Colorado Trip

One of our vacations this year we decided to do a road trip to Colorado. This was literally less than 24 hours after we had arrived home from camping at Bennett Springs. I had just enough time to get all the laundry done and repacked Sunday afternoon before we left for CO on Monday morning. We drove straight through (which only took us 8 hours) and stayed at this quaint little place called The Rainbow Lodge and Inn in Manitou Springs. We had stayed there before and really liked it. Its not the Marriott or DoubleTree by any means; but a fun little touristy inn to stay at. Girls went swimming in the pool and we had a yummy dinner at The Mason Jar. Tuesday we drove 2 hours through the mountains to Mt Princeton Hot Springs Resort. We did horseback riding, swam in their pools (one was 105* - absolutely divine) and ate at the lodge. Our room was one of the poolside rooms which overlooked the Upper Pool which had a 300 ft slide. The girls totally dug that. Next day was the main reason we went. Whitewater rafting! We chose River Runners as our guides. The water was freezing cold as it was still spring runoff. We suited up in wet suits, booties, jackets, and helmets. Mike and I have done river rafting out of Jackson Hole WY before, but this was Savannah and Haylie's first time. Other than being a little cold I think they liked it. At least we have the pictures to prove they have smiles on their faces! It was a 9 mile trip down the Arkansas River. We had so much fun we may come back in the winter and take them snowmobiling! After two days at the resort we drove back to Manitou Springs and did the Pikes Peak Cog Railway. We could have just driven on the road to the top ourselves but this was a lot more fun. We grabbed lunch at the cafe to take on the train to eat on the way up. Pikes Peak is 14,110 feet high. And after being acclimated to an elevation of only 1019 feet for the last 8 years; my legs were a tad wobbly. Drove through Garden of the Gods which looks A LOT like St George UT. Mike went back the next morning to run through it. Our final day in CO we spent the day/night in Denver. Went to the Heritage Square Family Entertainment Village. I couldn't tell if they were in the process of expanding or if it had been around for a long time and they were refurbishing. There were maybe only 5 shops that were up and running, one place to eat, a little amusement park most likely geared for kids under 7 and then their Alpine Slide. THAT was awesome! We each got three rides down and was the highlight of Denver. Lunch was at a little place called Casa Bonita. It was a fun place. My lunch was fine (I had heard the food wasn't something to write home about). The cliff divers were pretty cool and the girls liked watching the entertainment. Our final meal however was at good ol' The Old Spaghetti Factory. This was a staple when we were living in UT but the closest one now is in St Louis. There used to be one in downtown KC but they closed up shop in 1998. We email them on a regular basis to come back. June was so busy with drill team camp, church girls camp, camping, and Colorado trip that it is SO nice to be home and relax for awhile. We've got grandparents coming out for a visit and Haylie's swimming lessons but that is it. Time to catch our breath.

Camping

I think its been a couple of years since we've gone camping. This time we went with Bob & Janet Whitmore and their two kids to Bennett Springs State Park. It was about a 3 hour drive from home to central MO. Passed through funny little town called Tightwad. Do you think they lock their doors? We took Lacie with us but I don't think she likes camping. Mike took the girls trout fishing and Savannah caught two! It isn't a place if you want to get real rustic. We went swimming in the pool, ate at the restaurant a couple of times and took advantage of the showers. It was a lot of fun. Bob & Janet are going again in September and we may go with!

Black Bob Bay

Savannah wanted to have another swim party for her birthday this year so we tried Black Bob Bay. She invited 12 of her friends with a mix from both church and school. We picked up a platter of Jimmy Johns sandwiches, had some chips and drinks, rented a shade shelter for 3 hours and let the girls have at it. The weather was perfect after a major thunderstorm the night before and one came through again at midnight after the party. I am mostly looking forward to having her as our built-in babysitter now! Woo hoo!

Drill Teamp Camp 2011

We had to trade vacation weeks in order for Savannah to attend mandatory drill camp. However, she still has 3 practices that she will miss while we are gone. She had a great time. They learned 6 dances in 3 days and she says her legs hurt. REALLY? One of our local Hy-Vee grocery stores catered their lunches everyday and there was also a BBQ/Pool Party for the girls and their families. Nineteen girls made it onto the team for the upcoming year. I think she is going to TOTALLY enjoy 7th Grade!

