south dakota!

Our Spring Break trip this year was the stuff that makes my history-loving heart happy. When I learned Mount Rushmore is only six hours from Denver (it just feels so much further away), I knew we had to get on that. Well, the trip finally happened! We went for a long weekend, and while not everything was open for busy summer season and the kids got a little tired of the car, we had a ton of fun and enjoyed seeing the sights without all the crowds.

Mount Rushmore! All my elementary school dreams came true. I actually got chills when we came around a turn in the road and saw the side of Abe Lincoln's face in the distance. Rhett was talking about seeing the "faces on the mountain" for weeks before our trip. We ate ice cream from Thomas Jefferson's original recipe and Rhett got his first Junior Ranger badge, so everybody won!

 Reptile Gardens was a big surprise. It had great reviews but we were still a little skeptical. It ended up being awesome. There were tons of lizards, snakes, birds, alligators, and bugs, plus giant tortises, prairie dogs, and a bald eagle.

 Psalm Sunday in Rapid City. Tessa killed me in her Easter dress.

We visited Custer State Park and drove the Wildlife Loop, where we saw tons of deer and an entire herd of buffalo just chilling next to the road. The picture above isn't zoomed in! 

We drove the Needles Highway through amazing rock formations and tight tunnels and ended at Sylvan Lake. The entire thing was frozen, and the hike around it was amazing! We ended up on the ice, where Rhett was in awe that we were actually standing on the lake. 

Rhett's second favorite part of the trip was Dinosaur Park, which is just a park on the hill with huge dinosaur sculptures. The simplest things are the biggest hits with kids. 

Another favorite part of the trip was hotel breakfast. Rhett made a nest in his bed of pillows every night.

I couldn't find an Airbnb that I liked, so we ended up scoring a great deal at an extended stay hotel with two bedrooms and a living area and kitchenette. It was awesome--all the perks of a hotel with the comfort of an apartment.

All in all, it was a great trip! Thanks for the memories, presidential faces!