Mount Rushmore

We are in Billings, Montana tonight. We are one tuckered out family and we just want to reach our final destination. We're all doing good, just tired. We have decided to skip Yellowstone. I know we're missing out but honestly the pregnant lady wants to get to Washington with at least some sanity in tact.

Mount Rushmore was really nice. It wasn't as big as I thought it was going to be. But it was still pretty amazing. We couldn't have had a nicer morning. The weather was perfect. The boys really loved it. We went on a gift store hunt for "bobble heads" of Mt Rushmore, they don't exist, the boys settled on snow globes and glow in the dark t-shirts. I got a magnet, a United States Map with detachable magnet states and a ruler with all the Presidents of the United States.

There were lots of things to see and do outside of Rushmore Park but we just did the park. We took the Presidential trail which is about 1/2 mile walk that shows different views of the monument.

After we left Mount Rushmore, we hit the road...again. Ok today was the most boring day of driving to date. We went miles without seeing anything other than hills with cows. The few small towns we did go through were maybe a population of 20! And I thought Topsfield was in the sticks. I couldn't imagine living out there. We left South Dakota, crossed into Wyoming, and then Montana.

Tomorrow we will finish Montana and enter Idaho. Who knows were we'll end up.

Per many request of my poor friends and family reading my blog and getting teary eyed, probably because of the song. I have changed the first song. I am choosing "Blessed Be the Name of the Lord" For many reasons...but I always loved the line "you give and take away my heart will choose to say blessed be the name of the Lord" Very fitting. Because although the Lord has taken us away from Maine, He is providing for us in such awesome ways. I did have one moment of tears today, just missing friends and family. But despite how I feel I can still choose to praise the Lord.

Enjoy Mt. Rushmore.

We arrived at Mt. Rushmore early this morning, much the boys delight. They have been waiting for this since we told them we were moving. Most of the reason is because they saw it on a Phineas and Ferb episode. The park is beautiful. It is very well kept and clean. The boys pose here at the entrance.
Over 400 people worked on the monument. I found two Doyle's on the list.


This is a great shot of the four Presidents.

I took this picture along the Presidential Trail. We were in sort of a small cave and we could see George Washington from the opening.

The sculpture of Mt. Rushmore, Gutzon Borglum made many "prototypes" before deciding on the final design.

The original sculpture. Me and the boys.

It's very hard to get Peter to agree to be in a picture...but I got him to agree. Yes I am fat and pregnant.

Day Five 576miles down..We're in South Dakota

Ok day five down. Another day of DRIVING. Today was a bit rough on me personally. Just too long in the car. But we did reach our goal of Rapid City, South Dakota, which puts us about 1/2 hour from MT RUSHMORE! That is the attraction the boys have wanted to see from the very start of this whole process. Peter asked Elijah "Why do you want to see Mt. Rushmore so bad, it's just faces on a mountain" and Elijah replied "No dad it's some Presidents" Too funny.

So today we basically drove across the state of South Dakota. What's in South Dakota you might ask...you guessed it farms. Fields of crops and cattle farms for miles. It makes for a very long and boring ride. The only thing that keeps me entertained are the billboards, hundreds of them. I get a kick out of some of them.

Today for lunch I finally ate at a Cracker Barrel. I've heard so many things about it and that I had to stop there. The good trusty GPS got us there. It was good, but I guess I am amiss at why it was a must. I did like the little store which is why Peter says why girls like it there.

We are staying at a nice place here in Rapid City. The hotel is attached to a water slide park. Most of the hotels around here have this amenity. I can't even tell you how much fun the boys had. Thanks to Target a few states back I got a bathing suit to fit my expanding belly. So I too enjoyed myself. (note, Peter did laundry while I took the kids to the water park, pretty sweet deal)

Tomorrow will be a fun day. I can't wait.

Here's some pics of the day.

Hey look kids anther farm.

Hey look another farm.

Elijah and I shared a BIG salad at Cracker Barrel. It was really good.

The boys at the water park. I must say having them in the same bathing suits made it much easier to keep track of them.

The river...Isaiah is on the far left, Elijah on the far right. You get in the tube and let the current take you around. It was so fun.

