Yesterday evening, as I was making blueberry waffles, our waffle maker broke. Sigh. We received it as a wedding present, so it's lasted nearly 10 years. That got Cory and I thinking about how many appliances we have that are nearly 10 years old now - washer and dryer, dishwasher... Our stove is about five years old, our water heater about the same. Then I reminded Cory of how many things in my parents' house are so much older and have kept going all of these years.

This has been a hot weekend. We reached 101 degree yesterday. We went to the beach in the morning to avoid the worst heat and the big crowds. That was really nice. Ella loves floating in the water and had a blast riding in a little raft that a boy shared with her.

Friday morning was not so fun. The kids were so cranky and fighting with each other, and there was this feeling of just needing to get out and do something different. So I said, "Road trip!" and we packed up a few things, grabbed lunch at Burger King on the way out of town, and were gone for about three hours (long enough road trip for three young children).

We headed to Springfield, which is where the prison is located that Cory works at, although Cory was working in Yankton that day. We drove past the prison, and Cole was excited to see the "bad guys" in white shirts and khaki pants. We drove through the Springfield Recreation Area, which was rather a disappointment and won't be a camping destination. Then we stopped for a bit at a park so the kids could play. A lot of the playground equipment was too hot for them to climb on, though. Here are a few pictures of the kids making due with what was cool enough to touch:





After that, we went on for a few more miles until we reached the Chief Standing Bear Bridge that spans the Missouri River near Niobrara, Nebraska. I told the kids as we were crossing into Nebraska (which we do often since we live a couple miles from the border), and Cole asks, "Are there kangaroos in Nebraska?" Here are a few pictures of the bridge and the river from where we stood at a scenic outlook. Cole loved the "islands" in the middle of the river:





We crossed the river and entered the Santee Sioux Indian Reservation, which is a pretty isolated area but very pretty in it's own way. We drove on for another half hour or so and returned home, and the kids were in much better moods for the rest of the day.

I haven't accomplished a whole lot today other than putting away laundry, and there's more of that on the way! I managed to make an iced coffee this afternoon that tastes almost exactly like the kind I get at Starbucks. Yay! Ella's been drinking more of it than me, I think.

Mercedes has been moving this weekend. She wasn't here yesterday or today, though, when her mom was at the house. That probably means she won't be back to say goodbye to the kids. So far Accalia doesn't seem to be bothered too much by that, though.

I should finish this up and get back to the laundry!