Day 1--The Drive
We stopped at a rest stop about 20 miles outside of Limon and let the boys run. I love these pictures! They were having a great time. From there we went on to Colby, Kansas where we stopped at an Arby's for lunch. It turns out we arrived at the exact same time as a tour bus full of people and were practically standing in the parking lot waiting for the one cashier to take everyone's orders. Kai had his heart set on Arby's, though, and Finn was about to pass out. We ended up making friends with the family in front of us in line and then they bought us our lunch! I can't even explain to you how sweet it was. We surely didn't need it, but it was a kind jesture that made me realize that there are still some great people in this world.
After Colby, we got serious about the drive. Finn napped while Kai and I played "I spy". We only made one more stop in Salina, Kansas for gas and the bathroom and then it was on to the Perrins' house. We were very happy to pull up (and also grateful that we did so without a deer as a hood ornament!) and see everyone. And we were grateful that Kristi had some hotdogs ready for dinner. And then we were bushed. I was surprised how well the boys went to bed.
Day 2--Play Time!
I woke up to the sound of Kai saying "Mom, I want to see my cousins!" It was impossible to keep him from running up the stairs ahead of me to go find them. We spent the morning watching the boys play together both inside and outside, while the adults made plans for the afternoon. It was fun to see Owen and Kai playing so well together, and we LOVED the Kansas weather. It was so strange to be wearing shorts and flip-flops. It was beautiful spring weather!
For dinner we decided to drive into Kansas city to eat at the T-Rex Cafe. I was sure that Kai was going to LOVE the place. Unfortunately, he feel asleep on our way there and didn't wake up well. The lights and sounds of the cafe overwhelmed him at first and he pretty much flipped out. Once we calmed him down, Finn flipped out. Oh well....better luck next time. It was such a neat place that I'm sure we'll have to go again!
 |
| Our table |
 |
| The kids played in the fountain while Kristi and I shopped at Gymboree. After finishing our shopping we had to go back to buy Kai a new shirt as he was soaked! |
 |
| This picture makes me laugh! Owen is saying "cheeeeeeeese"! |
Day 3--The Sabbath
Kai was very excited to go with Owen to church. That is, he was excited until it was time to actually go. It was fun to sit with family at church and to see the Perrins' ward. It's a much smaller ward than what we have here and it was nice to have a cozy feeling to sacrament meeting. Finn, however, was not wanting to behave and so we spent most of our time in the hallway. He was way out of control! We ended up leaving right after sacrament.
That afternoon was spent playing in the backyard and just enjoying our time together. One of our favorite moments that afternoon was an incident that occurred between Owen and Kai. They had several games that they would play together (Super Cousins and Pirates, to name two) and while playing they both wanted to steer the ship (with the steering wheel on the swingset). There was some argument and eventually both Kristi and I had jumped in to try to resolve the issue. While Krisit would try to talk to the boys, Kai would just start talking right over her. So, I was jumpin in telling Kai he needed to listen to his aunt. In the midst of all of this yelling, suddenly the boys just stopped. And with very little discussion they had come to their own solution. Kristi and I heard, "You steer left and I steer right." And that was it! They were up there with one on each side of the steering wheel, one kid pulling one direction and the other kid pulling the other direction and they were happy. We just laughed in amazement at the way it had resolved itself, and the strange manner in which it was resolved.
 |
| Playing with balls in the backyard |
 |
| What Kai did with the balls! |
 |
| The little boys kept crashing their cars into the fence |
 |
| Owen and Finn had a great game. Owen would hand Finn a ball and Finn would throw it over the bench and squeal! They both loved it and it was such a simple game. But it gave Finn the biggest belly laughs! |
After dinner we went for a bike ride. We were quite the crew! Erik was pulling a trailer with Owen and Isaac, Ethan had his bike, Kristi had Bryn on a half-wheeler on the back of her bike, and I had a trailer with Kai and Finn. We had a great time! Poor Finn was too wound up to take a nap that day, and by the end of the bike ride he was a bit worn out. It was straight to bed for him!
Day 4 -- Play at the Park
Monday morning we ventured to a park. It was one of the neatest parks that I've ever seen, as it was totally enclosed. And there was even a fence between the equipment for the big and little kids. The boys seemed to have a good time. My boys had never seen anything like the spinning platform and they really enjoyed that. Everyone was a bit tired and grumpy that day so our play time ended a bit earlier than we had expected, but that was just fine.
In the afternoon we decided to walk to the elementary school to pick-up Bryn. Unfortunately, we only made it to the corner before Kai took a fall and scraped his knee. It was back to the house for us and we spent the rest of the afternoon playing inside while the older kids worked on homework. We had Subway and Yellow Sub for dinner, which was super yummy!
Day 5 -- Open Gym
By the time we had been there 4 days Finn was waking up asking for his cousins. It was super cute to hear the excitement each morning as the boys took off looking for their cousins. For that morning, we had planned to go to the nearby gymnastics center for an open gym. We played Hullabaloo at the house while we waited for open gym, which started at 11:30.
On a personal note, it was so neat to get back in a gym. It's been nearly 10 years since I've been in a gymnastics facility and it was truly like taking a step back in time. The boys had a great time bouncing on the trampoline and jumping in the pit. I hopped up on the beam and walked across, jumped on a springboard and just inhaled the smell of a gym. Strange, I know. Towards the end of the open gym period the owner came out to put some new foam into the pit and we got to talking. It was my first time in a gym in 10 years and I got offered a job! Too fun!
 |
| We were there with our 4 boys and then there were only 2 other little girls practically the whole time! |
 |
| Isaac on the rope |
 |
| climbing out |
 |
| He would bounce and then stop and strike his pose. I think someone has watched too much gymnastics with me! |
 |
| Finn has started crossing his arms and stomping off while saying "No Way". This must have something to do with having an older brother, because Kai certainly didn't know that phrase at age 2! |
That evening after dinner we ended our visit to Lawrence with a trip to Orange Leaf. I think Kai's favorite part was the gummy worms on his ice cream!
We had such a good time in Lawrence and can't wait to go back. Our drive home on day 6 was relatively uneventful. We made good time as the kids were used to the driving by then. We stopped at Freddy's for lunch (a much better choice than the Arby's had been on the way out) and then other than a quick run at the rest stop, we were pretty much gas-n-go. It was nice to get home and see Reid. And within an hour of walking through the door Reid asked if we were ready to go back--this time with him!
No comments:
Post a Comment