This is the "kid" section,complete with water slides. Below is a video of this big bucket that would fill with water and then spill every 3 minuets or so. They were obsessed with this.

Day Four 530 miles of driving OH MY

So we left Ohio an hour later than we wanted...we slept in..until 6:30! After a great breakfast we hit the rode. We knew today would be nothing but car for us. We did 530 miles today. We are now in Rochester ,Minnesota.

We left Ohio and drove through a part of Indiana. What can I say about what we did see of Indiana...farms. Yep that's about all we saw. We then crossed over into Illinois and headed for Chicago. I was so nervous driving through there. People drive very fast and there are like 5 lanes of traffic full of people who know where they're going. We managed to make it out.

From there we crossed into to Wisconsin....more FARMS. Seriously farm after farm after farm. Some with lots of cows, some with no cows. But they are very big on their cheese. There are big cheese billboards begging you to stop at their cheese place. We finally gave in and pulled over for some cheese and a bathroom break. They have squeaky cheese. This is like cheese curd that when you eat it, it squeaks. Kind of gross but it tastes good. We got some cute pictures of this stop (see below)

Then we crossed into Minnesota, right over the Mississippi river. We were pretty tired by this point and decided to call it a night and pull into the Holiday Inn. We are hoping to get very close to Mt Rushmore tomorrow...8 plus hours of driving...oh boy.

We are doing well. The boys are keeping themselves busy and hanging in there. Peter is very focused on "getting" there. And as for me, between this little pumpkin kicking me all the time and being Peter's second pair of eyes I am doing good. =)

Here's Chicago as taken from our car window.

This is one big cow. Some of you may not know this but I used to collect and love cows. This was in front of the cheese store we stopped at. You could see this cow from the highway and he mooed us over. I had to get my picture with her, and Elijah snuck in it too.
Cheesy kids. I really wanted to buy these cheese hats, but at 24.00 I couldn't justify the novelty nor do with have space for these obnoxious souvenirs. A picture is good enough though.

The boys in front of a Wisconsin map. They look like they love each other but I think they were fighting in the car just seconds before.

The Mississippi River as taken from our car window.

Day 3 Niagara Falls and somewhere in Ohio

We woke up early this morning to head out to Niagara Falls, we stayed in a nice Days Inn just outside "the Falls" so we were only about 10 minuets away. When we got to there it was a bit overcast and chilly. But we took in the amazing sight anyway. WOW it really is something. It's huge. It wasn't as loud as I thought it would be though.


We took the kids to the aquarium to satisfy their curious minds. It was small but nice. They had penguins, sharks, and really cute sea lions. By the time we left the aquarium the sun was out and it was beautiful.


When we walked back to the falls and took another look it was so much clearer and we got sight of a rainbow or as Peter called it a "mistbow". It was really something. I was too chicken to go on "the Maid of the Mist" a boat that takes you pretty close to the bottom of the falls. We bought a trolley ticket and headed for a different adventure. We chose to do "the cave of the winds" tour. This tour brings you as close to the Falls as you can get. First you get a new pair of sandals...no kidding. Peter and debated if they were new or just cleaned but the girl informed us they were new. Why do you need sandals? Well you also get a yellow rain poncho. Any guesses why you need that? You get completely soaked! You take an elevator ride down to the bottom of the falls. You then walk up a series of wooden stairs that are just feet away from the the water rushing over the falls. You get a Niagara Falls shower. There was one spot where to few brave stood and they literally were engulfed in water. We didn't dare. Elijah especially loved this. He had a huge smile on his face the whole time and when it was done he said "Let's do it again". After the tour you dispose of your ponchos and you can donate your sandals to a charity that gives them people in undeveloped countries. So they got all the Pellerin's sandals. I thought that was really thoughtful for them to do that.


After the "the cave of the winds" tour we got back on the trolley and called it a day. I couldn't believe how many people were there. I mean mobs of people from all over the world. We were a long way from Topsfield.


We ended the day in Montpelier OH...almost to the state line into Indiana. We drove from Niagara Falls to our resting spot in about 7 hours. We stopped at a Ramada Inn because they had an indoor pool and I promised the boys a swim if they were good and they were so my promise was kept.




Here's the "Mistbow"

A bridge on the way to the aquarium.

Mom and the boys.

