Our day at Crown Center

We spent the day at crown center on Thursday.  We started off the eating lunch at Fritz’s.  We try to get there a few times a year.  The kids love that they can order food and the train will bring us food. 

BUT first, we had to stop and watch them make some fudge!

YUMMY!!

Couldn’t get them all to look at the same time!  Maybe Emily got a better pic of the 4 of them.

We stopped to have a snack.  Chocolate covered rice krispie treats!

Cecilia eating hers!

I think Audrey ate hers faster than anyone else!

After a snack, we were off to Kaleidiscope.

One of the best free activities for kids to do in KC.

Emily sitting with Ceci and Jocelyn painting.

Eli making one of his masterpieces!

And Audrey and Ceci working on theirs!

Eli, Ceci, Audrey and Jocelyn with their wands/light sabers!

Trying to get them all to look at the camera!

And then we were off to play in the fountains.  The kids, not Em and I. 🙂

Eli

Sitting down waiting for the fountains to come on!  And Audrey getting ready to run when they do come on!

The kids were all exhausted by the end of the day!

But we had to end the day with ice cream at Baskin Robbins!

Em and I used to go there ALL THE TIME in high school!  We had to carry on the tradition with our kids.

I am so glad that Emily and Cecilia were able to come visit.  We need to do this more often. 

Thanks Em for a great week!

 

 

Our day at the zoo

We decided to go to the zoo on Wednesday.  Whe drove there in light drizzle…but it stopped when we got there!  The weather was perfect.  It was cool enough that the animals were all up and moving around.  Sometimes when you go to the zoo and it is hot, the animals are all sleeping in the shade.  It was fun!

Eli, Cecilia, Audrey and Jocelyn

Eli with the Gorilla.  The kids were very excited that he was awake and we could see him.

Audrey wanted her pic taken too!  But, she didn’t want to get out of the stroller for it.  The only time she DIDN’T want out of the stroller!

Ceci, Jocelyn, and Audrey at the top of the play tree. 

Eli at the bottom of the tree…slide all the way down!

Jocelyn feeding the big goat.

Emily took the 4 kids in to feed the lorikeets.  They all attacked Emily when they walked in.

Audrey fed them.  She didn’t freak out like I thought she would of!

Then the lorikeets found Jocelyn’s nice thick hair to land in!  Too funny!

I was outside the fence…laughing!

We had a good time at the zoo.  They have really been doing a lot of work at the KC Zoo.  It is getting to be a really good zoo!  The new tropics area is pretty neat too!

 

T-Bones game with Eli’s Tball team

We went to the Kansas City TBones game on Tuesday night.  It was youth baseball night at the game, so Eli and a few of his teammates were able to parade on the field before the game.  We sat by his friend Noah and his family.  Emily and Cecelia game down on Tuesday also, so they went to the game with us.  The game was a lot of fun and weather was PERFECT for a ball game!

Eli and Noah on the field.

Jocelyn and Ceci at the game!

Em and Eli.  Eli started making this hand gesture for pictures!  I have no idea where he got it.

Audrey and Brian.  I couldn’t resist posting this picture. 

Then I got this one with her looking at me.

 

Golf lessons for Jocelyn

Jocelyn and her good friend Addy are taking golf lessons together this summer.  They both love to go which is awsome.  Neither of them knew much about how to golf when they started and they are very excited every week to go.  I sat and watched a little on monday and took a few pics from a distance so she couldn’t see me.

They were working on chipping.  Jocelyn is the furthest away in the green top and pink shorts and visor.

She did a pretty good job when I was watching.  She is open to learning how to play which is awesome!  I am glad her and Addy are doing this together.

 

Fun Day with Uncle Mark and Aunt Deb

Deb and Mark came down Saturday night and spent all day Sunday with us.  We had a really good time with them.  I know they don’t get down here as often as they would like, but it was nice to spend some relaxing time with them!  We went to church on Sunday and then came home to figure out what we wanted to do for the day.  We all decided on making munchies, watching movies and playing video games!

Audrey and Deb cutting up fruit and vegetables.

Putting veggies on the veggie pizza.

We had a fun day and lots of yummy foods!!

We hope they can come visit again soon!

 

 

T-Ball

Eli has had his first 2 T Ball games of the season and he has played really well.  I am so glad that we put him in TBall last year so he could start to learn the basics.  He really is starting to understand the concept, rules,etc of baseball.  AND, most importantly, he loves it.  His eyes light up when he knows he has practice or a game.  That is what makes it so fun to watch.  Brian is also an assistant coach this year, so Eli (and Brian) are enjoying that.  I forgot my camera for the first game, but I took some pics at Saturdays game.  

On 3rd base.

Up to bat

Eli and Brian.  Eli was on 1st base.

 

Fun Friday morning!

We spent Friday morning at the park with some good friends.  We also had a picnic lunch.  It was also our first big outing with Audrey potty training.  She did awesome.  She told me she had to go and we ran to the bathroom…she held it for at least 5 minutes until we made it around the pond, across the parking lot and up to the bathrooms!  yeah!

Eli going across the “lily pads”

And Jocelyn too.  She was making sure Thomas got across them okay.

Audrey watching the ducks and geese.

 

Audrey is a little fish!

Audrey loves swimming.  And saying loves is an understatement.  We put her life jacket on and she doesn’t want anyone touching her.  She says “I a big girl!”  She does a great job of swimming in her life jacket.  Although, we have had a few scares when she forgets that she doesn’t have it on and she just jumps in.  Eli got her once and daddy the other time.  She was paddling away trying to keep her head above water.  I think she is a little too confident.  Hopefully by the end of the summer she will be able to swim on her own!  I can hope right!

Swimming away!

Audrey’s Vacation

Audrey spent the week in Iowa with grandparents so I could help with Day Camp.  She spent 2 days with Brian’s parents and 2 days with my mom.  She got to visit Uncle Mark at work, went out to eat with G & G, went fishing with crazy grandma (my mom) and went to the zoo with crazy grandma, Aunt Jami, Ryder and some other family friends.  Here are a few pics that my mom took.

Sitting on grandma’s golf cart, holding her fishing pole.

Fishing with grandma and “Granny” Sue.  Sue and her husband, John, are good family friends. 

AT the zoo!

Audrey (on the right) with Olivia (on the left) at the zoo.  Olivia is Granny Sue’s granddaughter.  Audrey is about 4 months older than Olivia.

Audrey was in a great mood when we got her on Saturday.  I am sure she was spoiled rotten…that is what is supposed to happen when you go to grandparents houses…right???!!!

 

GS Day Camp

Jocelyn had GS Day Camp a couple weeks ago.  I volunteered out there.  Audrey went to Iowa for the week (watch for a post and pics) and Eli was able to attend camp as a BOG (brother of GS).

Jocelyn’s first day at camp.

Jocelyn and her good friend, Laiken.  They are in the same Brownie troop and have become good friends.

Jocelyn and another good friend, Addy, fishing at camp.  We are neighbors and our families get together quite a bit. 

Eli ready for his first day at camp.

We all had such a good time.  We had great weather for the week.  Not too hot and no rain!  Eli made lots of cool stuff and both kids came home from camp DIRTY, which means they had a BLAST!  We are so fortunate to have such a great service unit that has this camp.  I helped plan it this year and it was fun to help make it fun for the girls.  Both kids are excited for next year.  AND Audrey will get to go next year to see what camp is all about.