Blue Bunny ice cream

On our way back from Omaha we took the long route and stopped in Le Mars, Iowa to see where our favorite ice cream is made and sample the yummy Blue Bunny ice cream. 

Throughout the whole town there are ice cream cone statues each decorated differently. We saw some that were decorated with pizzas, Girl Scouts, and this one that we parked by. 

It really wasn't what we expected. There was a small museum upstairs of this gorgeous building full of marble and woodwork but it was basically a beautiful ice cream parlor with gift shop. 

 

Oliver had to get a chocolate ice cream cone, a chocolate fudge brownie one to be exact. 

I got a mocha almond fudge ice cream waffle cone. YUMMY!

It was good! 

Omaha vacation

Last weekend Oliver and I along with my parents went to Omaha to see my sister and her family. My sister had ordered tickets for The Rose Theater which is a Children's theater to see a play based on the book Knuffle Bunny by Mo Williams. I  did not know how Oliver was going to do because we've never even taken him to a movie before so I didn't know how he'd sit for it. He LOVED it. It was funny to see his reactions. It was great that it was a children's theater too because it didn't matter that he laughed at awkward times or talked to me during it about how the Trixie (the main character) was sad because she was poopy. 

You couldn't take photos during the play but it was a gorgeous theater

Sunday we knew that it was going to be hot and when I mean hot it was a sweltering 96 degrees so we headed to the Zoo early in the morning just as it opened.  

Even though our plan was to do the outside stuff first and hit the buildings last as most were air conditioned, we stopped at the aquarium first since it is always so busy and the Zoo wasn't too busy yet. 

The penguins came up to say hi

Oliver had been talking about going to see the sharks all summer long so he got up close and personal with them. Good thing Uncle Darrin is tall and that there is a few inches of glass between them. 

Ian and Oliver were great buds at the zoo. They are roaring together on the rhino. 

Seeing the bears

Before going to the Petting Zoo at the Zoo, we had a picnic lunch in the shade with a nice breeze. Oliver liked petting the goats but this time that was pretty much all you could pet because the other animals were in the barn to keep cool. 

Oliver had been wanting to go on the train the whole time at the zoo since the first time he heard its whistle blow. See his excitement but he wouldn't let go of my sister and my hand the whole time. 

As if we hadn't had enough of the 96 degree weather, we stopped for a short visit at the botanical gardens to see the giant UP trains. 

The kids had the best way to beat the heat... playing in the sprinklers!

But nothing beats playing in the air conditioning

We had a great time as always in Omaha thanks to Colleen and family.