A Tonsager Tribute: Cornfields and Cows.....summertime in Nebraska!

Every other year we try to alternate when we go to Nebraska, either in June over Swedish Days, my hometown’s summer festival and community event of the year, or over my birthday in July.

In 2012 it was a year to go on my birthday.

We headed down a couple of days before my birthday and stayed through the Sunday after. We normally go South on HWY 79 after exiting I-90 in Rapid City. This takes us through Hot Springs where we can say hi to Wayne’s parents, then on to Chadron, where we met and Andrew was born, then down through the panhandle to Ogallala, NE where we hop on I-80 until my hometown exit.

I-90 SD has many sites

Badlands

River Valley

The Missouri

The Rosebud Reservation

This time we decided to take a different route. We headed East on I-90 all the way to Whiteriver on the Rosebud Reservation. I hadn’t been through there in a long time. It’s always interesting to see the cultural differences.

This route also takes you through Valentine, Thedford, Halsey and the exact route my family took on our annual fishing trips. I was on a trip down memory lane.

HUGE St Bernard in Thedford. The one from my youth was even bigger!

As we neared Holdrege I was watching this pretty storm.....

Mom called and asked how far out we were and if we could make it before the movie started at the theater. We put a rush on it and made it just in time to see BRAVE. What a great how. I love anything Irish or Scottish origin though. The Holdrege theater offers great deals on concessions and overall entry fees are lower than any theaters I have been to in the past decade since moving away. They recently redid the seating as well. the chairs are huge and rock and recline. They are amazing. Some complain that the backs are too high and that they sit too far off the ground..... I say, WELCOME TO MY WORLD!!!! When you are as short as me, all seats are this way and you learn to work with it. I was highly impressed and went back to watch Magic Mike with my mom, GRANDMA, sister and brother-in-law later in the week and enjoyed it as much the second time around too.

After the movie, Tiff showed us her squad car with the county then we all hung out at Grandpa Boo's house.

Gabby

Grandpa & Gabby

Jake 8 weeks old

We love hanging out at Grandma and Grandpa's. Their backyard is a place I spent lots of time in growing up and when I sit there now under the shade of the trees we planted one arbor day in elementary school and look around to the yard that looks the same but so different, with my children, niece, nephew and baby brother running around, I feel the circle of life completing in that nostalgic way. I could sit for hours if they would let me, however there is always so much to do on a trip to Holdrege.

Hex Bugs

Great Grandma & Jake

Feeding Gabby

Hangin' Out

Movie Time

Sleepy Babies

Down Time

Gabby Girl

Luke & Gabby

Ready for the water!

Grandkids & Braden

Jumpin' on the Tramp under our trees.

Grandma & Gabby

Under the umbrella

Chillin'

Braden in the sand

Grandma & Jake

Zach & Gage

Uncle Braden & Cousin Gage

Luke & Jake in front of the mural in my old room

Jake & Uncle Jim

CORNHUSKERS

Braden & Jake

Luke& his 500 baths

neighborhood people & the boys in the woo woo car

Next up was a day at the lake! A summer in Nebraska MUST! It is much too hot and humid to endure a summer without water. Dad got a boat that had been repo'ed for cheap. After a couple repairs it was good to go.

We set up camp in the treeline above the beach at Patterson's cove and pulled out the picnic food, swimming gear, sand gear and boating goods. Hours later we had to pry 5 little boys from the tube and drag them home for baths.

This was the night we hit Magic Mike and then had a bon fire and smoars in the backyard.

The next day was my birthday. We had the entire day planned out. While getting ready in the morning, I was helping Luke get dressed and as he leaned back on the bed I noticed a hard mass in his groin. I thought it must have been a hernia and the whole way to Kearney looked up what kinds there were and how serious of an operation that is. We would later find out it was his lymph node and that we could be facing CANCER. (Read the whole story HERE.) After some deep breaths, we went on with our day.

