First Day of School/Mother's Rejoicing Party

Dad is our Hero!

As I enter my neighborhood with trunk full of groceries, I get a call from the Kid's phone.
Sophie: "Mom, Rhys--"
I am so sick of them bickering and not solving there own problems...
Me (stern voice): "Sophie, is there an emergency?"
Sophie: "Mom, Rhys is stuck. He's really stuck."
Me: "I'm pulling into the garage and I'll be right there."

He put his hand in a tight place to retrieve a Lego mini figure from the elliptical machine (why he was using our neglected exercise equipment as a play surface, who knows? Probably why our cat, Lady, uses my treadmill belt as a cat scratcher, who knows?) and got stuck. She was correct to describe it as "really stuck."

First I pulled which resulted in screaming. Yet I tried it twice more. Then I got a screwdriver to start to disassemble the machine to at least give him more room to wiggle but it started to strip the screws. All the while texting our situation to Neal. We decided Neal was needed at home so he took an early lunch and saved the day.

A thankful boy in the end.

Back to School Parade

Cheering for our Story staff and teachers as they roll through our neighborhood with police escort!

Getting the Oil Changed at the Toyota Dealer

Opa Teaches

When you just get back from a trip, and realize while you are juggling dental, orthodontic, medical, and car appointments with back-to-school shopping, that you are to lead the month's den meetings for scouts on building, a thing you have little to no experience with--you call Opa! Rudy saved the day by teaching our scouts about basic tools, their use and care, and how to use them. Thanks, Opa!

Aug 2-4

Aug 2
The Kansas City Missouri Temple was our first destination this morning. We just enjoyed the grounds and got a few photos before spending the morning on the road.

Hutchinson, Kansas was our final destination that day and we entered the Strataca Salt Mine for the afternoon. We went down and watched some informative videos about how they mine and what a salt miner's life is like on the job. Then we boarded a small train and later, a tram to tour more of the mine and vault and see a little history. We were allowed to take a chunk of salt and at no time did we lick anything as it is not food grade. Most of it is used to salt roads.

Aug 3
We stayed in Hutchinson, because although you'd think there's nothing there, we found a cemetery next to a prison to document nearly 500 headstones at in two goes and still had a full tour of the Cosmosphere. The Cosmosphere is the kids and my 5th (5th, people!!!) and Neal's 4th air and space related museum this summer. I thought I'd be numb to it but, the Cosmosphere did a fantastic job detailing history from WWII missiles to men on the moon.

Piece of German Wall

We also enjoyed gourmet milkshakes and headed to the movie theater for a showing of Christopher Robin. Ended the day with a swim in the hotel pool.

Aug 4
We drove straight through Oklahoma and  made it home in time to love on kitties, unload, unpack, start laundry, and get a few essentials at the grocery store. It was a wonderful, exciting trip!

July 30-Aug 1

July 30
We spent the day at the Omaha Zoo/Aquarium. We fed giraffes and koi fish, walked among numerous butterflies, touched small sea creatures, elephant skin, and giraffe tail hairs, and learned interesting facts from the zoo's many middle school volunteers.

July31
On our way to the Strategic Air Command center we nearly his a flock of wild turkeys crossing the road. They are gorgeous, especially alive.

The highlight at SAC was the B-36J Peacemaker that was too large to photograph in its entirety.

Passing through rural Nebraska, we were able to stop in Brownsville and locate the gravestones of two separate sets of my third great-grandparents, the Christys and Daughertys, with the bonus of my fourth-great grandmother Daugherty. We found them quite quickly as we split up to explore the cemetery.

That afternoon we spent visiting a couple more Church historical sites. Adam-ondi-Ahman and the Far West Temple site. We made sure to sit at Spring Hill and "be in the moment" at Adam-ondi-Ahman.  I felt the Spirit and testified what I believed to my children there. It was quite beautiful to see the wind moving across the crops in waves, as this site is a large area of farm land.

At Far West we looked at the cornerstones that had been laid as a testament of the faith of the early Latter-day Saints, though a temple was not able to be finished here as they traveled westward.

Aug 1

Look at my sleeping babies! I love when my babies are quiet. This is just about the only time that happens so we let them sleep in today.

We spent the morning at two more Church history sites. First, we went to Liberty Jail where the prophet Joseph Smith and several others were imprisoned on false charges for approximately 5 months awaiting trial. Three revelations were received there. The foundation of the jail remains and a replica of the jail has been reconstructed.

Next we were off to Independence Visitor's Center. I think the thing I enjoyed best about this place was the importance it places on families and acknowledges that it's not all unicorns and rainbows, but that families are part of God's plan. Also, I loved hearing the stories of the early members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and feeling gratitude for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

That afternoon we toured the World War I Museum and Monument. It truly was a complicated war that I never understood the many details of growing up. This museum did a great job walking us through the time line and it was a lot of reading so I know we got way more out of it than the kids. We finished the day eating Kansas City BBQ and swimming at the hotel pool.