was fun making the cow with her. She also enjoyed filling the treat bags. Because we were going to play baseball to we found the popcorn bags and used them as goody bags. She thought it was funny. We decorated the cake and filled the bags the morning of and it was a rush to get done but we did it.

bottspot

Congratulations Uncle Nickie Pickel

Rapid City is called the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Wow, I didn't know South Dakota was so cool until I found this website talking about some of the attractions.

http://www.visitrapidcity.com/home/index.php?cid=1

I guess I know when our next big family vacation will be and where!!!

Powwows. Buffalo safaris. The continent's tallest mountain this side of the Rocky Mountains. This isn’t your average, ordinary, run-of-the-mill vacation. That’s because Rapid City lies on the edge of the legendary Black Hills, where you can explore two of the longest caves on the planet, hike around the four faces of Mount Rushmore and scale the sheer granite walls of the Needles – and that’s just your first day.

After all, when you're in the middle of the world's highest concentration of public parks, monuments and memorials, there's always something new to experience, from the otherworldly moonscape of the Badlands and the mystery of Devils Tower to more than two million acres of ponderosa forest.

Rapid City History
Rapid City is the Gateway to the intermountain west and was founded 1876 by a group of disheartened prospectors that had come to the Black Hills in search of gold. The city was named for the limestone spring stream that passes through the city and originates high in the Black Hills. In June, 1972, the city was struck by a severe flash flood after heavy rains caused the collapse of two nearby earth dams. More than 200 lives were lost and property damage was estimated at $120 million.

The economic base in Rapid City remains fundamentally the same as it was in the 1800's. Since it's beginning, Rapid City has been a center for commerce, culture, transportation, and education for the entire high plains. Rapid City enjoys a diverse economy that includes agriculture, forestry, government, tourism, healthcare, manufacturing and an extremely strong service sector. The city is also the tourist center of the Black Hills and the gateway to many attractions, including Mount Rushmore National Memorial, the Badlands National Monument, and Wind Cave National Park.