Mt. Rushmore

After driving to Casper, Wyoming, where we spent the night, we then headed out early the next morning to South Dakota. We drove through Custer State Park where there was a ton of wildlife. It was a beautiful sunny day, and we were so lucky the weather was great for us. 

At the end of driving through the park, we were able to drive through three huge tunnels on the way to Mt. Rushmore. As we were about to drive through the first one, we could see in the far distance Mt. Rushmore. It was framing the carving perfectly. It was pretty awesome!

A couple miles away was Mt. Rushmore. It was beautiful. The monument was as big as I thought it would be, but it sure was impressive.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial, established in 1925, features 60-foot sculptures of four US presidents—George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln—carved into the granite mountain top. The memorial, designed by sculptor Gutzon Borglum.

Walking through the museum and watching a short film that explained the sculptor's idea and their journey creating it all was fascinating. 

Skate Park/Hiking/Tracy Aviary

We have one heck of a Summer To Do list this year and we've been great at crossing items off left and right! One day we went to TWO different skate parks, ate a free lunch at IKEA and cooled off at a local splash pad. The boys loved the skate park! They've asked to go back several times! All the boys tried jumps and tricks. Even Preston had a good time!

Another fun, adventurous day we were off on TWO different hikes. The first was Grafitti Rock (aka suicide rock) which was very easy and beautiful. I wish we would of brought spray paint though...

It was getting pretty hot that day so we drove up Little Cottonwood Canyon and hiked Donut Falls, another pretty easy hike and very beautiful. I  printed out nature scavenger hunts for the little kids and a harder one for the older boys. It was a lot of fun. The boys teamed up and worked together to complete their searches. 

Another day we stopped off at (THE BEST) doughnut shop (Banbury Cross) and then headed to Tracy Aviary. We stopped under a tree for a picnic then ate those delicious donuts. It was a pretty hot day so we walked to a nearby splash pad to cool off. 

This summer has been a lot of fun. My house is messier than ever because we're always out playing. And it's great! I really enjoy planning and spending time with these kiddos. They are pretty cool boys and I'm glad to be their mom.

HAPPY SUMMER!!