Evan is a Big Fat WEENIE!!!

Evan had a use it or lose it week off of work, so we used it!  It was Evan's idea to go visit Mount Rushmore in South Dakota and go camping.  We stayed at a swanky KOA camp ground.  Evan whined the whole time.  OK not the whole time, but most of the time.  He whined about Autumn wanting to go in the tent with her shoes on, he whined about the bugs, he whined that it took too long to get food, he whined that the food I cooked didn't fill him up, ect.  Most of his complaints were food based-he gets quite hangry.  I told him I'm never going camping with him again and he said, "good, I don't like camping with girls anyway."  Uh not sure what being a girl has anything to do with it, but next time Autumn and I will go by ourselves.  She loved it, slept well in the tent, didn't get too dirty and thoroughly enjoyed herself.

Autumn "jumping" on the jumping pillow, which is kinda like a mix between a bounce house with out walls and a trampoline.

Me cooking delicious (yet slightly cold) chicken kebobs with peppers and pineapple.

This is how Autumn now "smiles" with her eyes closed.

Autumn's favorite activity was the water slide. (Also the pool floor was painted green, so the water looked super gross...But I'm pretty sure it was fine!)

Mt. Rushmore.  George Washington's eye is 11 ft wide, but since you can't get very close it seems like the mountain is so small.

See..Super small.  In fact driving by if I didn't know to look for it, I'd probably miss it.  I think the Disneyland Matterhorn is probably more noticeable than Mt. Rushmore.

Another "Autumn-isim" She now loves to try and do the splits, but then gets "tuck" and can't get up.  She thinks it's funny.

The original plan of Mt. Rushmore was to carve more of the presidents, including jackets and their hands...as seen below.

Eating a snack.  After making dinner the first night and breakfast (eggs and ham) the next morning, I opted to not listen to Evan whine anymore and we ate out for all our meals.

Playing on the play ground.

Eating at a restaurant the last morning.  The plan was to eat the "all you can eat" pancake breakfast at the campground.  We arrived and they needed cash, so we walked to the little store to use the ATM, only to find out the ATM was at the front of the campground.  So Evan walked to our car and drove up to the front, then he remembered he didn't have his ATM card.  He tried to use my card but didn't know my pin number.  He drove back to where Autumn and I were waiting to get my pin and drove back, only for the ATM machine to still not give us money.  So after 45 minutes of trying to get cash we went to the near by restaurant and used a credit card.  I ordered french toast and I received three thin pieces of french toast, of which Autumn ate one.  Now you ask who was hangry now? Me.

2 hour drive to Devil's Tower

A fun Australian couple took this picture.  They are spending a month in the states traveling around to a bunch of nature things, ie Grand Canyon, Mt. Rushmore, Redwood Forest.  Not my idea of fun.  I hate nature.

Autumn and I waited at a park bench for over 45 minutes while Evan walked "around a bit".  He enjoyed himself.

Evan met some more strangers who took a bunch of pictures of him.

This is Evan. If you look above, closely in the middle of the picture you can see a climber wearing a green shirt. Less visible below him/her is the belay wearing an orange shirt which I am not sure if you can make out or not.

One of my earliest movie memories is watching Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I don't really remember much about the movie except there being this tower structure that Richard Dreyfuss replicates out of mashed potatoes.  Eating mashed potatoes is one the few things in my life that always triggers an association with something else. I never knew it was called Devil's Tower nor that it was located in WY, but now I will always think of our trip to Devil's Tower and how cool it is when eating mashed potatoes (I don't eat mashed potatoes often). Oh and that I was a big whiner and am a big fat weenie!!!!!

Finally back in the car!  She was so happy not to be camped out on that bench in the sun.  We drove another 4.5 hours home.  Only had to stop twice-once because I made Autumn laugh so hard she threw up all over herself.  Not a perfect trip-despite all my planning and preparation.  Next time we go camping (if we ever go again) it'll be with my mom so she can make all the food!