Girls Camp 2011

Two days after Savannah's birthday she was able to go to girls camp. She complained all year how she didn't want to go. She is having a blast! This year they chose Camp Bob White at Knob Noster State Park. I had to drive a to and from camp (twice) so she could attend drill team practice and pick up her uniforms so it made for a long day. She says they've jumped in the swimming pool with their clothes on, stayed up late, got up for optional exercise and having a ball. She missed out on rapelling but the hike was Wednesday. I knew she would like it as much as I did at Oakcrest.

Savannah Turns 12

Twelve years ago Savannah joined our family. Each of us gets to pick where we want to go for our birthday dinner. Savannah chose Cheesecake Factory. This is the look of pure joy. She finally got her cell phone. However, this also comes with some serious restrictions. We weren't quite ready to go home after dinner so we headed to Incred-a-bowl. They have bowling, laser tag, mini putt putt and this thing called The Vault. Her big friend party will be at a local water park later this month.

Go Royals!

Our first game of the season. Lost to the Twins 5-2. Bummer. However, it was Buck Night and Fireworks Friday. Hot dogs, peanuts, and Pepsi are all $1. Think Mike and I will head for another game later in the year and get better seats. Hy-Vee seats were just $8.50 that night. Talk about a "cheap date". :-)

 

Joplin MO #2 (Monday)

On our way back to Kansas City we wanted to drive through Joplin again to see if we could get any closer to the damage. I think because it was a holiday we were actually able to get on 20th Street and follow the path of the tornado from St John's Regional Medical Center East to the area where it disintegrated. The local Stake Center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was across the street from the high school, but we couldn't even tell what building it was.

Pictures explain more than I could ever say........

The Crescent Hotel

Sunday night I needed a break from the kids. My MIL stayed with the girls at the pool while Mike and I did the Crescent Hotel Ghost Tour. Anyone that knows me, knows I LOVE the paranormal. I like ghost stories, paranormal movies, I watch Ghost Hunters religiously.

TAPS actually did an episode at this hotel and it was AMAZING! I really didn't think I would see anything, but the hotel was really neat none-the-less.

Historic Eureka Springs (Sunday)

After a leisurely breakfast we walked around Eureka Springs. TONS of little shops and eateries! Was able to leave the truck at the hotel and take the city trolley around. That was pretty convenient. We stayed in a 3 bedroom "apartment" type place. Full kitchen and living room, 2 bathrooms and a pool view. Was right across the street from a fun little ice cream parlour and right next door to Pizza Hut. Though most of the time we ate at places we didn't have in Kansas City.

Eureka Springs, AR (Saturday)

After the museum we drove on in to Eureka Springs. The main reason for this trip was to share with my husband and girls The Great Passion Play. I remember seeing it A LONG time ago when I was 12 with my Grammy and two Great Aunts. It is a play that tells the story of the the last week in Christ's life.

We couldn't have asked for better weather. It was cool and breezy. This statue of Christ (Christ of the Ozarks) was built in 1966. It is 65.5 feet tall and can be seen for miles. In comparison The Great Sphinx of Giza is 66 feet. The ampitheatre seats 4100 people for this annual play. A piece of the original Berlin Wall has also been donated to the area.

Bentonville, AR (Friday)

Later that evening we arrived for an overnight stay in Bentonville, AR. I have always wanted to see the WalMart Museum there. I bought a cute little tree ornament that is the Walton's 5-10 building. Within the museum they had reconstructed his office as it was the day he passed away. Across the street was an awesome town square. A water fountain graced the center and their weekly Farmers Market was going on. People were wandering around, walking their dogs, buying produce and other items. It was great! If I didn't have two girls to keep entertained by zoos, neighborhood pools, amusement parks, etc I would not mind living in a small town.

Bentonville is very close to Rogers, AR where we had dinner at some restaurant I can't remember the name of. But you can understand why we absolutely HAD to get our picture taken in front of the city sign.

