Little House Vacation

Day 1: Family Vacation

Friday morning Jed had finals to finish of his semester of summer school. Then we packed up the car and started on our little road trip.

Our first sort of official stop was at the Winter Quarters Temple Visitor's Center to use the bathroom and feed Baby X a bottle.

This picture is last time we were at this temple - Oct. 2005

Statue in front of the Visitor's Center - July 2008

Haven't they grown!?!

Our destination for Friday was Sioux City, Iowa to visit our good friends who moved there last year. We spent the afternoon and evening with them. They even took us a an Palmer's Candy store since Sioux City is home of the Twin Bing (which I've read all about in Candyfreak). Here are some pictures from before we left this morning:

the big girls playing dress-up

the girls

the boys (not as happy)

Then in the car for hours and hours of fields of corn and soy beans, and wind turbines. Oh and counties, my husband collects counties. Today we drove through Iowa, South Dakota (new state for me) and Minnesota (also a new state for me).

Day 2 Destination: Walnut Grove, MN

Walnut Grove, MN

For $4 a car some farmer allows us to drive through his field and get to the site of the dugout on Plum Creek. This was probably the most exciting part for Princess Sparkley, so well worth the $4.


Here are the kids and Jed frolicking in Plum Creek just as Laura and Mary did years ago.





Crossing Plum Creek to the Ma and Pa's dugout.


Field my the dugout site.


Princess Sparkley trying to look like a pioneer girl. She's placed her feet so it looks like she's walking.


Site of the Ingallses' dugout.


My cute family crossing back over Plum Creek.


Back in the town of Walnut Creek.


Princess Sparkley as Laura.


Walnut Grove's very own water tower. I'm sure this wasn't around in Laura's day, but it was an interesting shape so I took its picture.