The Ark!

We spent all of Tuesday at the Ark and if you've never gone it's completely worth the drive. Truly, I can't recommend it enough!

 Fruit Loops for the win!

 After you park you have to take a bus to the site where the Ark and all the activities are located. Strange mask wearing days!

 This thing is massive. It's quite overwhelming when you get off the bus. We just marveled wondering how in the world Noah did this with no modern tools. Makes a little more sense seeing it to understand how people thought he was crazy! 

 It was quite sunny 

 Inside the Ark was very well done. It really brings realness to the story. This isn't just a fun fairytale or "lesson" passed down. Visualizing the actual events brought the vastness of God's plan to the front of my mind. Ken Ham and his team did a great job providing education on biblically accurate information and the boys weren't bored at all. They kept it interesting for little ones. I will put in a quick plug that not only was this place awesome for learning about our creator but the practical and physical experience of touring this thing with 5 kids was quite wonderful. Bathrooms were abundant. One on every floor. Never did we get caught needing to run for one because we were so far away. Food is allowed in the ark and kid-friendly snacks are sold for reasonable prices if you need something to get you through. It was spacious and just a really enjoyable experience.

Once you get out of the ark there are a few fun things to do. This was the kangaroo walkabout. You're allowed to walk on a path where several kangaroos are kept. You aren't allowed to approach them but if they happen to come on the path you can pet their backs. We saw one hop away and were all fascinated.

The ostriches are so big!

Camel rides were next!

The petting zoo had lots of goats. They started talking to each other and it was fun listen.

 We went back to the house for lunch and a quick rest. Then back we went to a VBS style kids concert. Dash will take Daddy snuggles anytime he can get them :)

 We were thrilled to see the playground open. It was legit. So many cool things to do. If you can keep the attention of the Rimbey boys for more than an hour you deserve a medal. 

Last pic of the day. We were hot and tired but a great time was had by all. What a better way to spend our time than learning about a faithful follower of our Lord who was dedicated to obedience even when the world thought he was crazy. I'm so glad we carved out this time during our trip. We would definitely go back! 

We Made it to Kentucky!

About a month ago when we were planning our trip out to Utah we knew we wanted to make it to the Ark Encounter if at all possible. When we realized the entire country was our oyster we made it our first stop!

The packing and loading process was exactly as expected... a bit stressful and later than desired. But I decided that I wasn't going to stress about things not going according to planned on this trip. I had good practice as we left an hour and 40 minutes later than desired. Heading across the country with 5 kiddos in tow is no easy task! I started 2 weeks ago and feel pretty good about slaying that giant.

 In our driveway awaiting departure

 The bins were key and then throwing the roller blades on top was crucial :)

This guy <3

We were waving! Buy buy house!

I bought a few new games for the drive. You can see Pace is thrilled about taking turns. 

One of our sweet babysitters, Grace gave the boys a travel basket of games. Genius! Automobile bingo was a hit with everyone!

One idea that my former neighbor Sherry put me onto is state lines gifts. Everytime you cross a state line you get a gift! It gives the boys something to look forward to and even 10 minutes of busy kiddos is worth the cost of the party favors :)

Virginia was slinkies! 

West Virginia was candy necklaces and chocolate 

We sold the farm and bought each boy a tablet of his own. We've been to PA and back without screens for a while now but we thought with 7 days on the road ahead of us the screens may give us a much needed break. Boy were we right! The car as never been so quiet. Little man #5 was worth every penny spent. 

This airbnb is so cozy! If you ever visit the Ark let me know and I'll shoot you the link. It's perfect. It's super clean, 3 bedroom, washer, dryer and scripture everywhere.

 Dash was on top and the little 2 were underneath

 They have an air hockey table in the basement!

This house has a decent backyard and the bushes that lend themselves to a great showing of fireflies 

 Sweet Cruzer

Ending the day with reading next to your brother. Doesn't get any better than that.

My heart is so full right now. The day really went well and the house we're in lends itself to comfort. We stopped once for potty and another for dinner and we had a great time playing together before bed. The boys are so thankful for their tablets we kept hearing "thanks for getting us these mom and dad" over and over again. So thankful for this experience!

We're headed to Utah!

Adventure Awaits! JT's work is relocating us to Utah for a couple months. We're making a homeschool and family trip out of it by visiting places along the way (and way back) and it's our hope to show the boys some of our country that they may marvel at the handiwork of their creator. Since the boys are little and we're experiencing the trip of a lifetime we need to document it so they remember :) Not to mention my friends and family may disown me if they don't get to keep up with the happenings along the way. It only took 5 years and a trip across the country to get me to start this thing up again so let's hope I can keep up with it! Hope you enjoy!

Me with a very clean car and no children in it. May we all remember this moment because it won't happen again for a very long time😆

According to those that have made this journey before me it's easier to use bins than luggage, so that's what we're doing!