The Growing Caldwell Family

Just like that, it was time to head back to school! Charlie was excited to go to 3rd grade. His bestie, Harrison, is in his class and he is looking forward to learning cursive and multiplication this year! Sarah Graves was excited for 6th grade! She got the teacher she wanted, Ms. Parrino, and some of her good friends are in her class this year. The part she was looking forward to is having a locker and playing in the band! They were happy to be going back to school, but they loved summer so much that they hated for it to end! They definitely lived their best life this summer, but we can't wait to see what good things will come this year!  

 Just before school started it was time to take Sarah Graves for her invisalign. Her teeth are relatively straight and this should make them perfect!  Her biggest reason to want the invisalign over traditional braces was the ease of eating popcorn - one of her favorite foods! She sold me on the idea by pointing out these would look better in pictures! 

After a quick breakfast at the hotel, we drove to the Gateway Arch. We were there before it opened so we could walk around the area without crowds.   We tried to book tickets online but the morning times were sold out. We decided to try getting tickets in person and we got lucky! Charlie really wanted to go in the arch, so I was glad for him! Being a national park, masks were required and enforced.   The tram was interesting. Our guide was nice, but could not deviate from the script! We were the only group in our time slot and it threw him off on where we should stand! His iPad crashed and that really befuddled him! He couldn’t answer questions until that was resolved. His main focus was telling us how much money the arch brings St. Louis in tourism 😜 We did learn the concept for the tram was created in just three weeks and combined ideas for an elevator, escalator, and ferris wheel all into one. The tram car seats five and the doors are glass so you can view the mechanics of it as yo

After a comfy night at our hotel, we were up early to get to Kansas City. We almost left blankie at the hotel, but Sis noticed it was missing before we pulled out! The hotel staff were very friendly and happily got us a new key to retrieve it. In fact, the lady who checked us in the night before was so friendly that we thought we would never get to bed. She had lots to say about road trips and we were very tired at eleven o’clock at night! Wittle Wucy and Buffy provide a lot of entertainment in the backseat! We quickly got on the road to make the four hour drive to Kansas City to visit the World War I museum. On the way, we stopped at Cane’s for lunch. Yep, twice in one week! Aaron knows what makes me happy! There was a special exhibit on the fashion scene for women during that time. Women raised their hemlines as they marched for the right to vote and wore uniforms as they took on men’s jobs in factories and farms to keep the country going. The museum was full of memorabilia covering

We left Keystone, goodbye Battle Creek Lodge with your scratchy sheets and humid room! We got on the road to DeSmet. We stopped for breakfast at a doughnut shop, Daylight Doughnuts, that was really yummy! Charlie makes it an immersive experience! Driving across South Dakota did not have a lot to see, prairie and corn everywhere! We made it to DeSmet in the mid afternoon and our first order of business was to find lunch! We went to a local diner spot to fuel up.   DeSmet is a small town big on history thanks to Laura Ingalls Wilder and the time her family spent here. They came here when Laura was about 12 and this was the family’s final stop. In fact, Ma only agreed to come if Pa agreed this would be it!  There was also a museum that had the sleigh Almonzo would take Laura out riding in and they would have wonderful Sunday afternoons flying up and down the Main Street in the snow! They also had the black wool dress with the white collar that Ma made for Laura and she wore for her weddin