iowa trip!

We just got back from our trip to Iowa for Tulip Time. We went to visit Bart's extended family and participate in the festival put on in his grandparents' town. Many of the original settlers of the town were Dutch (as are Bart's grandparents), hence the tulips.

The boys did really good in the car on the way there. Thanks mostly to our portable DVD player. They were very excited the first night to discover what sleeping bags were, and I think that they might have been the highlight of the entire trip for them.

Friday we walked around town and saw a lot of tulips. I only managed to find two "New Moon" tulips, but I guess two is better than none.

In the afternoon, the boys were in the parade in their little dutch boy costumes, complete with wooden shoes. The best part was that these costumes were ones that Bart and his brother wore in the parade when they were little. The boys were too tired to really enjoy being in the parade, but it was fun anyway.

That night we went to a BBQ at Bart's uncle's house and just visited with his mom's side of the family.

Saturday we got up and went to check out more of the festival. We stopped to play at the children's corner with some little carnival style games for the boys to play. They had a great time here.

Later that evening, we went to another BBQ with Bart's dad's side of the family. There were lots of people to visit with, lots of yummy food, and a chance for everyone to get together before Bart's uncle Von is deployed to Iraq for a year.

The boys had such a blast on the four-wheelers. At first they were scared of them, but once they got up the courage to try, they didn't want to stop. They just kept putting on a helmet and waiting for someone to take them on another ride. I even got to ride on one with Bart, it was quite romantic!