First Day!

Haylie started 4th Grade on 8/15/11 and Savannah in 7th Grade 8/16/11. Have a great year ladies!

 

Handyman

Because the girls had so much fun at the fair before the Nauvoo Pageant, they REALLY wanted some stilts. So a trip to Home Depot, $120, and 4 hours later this is the result....

They are really good at walking on them.

Marceline, MO

If any of you are Disney fans like our family is, then you should know about this place. This was Walt Disney's boyhood home. On every trip to Nauvoo we have to stop on our way home. The "dreaming tree" and barn are on private property but they still allow visitors. You can sign your name with a sharpie inside the barn. We couldn't remember where we did a couple of years ago so we did it again and took a picture this time. Nice, quiet, little place.

Nauvoo 2011

We decided since it had been a few years that we needed to take another drive to here. We were worried about the weather because our July had been so hot. But it really wasn't too bad. When the sun went down it had cooled off and made for an enjoyable pageant. We also drove out to Carthage to see the jail. We love eating at this place. It is YUMMY! I got our room down the street so the girls were close enough. Mike and I were FINALLY able to go to a temple session together! Very convenient having a live-in sitter these days. We took our normal route home to experience my next post.

MFP NSV

That is short for My Fitness Pal Non-Scale Victory. I try to keep my family blog and fitness goals separate ( until I post a final blog with end results). But I was so happy with a Non-Scale Victory that I wanted to post it. I see my OB/GYN every September. In 2010 when I went; my BP was borderline Prehypertension at 138/??. Can't remember what the bottom number was. Since starting my fitness goals 18 weeks ago I was curious to know what it is now at my current weight. We have a personal BP cuff at home so I had hubby take my BP. Totally excited. 122/77! If you weren't aware; anything less than 120/80 is normal. SO happy. Can't wait to do it again in another 18 weeks.

Art of the Brick

Saw this great exhibit today at Washburn University Mulvane Art Museum in Topeka. Nathan Sawaya out of NYC makes sculptures completely out of LEGOS. This was only a small sampling of his work, but I'm glad we took the girls out there to see it. I'm sure it doesn't compare to LEGOLand but this was pretty awesome.

July 4, 2011

Made it to the Corporate Woods Star Spangled Specatacular. They always put on an awesome show. Bob & Janet's family met us there too. Lots of people to watch, the weather was just perfect, and the show was good. For some reason though it wasn't choreographed to music this year like is has been for the last 7 years. That was kind of disappointing and it took us a lot longer to get out of the parking lot than before. Good thing Mike was called off of work though so we didn't have to feel in a rush to get home.

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!