Maquoketa Caves

We continued our family filled weekend with a trip to the Maquoketa Caves. It is a state park where you can walk on trails and find all sorts of little caves, including one huge cave that is lit for you to walk through.

On the way down, I misunderstood Sam and accidentally confirmed that there were monsters in the caves. Once I realized my mistake, I quickly let him know that there would be no monsters. We didn't know how he would do once we got there, but once armed with his little flashlight, he was all about checking out each one.

Daddy and Sam led the way, while Bailey rode on Mom's back happily enjoying the ride. Sam figured out how to climb up the wet rocks, and tried to go "feet first" and crawl back down them. He ran from cave to cave, eagerly lighting them up with his trusty flashlight.

Along the way, we found all sorts of things. Sam and Daddy climbed a long way on out a big tree trunk and had a good time scaring Mom.We found a frog, which Sam was very concerned about.

Lastly, we found a milipede, which Daddy didn't harm, but flipped over to show Sam all of his little legs.

Sam had a great time exploring on our adventure through the caves!

Labor Day Weekend Vacation

This weekend was fantastic! We took a little overnight trip to Moline to go to the zoo and the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. We had such a great time and the kids were just wonderful the whole time!

Friday we left early to go to the Niabi Zoo. We got there a little early, so the kids got to play around in the car to kill time before the gates opened.

It was the first time that we had been there and it was a great zoo. First we went to the elephant enclosure where we watched them getting ready for the day. When they let the elephants out, they headed straight for the food that was awaiting them. Sam also got to look at an elephant tooth and learned that they are bigger than his feet!

Next we stopped to see the monkeys and boy were they neat. They would make noises so loud that you could hear them all over the entire zoo. Sam thought that he did a good impression.

From there we went to the pond where we saw the biggest koi we have ever seen. They would all be waiting there to be fed. The ducks would come over and sit on top of them trying to eat.

In the next picutre, you can see Sam returning to the feed vending machines to see if the last person left any crumbs. Bailey also decided at this point she really wanted to be independent and try to walk.

We went to the petting zoo, where Sam got to ride a pony, while Bailey got to see and touch the goats and cows. She that that was really neat!

The other big animal that we saw was the giraffe-four actually. Sam thought it was funny that they even were kissing.

One of the last things we did before we left was to ride on the carousel. Bailey was able to sit on a horse all by herself, and Sam picked out the gorrilla to ride.

After the circus, we headed for lunch, checked into our hotel room, and got naps. Once everyone was up, we were off again. We headed to an ice cream shop and got old fashioned sodas and checked out the John Deere museum. Sam and Dad ran from one machine to the next, climbing all the steps to sit in the massive dump truck, sugar cane harvester and more.

Then we took Bailey to Toys R Us to do a little shopping with her birthday money. She got some toys to play with during her beloved baths. By this point, we were quite hungry, and headed to Outback for a special dinner. Sam loved the bread, onion, and fries, and we hardly ate our dinners. Sam did a great job of acting like a big boy and using his manners in the special restaurant.

After we got back to the hotel, it was time for swimming! Sam and Bailey had a blast playing in the pool, splashing and kicking, and thoroughly wore themselves out just in time for bed. They did a great job of sleeping in their room and were out with the lights. Unfortunately Mom and Dad decided they needed their sleep too much to wake up to see the elephants exercise next to the hotel at 11:30 that night.

In the morning, Sam got to go swimming again and everyone got a great breakfast. We packed up the car and headed to the circus. Before the circus, they let you go out back to see the horses, tigers, and best of all, the elephants. We stuck around long enough to watch them start getting ready for the show.

They would move the clothes line that marked off the section for the elephants and tell them to lay down. Then the guy used a leaf blower to blow all of the grass and dirt off of the elephants. They they would stand up and on their own, head over to the area where they hosed them down. The first one went to the end and got her shower. She would lay down, then stand up and slowly turn around. She even took time to lift up each of her feet so that they could be washed as well.

Then it was time to head into the big top! We all went down to the circus floor and got to say hi to the performers, watch the elephant paint a picture, and Sam got some autographs for his program. The circus was awesome and the kids both did really well. I think Sam was a little overwhelmed and his little eyes were just like saucers. Bailey got fidgety during the second half but did great. Sam said his favorite part was his lolipop. But when asked what his favorite animal was at the circus, he said the tigers. Sam also says that Daddy's favorite part was when the clown pulled on him and sang him "Happy Birthday" even though his birthday isn't until when the snow comes.

The ride home was a fairly quite one as the kids were well worn out by that time! Sam was falling asleep with his lolipop, but awake enough that he wouldn't let me take it for him.
All in all, it was a terrific weekend and a trip that I'm sure we will be making again!