Travelers

Bing had a meeting in Rapid City with a very wealthy oil man, a client of his, so the whole family went to enjoy the many sights and attractions in the area. I had no idea that there were so many fun and interesting things to do there and it is only 5 hours away! On our list of things to do:
*Mount Rushmore
*Reptile Gardens
*Art Alley
*Water Park
We skipped the water park for lack of time and nap-time conflict but it looked really awesome, the other attractions were quite fun and the boys were content in the hotel pool/hot tub. Bing's work partner and his family came and Maddox claimed the youngest girl, Kody, as is best friend, literally... he called her his best friend. Not sure where he even learned the term but it was stinking cute to hear.




Mount Rushmore was unexptectedly cold





The reptile gardens were really warm, muggy, and disgustingly stinky. Bing and I both thought we might throw up from the smell.
A domed building, kept at the right temperature for several hundred reptiles combined with the things they eat and expel = horrid smell. It was still really neat to see, and Maddox ran from one tank to the next, excited to see what could be in the next one. He loved the crocodiles and repeatedly called them caca-doodoos.

This is Maniac, he is HUGE, 15 feet 7 inches!

At the end, they did a live, snake show. They brought out a cobra in a plexiglass box and it struck several times at the box, Maddox thought it was HILARIOUS and busted out into a contagious giggle each time. He was thrilled to pet the albino Burmese python, so much so we were the last to leave.



Art Alley is an entire block of alleyway that is covered in extensive graffiti work, mostly tasteful and very vibrant.



The boys love to wrestle and play together which is really a blast to watch. They are going to be such great friends :) Maddox talks to his baby sister and every so often will give her kisses. Jetty, we are teaching him "nice", "gentle", and "soft" in preparation for a new baby. Otherwise, his default is hair pulling, scratching and slapping the face... awesome.