Can you believe that this was Ryann's first trip to Nona and Grandpa Dale's house? The last time we were there I was 6 months pregnant, so we were more than past due for a trip to North Platte. And what better time to go than for the most American holiday of the year - the 4th of July? I must admit, not only did we have a great time, but Nebraska is one of the best places to celebrate the 4th.
Our first day was full of exploration. After breakfast we headed across the street to chase some chickens. Grandpa Dale helped build the chicken coop, so in our eyes that made the chickens fair game. Daddy and Grandpa Dale helped chase those crazy chickens out of the bushes so Ry could try and catch 'em. She patiently checked them out, preparing herself for the hunt.
Then it was go time!
Unfortunately, those chickens were faster than those precious little legs could move, so we thought it'd be best to move on to a more steady animal... miniature horses! See, that's the beauty of Nebraska, if one of the neighbor's pets won't let you hold them, the other neighbor has miniature horses. No kidding, we drove down the street, knocked on the neighbor'sdoor barn and asked if we could hang out with their pets, which so happened to be perfectly 2-year-old-people-sized ponies.
We started by petting them from over the fence... you know, to see how friendly they were.
After that there was no hesitation to pop on one of their backs and take him out for a spin.
So back to the ground she went, posing along the way for mama and her camera.
All the while keeping an eye on him...
And as if the perfectly-sized horses weren't enough, after nap we went to a park that has miniature rides for the cost of a whopping $1 each. Ry loved the train, the merry-go-round, and even a large caged-in ferris wheel. We were too big to ride along, but that didn't stop her. Not only did she brave the ride once, but she went back for seconds.
The next day we headed to the R-O-D-E-O! Yee-haw! And just as Nona guessed, Ryann loved it. In fact, we couldn't keep her away from the cow-shoot (at least that's what I'm going to call the fences where they push baby cows through to the main arena). As interested as Ry was, I was clearly out of my element. At one point I yelped when a cowboy lassoed a calf so hard that he flipped over backwards. A local cowboy in the stands laughed so hard at me I thought he might spit out his beer. Oh well, we're at peace with the fact that our daughter just may love country music and want to become a cowgirl. (not really) But we did have a lot of fun!
That brings us to the 4th, which was even more fun. Talk about mid-western hospitality... get this: the city offers FREE barbecue brisket (which was amazing), baked beans, and mac salad. Can you believe it? I think I'm still in shock.
But the best part of our meal was our little visitor... a toad who hopped right onto Ry's plate. Luckily, she and Daddy had been working on her toad-catching skills all weekend so she was a pro by the time he paid his visit.
After some sanitizing wipes were administered, it was time to partake in the best part of the meal... watermelon! There were just too many cute shots of her eating that melon, so I included them all. If her future career as a cowgirl or toad-catcher does pan out, she could probably win some type of watermelon-eating olympics.
Then we were off to the 4th of July parade. There were no crowds, so we didn't have to fight for a seat, and they threw candy at us the whole time. Now that's a good parade!
Later that evening we watched the fireworks show and taught Ryann the official firework language. "Ooooh, aaaahhh, ohhhh". She also loved telling us "here comes another one!" as they shot up through the air.
We had such a great trip (thanks Nona and Grandpa Dale!) and are already thinking about going back for next year's 4th. Hope you all had a great holiday too!
Our first day was full of exploration. After breakfast we headed across the street to chase some chickens. Grandpa Dale helped build the chicken coop, so in our eyes that made the chickens fair game. Daddy and Grandpa Dale helped chase those crazy chickens out of the bushes so Ry could try and catch 'em. She patiently checked them out, preparing herself for the hunt.
Then it was go time!
Unfortunately, those chickens were faster than those precious little legs could move, so we thought it'd be best to move on to a more steady animal... miniature horses! See, that's the beauty of Nebraska, if one of the neighbor's pets won't let you hold them, the other neighbor has miniature horses. No kidding, we drove down the street, knocked on the neighbor's
We started by petting them from over the fence... you know, to see how friendly they were.
After that there was no hesitation to pop on one of their backs and take him out for a spin.
 |
But alas, Ry's face slowly turned from "this is awesome!" to "Daaad.... I'm not so sure about this anymore."
So back to the ground she went, posing along the way for mama and her camera.
All the while keeping an eye on him...
 |
| watch it horsey |
 |
| I've got my eye on you |
 |
And as if the perfectly-sized horses weren't enough, after nap we went to a park that has miniature rides for the cost of a whopping $1 each. Ry loved the train, the merry-go-round, and even a large caged-in ferris wheel. We were too big to ride along, but that didn't stop her. Not only did she brave the ride once, but she went back for seconds.
The next day we headed to the R-O-D-E-O! Yee-haw! And just as Nona guessed, Ryann loved it. In fact, we couldn't keep her away from the cow-shoot (at least that's what I'm going to call the fences where they push baby cows through to the main arena). As interested as Ry was, I was clearly out of my element. At one point I yelped when a cowboy lassoed a calf so hard that he flipped over backwards. A local cowboy in the stands laughed so hard at me I thought he might spit out his beer. Oh well, we're at peace with the fact that our daughter just may love country music and want to become a cowgirl. (not really) But we did have a lot of fun!
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| Everyone had to try on the cowboy hat |
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| Even daddy, whose dip fit right in ;) |
That brings us to the 4th, which was even more fun. Talk about mid-western hospitality... get this: the city offers FREE barbecue brisket (which was amazing), baked beans, and mac salad. Can you believe it? I think I'm still in shock.
But the best part of our meal was our little visitor... a toad who hopped right onto Ry's plate. Luckily, she and Daddy had been working on her toad-catching skills all weekend so she was a pro by the time he paid his visit.
 |
| see him? |
After some sanitizing wipes were administered, it was time to partake in the best part of the meal... watermelon! There were just too many cute shots of her eating that melon, so I included them all. If her future career as a cowgirl or toad-catcher does pan out, she could probably win some type of watermelon-eating olympics.
Then we were off to the 4th of July parade. There were no crowds, so we didn't have to fight for a seat, and they threw candy at us the whole time. Now that's a good parade!
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| The loot! |
Later that evening we watched the fireworks show and taught Ryann the official firework language. "Ooooh, aaaahhh, ohhhh". She also loved telling us "here comes another one!" as they shot up through the air.
We had such a great trip (thanks Nona and Grandpa Dale!) and are already thinking about going back for next year's 4th. Hope you all had a great holiday too!