The falls you see closest are the American Falls...the one in the back are the horseshoe and are on the Canadian side.

At the base of the American Side.
Ready to get wet!

Day two 530 miles of driving.

Day two of our adventure...seriously spent the day in the car driving. We left Portland at 7:30 and had decided we wanted to be in Niagara Falls NY by dinner. We did but wow that was allot of driving. The kids did SO great today. They watched a movie, used their children's atlas', played DS, and took a nap. So there aren't too many pictures from today, but tomorrow is our big trip to the Falls. I am off to research what we should do and see.

(above)The bridge leaving Maine and entering in to New Hampshire...surprisingly I didn't start crying.

(below) Massachusetts welcomes us. And then the New York sign.

(above) Dinner finally....Elijah loves garlic bread and spaghetti so he was one happy kid. We ate this little Italian place and they kids couldn't resist throwing some pennies into the fountain.

Day One

As I write this entry I can't believe the day has arrived that we are actually leaving Maine. The movers came with their big truck,packed and loaded everything. It was fast.

Saying goodbye to friends and family has been one of the hardest things I've had to do in my entire life. I have never been more than 4 hour drive from my parents. I feel bad that I took that for granted. I have complained with one good friend that we lived so far away and it just wasn't fair. Now a few hours in the car seems so trivial. I also wish I would have spent more time with my friend right up the road from me. I just assumed it would always be so.

But saying good bye to the faces is hard. Everyone keeps saying "we'll come and visit" and "good thing we have the phone and facebook" and while I know these are said with all the warmest sentiments I'd rather have them right down the road. It won't be the same and I am preparing myself for that.

The other day I was in prayer telling the Lord "you must think I am so strong to throw all this at me. I am having another baby, my husband lost his job, we're moving across the country, I am saying goodbye to my family, to friends, all seems to be a lot" I was surprised at the answer I got. "I know you're not strong, but in your weakness I am strong" I starting to realize it isn't about me. It isn't about how hard it is for me, how sad I am , how anxious I am. It is about Him. It is about His plan. It is about Him showing Himself to me, to Peter, to the boys in a new way.

Then I starting to realize in the midst of everything I think has gone "wrong", so many things have gone right. The Lord never promised that this life would be easy. But He did promise He would never leave us. I have many things to praise the Lord for. First that I have such a wonderful family and great friends that have impacted my life in such a wonderful way. I have loved much and some people never experience that in their lives. I have a two beautiful, healthy children and another on the way. I have a husband who loves me and the children. God has provided a wonderful job in a time where jobs, any job is hard to come by. He is provided above and beyond for us in this move. Almost as if to say "I know it's hard and I am going to make all the details fall right into place" So many doors have been open with amazing blessings behind them.

I am not saying I am a super spiritual giant now and I am all smiles and giggles as we stay our first night in a hotel. I am still very broken hearted. I am still so sad. But I can still praise the Lord with a broken heart. I still praise the Lord through my tears. It's not a feeling, it is a choice. And I choose to give Him glory because glory is due.

I can't wait to share with everyone all the great things God shows us on our trip and as we settle in in Washington.

To our friends and family, you are with us in our hearts and in our prayers and we take you with us.



Here's the HUGE truck pulling up to our house.
The boys in front of the back of the truck with all the packing supplies. I didn't have to lift a finger...pretty sweet deal.

Dear Mom

Dear Mom,

Happy Mother's day! Mom you are such an amazing gift in my life. You often say how thankful you are to have me as your daughter, but truly I am blessed that God chose you to be my mother. You have been there for me through so many good times and also the rough times. Even to this day as a grown women with children of my own there are times that I just want my mom. You still comfort me and somehow when you say every things going to be alright I believe it.

I am overwhelmed with sadness to leave and be so far from you. Some days I just don't think I can do it. I wish you could come with me. I know there will be days again when I will just want my mom and to think of how far apart we will be makes me feel alone already. I do know that no distance between us will ever change the bond we share as mother and daughter, as friends and above all sisters in the Lord. I am holding on to that so tightly as we move.

I can't believe that soon I will have a daughter of my own and I am already praying that we have the close relationship that you and I share.

I love you deeply. Happy Mother's Day.

Love, Bethany