April 2023

Jane and Kate built a fairy house in our front yard. They found some dirt in the back yard that molded like clay and made bowls, chairs, a fireplace. They were very sad when the wind and rain ruined everything a couple days later.

Bryan went to Colorado for the weekend to ski with his brothers and sister. So the girls and I had a girls weekend. We went to Ikea and bought a bunkbed and new bedding for our next duty station. Afterwards, we visited Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead. It's a family fun attraction with farm animals, birds of prey, butterfly gardens, nature trails, an old schoolhouse, and a Kanza Native American habitat display. 

I got free tickets to a Royals baseball game. We've really tried to embrace the sporting events here in Kansas City. The girls weren't too impressed with the actual baseball game, but LOVED all the food from the vendors!

We took the girls to do an Easter egg hunt at a local park in Leavenworth. Bryan and I are pretty set on not taking the girls to do anymore egg hunts afterwards. Too many kids. Not enough eggs. Mostly crappy candy or toys. Nothing to remind kids why we celebrate this holiday.

Before the hunt...

During the hunt.

Kate and Jane invited neighbors and friends over to decorate sugar cookies. 

Egg dying time!

This is a much better Easter egg hunt- behind our house in the field with neighbors. 

We took the girls biking on Line Creek Trail- probably rode 5-6 miles. Poor Jane doesn't have a gear bike yet, but was motivated to keep with us. So proud of her!

We found this miniature train on our way home. We got a free ride because they were training new employees and needed the practice. 

Date night: Kate and I went to see the Secret Garden. It was wonderful! Bryan and Jane rode their bikes to the movie theater and saw The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

Jane's 2nd grade Dinosaur performance at Macarthur Elementary School. It was so cute! 

Kate's class went to Kansas University for a field trip. She loves her class and teacher SO MUCH! She said that they have really bonded over the past year.

The girls had their end of the school year piano recital. As per always, both performed beautifully. They put a lot of effort into practicing and attending lessons with Mrs. Low. She will be missed! Now I have to find someone new at our new duty station. 

The girls acrobatic recital was the same weekend as their piano recital. So they attended in their dazzling costumes!

There acrobatic piece was so fun to watch! My favorite part was the giant pyramid with all falling and rolling at the end. 

Jane has been motivated to do a backbend kick over since Kate learned during Spring Break. Here she goes!

August 2022

We've had fun exploring the Kansas City area. We have found the Costco and Target and Walmart to fill our house with food and organization. On our first weekend that didn't involve unpacking, we went hiking through Weston Bend State Park. We quickly figured out we need to closely watch Howie for ticks and burrs after hiking. We might even need to keep his hair shorter to be really careful. There were some good views of the Missouri River, but in the fall would probably be so beautiful. Afterwards, we headed to the town of Weston to get some ice cream, soda, and candy. I found a Polish Pottery shop and had to get something there too! It's a lot more expensive in America! 

We've stopped at Fritz's Railroad Restaurant. You order your food through a telephone at the table and a train will drop off the food to your table. It was really fun and the food wasn't so bad.

Our neighborhood pool quickly became the place to be every afternoon. The girls LOVED jumping off the high dive. Kate even got the courage to do a dive off the high dive!

We made it to the Peach Festival in Weston. It was really hot and miserable. I am not quite sure why I thought going at 1pm was a good idea. The girls played on the playground, zip lined, and picked some peaches. I made a wonderful peach cobbler with those peaches the next week.

The day before school, Kate and Jane met their teachers and dropped off all their school supplies. The elementary school is super nice and big. We were all in awe of the koi fish pond, library, cafeteria, TEAMS room, and hearing each child receives their very own computer. So much more technology and money than they are used to coming from a private school. Seeing the joy in my girls faces while exploring the school grounds made my momma heart so happy.

Jane's first day of second grade. She wants to be a dog groomer when she grows up.

Kate's first day of fourth grade. She wants to be a pet sitter when she grows up.

PAIR DAY: One stop shop for everything social, recreational, spiritual, and educational in the Kansas City area. There is a lot to do here. I think we will be pretty happy. And of course, we had to get pictures with the Wizard of the OZ.

Chicken N Pickle: Found a cute little outdoor/indoor restaurant with pickle ball quarts, ping pong, jump ropes, hula hoops, corn hole, and battleship. Unfortunately, it was pretty hot and humid. Bryan cannot stand the humidity. This will be a nice place to go on the weekends in the fall? or winter?