4th of July!

Sure, technically it's the 5th of July, but today is when all the fun happened here.

This morning we started off at the zoo, and then went to the museum. It was fun to bring Jeremy with and have Ian show him all his favorite things, plus we were able to see some new things that the kids and I hadn't seen earlier in the week. At the zoo we rode the train as a special treat, and that was fun.

After a full morning, we came back for a late lunch and naptime. While the kids slept, the fair began setting up. It's right at the fairgrounds we've been staying at all week, just across a small field. It only took us a few minutes to walk over and see what was happening. There were lots of inflatable bouncy houses and slides, and even an inflatable bumper boats arena. Ian loves the big obstacle courses and slides.

From Sioux Falls

One of the bouncy houses was the perfect size for Rinnah to get in. She loved it, especially when Ian came over and bounced her!

From Sioux Falls

Ian's favorite was the bumper boats. Steering and pushing was done by turning the wheels with both hands, which was great for Ian. He loved it!

From Sioux Falls

From Sioux Falls

We were hoping to have the kids settled in bed so we could watch the fireworks. It didn't exactly work out, since they were up for awhile and we were packing up so we'll be ready to leave in the morning. We still did get to put the tailgate down and watch most of the show. We could see different fireworks shows all around us, which was pretty neat. The show here at the fairgrounds was very well done and we really enjoyed it. It was perfect-we were close enough for a great view, but not close enough to be crowded with other people. The kids were inside the trailer which was quiet enough that they stayed asleep. And when it was over, we didn't have to fight traffic and drive anywhere to go home. We just walked inside.

I forgot to put the kids in their 4th of July outfits today, but otherwise it was a great day. Sioux Falls has been a neat little city-a lot of things to do close together, but not a lot of traffic or skinny roads and parking garages. In Kansas City, Jeremy and I each put a scratch on one corner of the truck trying to maneuver the beast through all the parking garages, so we were quite happy to spend a whole week without being in any garages!