One More Roadtrip

The time has come for kids to return to school.  It doesn't seem possible that summer vacation is done.  They will return to New Haven Elementary School in Columbia this fall.  We had the school open house last Thursday where they found out who their teachers are and some of the students who will be in their classes.  Owen will have a bearded dragon as a class pet, which he is super excited about.  One of Gracie's friends is in her class so she's pretty happy.  

I went out to tell Gracie and Owen that Olympic gymnastics was on and this is how I found them.  Gracie said "Maybe in 10 minutes, mom.  We're kind of busy."

I asked the kids to make a list of things they would like for their birthday.

I don't think Gracie is asking too much; just a few simple things. 

(She means a gymnastics bar, by the way)

We took a final roadtrip to the Sandhills of Nebraska before the start of school.  While the purpose of our excursion was under the unfortunate circumstance of a death in the family (Norm's mother), having the time with family and visiting new places was so enjoyable.  The kids loved the sandhills and spent well over an hour hiking through the hills and jumping into the sand.

Moo!  Cattle X-ing.  Much of the land out there is open range and we drove through some places that we had to wait for cattle to cross.

Nick and the kids hiking through the sandy hills.

Norm showed the kids how a real windmill works and pumps water into the tank for the cattle.  He also proved to them that the water is very clean coming out of there by drinking it.  The kids were more interested in playing with the snails residing in the tank.

Norm took Gracie out by the cattle.  Love this picture of them.

While visiting the homestead called the "Dille" we all had a picnic dinner before we had to return to town before dark.  The place we visited is where Norm's family first resided on 1000 acres. Norm told us that he and his family (3 sisters) lived in the house for three years when he was young.  It had no heat or plumbing and only two bedrooms while he lived there.  Hello outhouse!  I guess there's a first for everything  Visiting this place gives a little different perspective on the necessities of living.  I believe that the house is used now for people who are down to check the cattle and still has very minimal amenities.  But I could be wrong and I'm sure Norm will correct me. :)  I really tried listening well and remembering everything that he was telling us about the history.

But anyway, I'm really glad we were able to go see this little piece of his past.  

This is the house

Gracie and Tony playing out in the front yard.

Back at the hotel. 

Ranchland Motel in Hyannis, NE was very interesting.  Josh and Julie pulled their camper there and were able to hook up to electricity for two nights.  We set up a tent next to them to stay for a couple nights, which was perfect.  Deb, Norm, and their family, as well as Mary, Patrick, and their kids stayed in the motel.  It was quite possibly the weirdest setup I've ever stayed in, but it worked.  We were able to take walks around the town of 182 people, which is also the county seat, I learned.  We found the elementary school and cemetary, as well as a playground.  It was really nice to be in a rural environment again.  Quite a nice change of pace compared to Columbia.

So, the return of the new school year starts tomorrow! I'll be sure to post first day of school pictures soon!  Gracie also has her first soccer practice tomorrow.  Owen is supposed to start flag football next week!  More to come in the next week!