Joplin #1

We were headed down for Arkansas for the Memorial Day weekend and decided to drive through Joplin, MO to see the damage the EF5 tornado caused on May 22. It was surreal. We were only able to drive north on Hwy 71 Business (also known as Ridgeview). And these were the pictures we were able to capture. Notice how the Sutherlands sign is wrapped around the pole?

KC Zoo and Tornado

Well, these are the only pictures we got of the zoo on Wednesday May 25th. We got to the zoo about 10:00a and were only there a good hour or so and then the tornado sirens went off. Now usually we don't go to our basement unless I actually see something out our window (which I never have in the 8 years we've lived here). Knock on wood. But as we were at the zoo; all the employees are sent around gathering everyone up to the basements and thats where we spent a good hour with all the people. Not fun. When the warning was lifted it was blue skies and gorgeous but we decided to head for lunch and home. We'll try it again this summer.

 

Savannah's Awards Assembly

Savannah had her awards ceremony yesterday. She got 7!

Prinicpals' Honor Roll

The Ever After Play

Hollywood Hillbillies Play

Excellence in Science

Excellence in Language Arts

Excellence in Social Studies

Solo/Enemble Competition

Way to go Savannah!

Worlds of Fun

Had an awesome day here. It is a Cedar Fair park that owns the likes of Knotts Berry Farm. The day was gorgeous and very crowd free. Savannah and Haylie love Spinning Dragons roller coaster. Planet Snoopy is under a $8 million dollar expansion this year. And for the "big kid" rides. We LOVE The Prowler roller coaster, girls ride Boomerang several times over. Us; not so much. And the piece de' resistance: The Mamba. At 205 feet tall and 75 mph it is da bomb!

Awards Ceremony

Haylie's end of year awards ceremony. She received pins this year for 5 different venues to put on her lanyard. Maybe by the time of her last year as a 5th grader both sides will be full!

 

Spring Orchestra Concert

Last orchestra concert of the school year. Savannah has come a long way. I hope she keeps this up!

First Annual Temple 5K Run

Glorious day today for a run. About 1600 people signed up to do this 5K near the Kansas City Temple. Saw several people from our ward. Mike did his in 25 minutes. Stopped at The Legends at Panera for lunch outside with Lacie. Fun day!

Drill Team Spring Show

First performance for Savannah as a member of the 2011-12 Drill Team. Show included kids picked from the talent show, the 2010-11 Cheerleaders and Drill Team. Look forward to having more pics as we go along throughout this experience of hers.

 

Easter Eve

12 colors: 10 eggs: 2 baskets. Getting ready for the Easter Bunny. Not doing the "fake plastic grass" this year in the baskets. It takes up too much space and is just a big mess and gets thrown out every year anyway. Hope the bunny is ok with that.

 

Easter Egg Hunt

A little bit chilly earlier this afternoon but went to a local egg hunt. This was at the Stone Pillar Vineyard & Winery. Most of the rows were filled with eggs on the ground AND in the grape bushes. The girls had their row all to themselves and came back with a haul! The Easter Bunny was a little twisted so needless to say we didn't go see him. They had face painting and a catered lunch.

 

Science Project

Savannah's Science class project. We decided to go the Diet Coke/Mentos route for her volcano. We had a lot of fun putting it together complete with camping scene. If I had thought about it earlier we could have done a whole LOST diorama complete with plane and DHARMA community!

First Recital

Savannah performed at her first violin recital with a solo and a duet with her teacher Miss Sheri. She did a great job. Two days later she participated in her first ONW High School Solo Ensemble. What a great opportunity for her!

Phoenix

Was able to get away for a short "Sisters Weekend" to my favorite city. The weather was absolutely perfect. Ranged anywhere from 81* to 92*. We did a lot of retail therapy, eating out (but I counted my calories of course), and soaking in the hot tub. Met my roommate from BYU Julie for lunch at Cafe Rio and chatted for a couple of hours. We did an endowment session in the Mesa Temple and it was packed. Spent a great deal of time in Old Town Scottsdale and ate at the Sugar Bowl (which is similar to Leatherbys for you UT folks). Was great to get away and was glad to come home to some nice sunny spring weather too!

 

We Have LOTS To Do!