First stop: TRAILS AND RAILS MUSEUM

If you remember the boys and I went here unexpectedly with some friends the summer before. Mom and Dad had always wanted to take us and Wayne wasn't down that trip so we made it a priority this trip. They had a special running that day until noon where you could get in FREE to help promote their new Blacksmith shop they were building and to view the Smithsonian exhibit on display in the church on site.

leaving a note

Bible

Those were the two places we spent all our time. We completely missed the old school building and the haunted house that has been featured on the TV show GHOST HUNTERS. but the things we did see were great!

We decided not to pay for the last two buildings and move on with our day. The boys each picked a wooden model in the gift shop, except Zach who got a train bell. He loves that thing. This is also where our favorite quilt came from that we all fight over. Braden got a John Deere one this trip and I planned on making the boys one for Christmas.

Next up....Hunan's for lunch. The have a pretty good a fairly cheap lunch buffet. Then we went to a block party funded by OLD NAVY. Kearney Old Navy had applied for a grant to fix up the OLD WORLD THEATER and won. The block party had a live band, Disney actor Joey Lawrence, free shirts and shoes and yummy treats. including, The BEST SNOW CONES EVER!!!!

Next we went to the Kearney Area Children's Museum, Kidzone, for the first time. LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!! I would love to run a place like that. Dream come true. Every learning area represented with hands on discoveries and multimodal learning. I was in heaven as much as the boys were.

The children's museum has multiple areas which each contain various learning modalities; visual, auditory, kinesthetic.

The Lego section (promotes fine motor development and encourages creativity)

The ball run promotes large or gross motor development as well as encourages problem solving...

The train areas promote scientific discovery and social development through pretend play.

Gross or Large motor development at its best in he sports area...

Science zone; tornadoes and hurricanes......

Space center.......

Science; Dinosaurs

Large Pin Board, discovery, sensory

Planets...

Science; lights, shadows

Art Center...

Lounge.....

Medical & Dental Discoveries, promote, gross motor, fine motor, emotional and social interaction, make connections to their world, pretend play

I'm over 5 foot here!!

Back to the art center...

Water play, this center has gates and levies you can rearrange to redirect the flow of water and create a path for the boats or a dam to divert the water. Not only is this huge problem solving and mathematical thinking, it also provides sensory experiences.

Music center...... (hello BIG from the 80s)

Agriculture Area.... hello connections to society in this area!!!

In the fire station area there is a real fire truck stocked with real fire equipment for pretend play.

Back to medical and dental.....

Music again....

Then there was an entire zone for dramatic play in theater complete with light and sound boards and all sort of costumes and puppets. Andy LOVED this area. My little drama boy.

Braden at the water table...

Near the ball coarse there is a construction area where you can built, place siding, hammer, sort and stack. There is also a little crane.

There is a grocery store zone with shelves and a check out and shopping carts and real food with labels. Labels help with letter recognition and word connection. Monetary play is always fun.

Near the water table there was a big canoe and paddles to try the first time we went. At Christmas it had been replaced with a working water pump.

There's a toddler and baby play area. Jakers Just LOVES the mirror in there.

After pretty much being escorted out a few minutes after close, we went to my FAVORITE RESTAURANT EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!! Little Mexico...

I had my smothered beef and bean burrito, countless homemade chips and salsa, and some sopapillas for dessert.

Then to end the day, we headed to Yanny Splash Park. The boys ran all around wearing themselves out, then for good measure, Grandpa Boo took them up the tower.

Needless to say, they all passed out on the way home.

The next day we headed back to Kearney where Mom, Grandma, Liz, 6 little boys and I went school shopping!!!! For $200 I was able to get 3 boys almost everything they needed for school, the baby a couple of fun things and somewhat keep my sanity. Sonya and Ashley stopped by to meet Baby Jake....

And after, I rewarded the boys (and myself) with a trip back to the children's museum until close again. I even got to see my old 6th grade teacher and some of his family.