Saturday, we awoke in Kansas City and were set to enjoy the day. This started with my father and I taking the children for a walk. About half a block past Grandma's house there was a garage sale. We stopped and looked to see what they had, and I told them I would be back.
So after our walk, I grabbed some cash and went to the garage sale. I bought a grocery bag full of really nice clothes for the girls (mostly for Abby) and spent only about $2. I was so excited. So I went back to Grandma's and showed off my loot. Then Papa walked to the garage sale and purchased two large bags of stuff. And then my mother decided to go check it out, and she came back with even more stuff.
Then my dad and took a bike ride. The area was a little hilly, so I had trouble keeping up. I found that I had to be going really fast down the hills or I could never make it back up them.
Meanwhile back at the garage sale there was a tricycle, which my parents thought would be nice for Sammy. But they wanted Paul to check it out first. So Paul, after he got up, went down to the garage sale and came back with a few things, but not the trike. When he came back he alerted me to the fact that they had dishes that matched ours. So I went back and bought the dishes.
Then Papa decided to buy the trike after all. So he went back.
Then the little girl whose clothes we had just bought for Abby, came over to play.
Later that evening we went to my "cousin" Jane's house for the graduation party of my "cousin" Jordan. We had an enjoyable visit. I chatted quite a bit with my "cousin" Erin, who is close to my age but who I didn't really know before because her branch of the family doesn't come for holidays (they are JWs). And normally we only come up for holidays. Erin's two children were close in age to my four, so they had a good time playing together.
Sunday morning, Paul and my dad helped the children to make pancakes for us since it was Mother's day. I thought Grandma Pat would really appreciate it, but she seemed a little on edge about having someone else cooking in her kitchen.
The children were a little under the weather, so I decided to keep them home from church. Especially since at this point people seemed to be alarmed anytime they heard a sneeze because it could be swine flu. Grandma Pat stayed back with me, and Paul went to church with my parents at a Catholic church.
Then we had an Easter egg hunt. And after everybody was back from church we went downstairs to open the presents under the tree, which was decorated with Valentines (I guess Grandma wanted to make up for missed holidays). Then Grandma told us we needed to leave so she could get ready for the visitors who were coming later.
I didn't have a good idea for where I was supposed to take sick children on a rainy day. But we ended up taking them to McDonald's. Hopefully we didn't get anybody else sick.
Then we came back and had a lovely meal with My aunt Pegi and uncle Blaine as well as my cousin Bethany and her husband Jim. It was the first time I had seen Bethany (who is a year younger than me) since she had been married 4 years ago. Then later on my great uncle, John also came by to visit.
Then later in the evening Paul and I walked over to my great aunt Kate's house and had a nice visit with her and her daughter Kitty Lou (I am pretty sure only family calls her that). Kate was watching the Royal's game on TV when we arrived and she was complaining that the team could only play well at home and not on the road. Anyway, it was a relief to see that Kate, who is ninety, is still sharp as a tack. She has always been a very witty person, and I think it would crush me to see her lose her mental power much more than it does to see that she can barely get around.
After our visit, we went back to Grandma Pat's house and I spent the rest of the evening visiting, doing laundry, and packing.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009
The best laid plans (or something)
So because of the tornadoes, we decided we'd better leave in hurry. So once we got to Glenna's house we looked at the maps and made a plan. We would drive west across Arkansas and then straight north to Kansas City.
My dad had gone for an early morning swim. So as soon as he was changed and ready to go, we set off. We were not five minutes into our trip when a torrential downpour made our visibility almost zero. So we turned around and went back to Glenna's home.
She graciously fed the children oatmeal. One of their favorite foods, which they don't eat often due to it's high fiber content.
Then the children played for awhile with the few toys Glenna had. The lights flickered a few times. But we were well insulated from the storm.
Once the storm had passed, we set out again. We had the girls and were heading to Mansfield, MO to see the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home. Nana and Papa had the boys and were heading to Ava, MO to visit the Monastery where they had stayed on their honeymoon (long story).
Unfortunately, the diaper bag with the pull-ups and extra boys clothes was in our van, and not in Nana's car. Since the boys don't have that many accidents that didn't seem like it would be a big deal.
On the way to Mansfield, Paul's cousin, Lisa called. She was concerned since she knew we were in the area. The tornadoes had passed close enough to them that she could actually see some from their home. So it was a relief, in a way, that we had not been in Mountain Grove as planned. Her daughter was still sick with the flu, but was beginning to get better.
When we arrived in Mansfield we followed the signs to the Wilder Home. The sign on the gate said "Closed". The hours indicated it should be open. Just then a nice lady pulled up in an SUV. She got out her cell phone and called the people who run the museum and discovered that because of the storms the museum was without ALL utilities. Then she showed us around the area, and told us some stories about Laura. And she showed us the stone cottage nearby that Rose Wilder Lane had built for her parents. It turns out that this lady's mother had personally known Laura. (But her mother was ill, and not able to meet us).
Then the kind lady directed us to the Mansfield Historical Society just up the road. It was also closed, but we could see through the window some of Laura's things (a dress and such).
Then we hopped back in the car heading toward Kansas City.
Meanwhile, when Nana and Papa arrived in Ava, they discovered that both boys had wet their pull-ups. When Papa took them to the restroom he removed the pull-ups and threw them away. Leaving the boys with pants on, but no underpants. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal. But given that they had both eaten oatmeal that morning, the result was disastrous. Nana and Papa had to find a place to stop and buy them some more clothing. Oops! I felt terrible when I found out.
We drove through some interesting areas, and continued on until dinner time, where we stopped and had a picnic at Truman State Park. After dinner we walked around and picked up rocks. I taught Abby a science lesson about how rocks are formed. And we had a little nature hike. Then we left the park and went to look at the Truman Dam. There was man there who had worked on the security for the dam and he explained a little to us about how the dam worked.
Then we continued on our way, arriving at Grandma Pat's house about 10:00 PM.
Nana and Papa arrived a couple of hours later, thanks in part to the mess they had, had to deal with.
My dad had gone for an early morning swim. So as soon as he was changed and ready to go, we set off. We were not five minutes into our trip when a torrential downpour made our visibility almost zero. So we turned around and went back to Glenna's home.
She graciously fed the children oatmeal. One of their favorite foods, which they don't eat often due to it's high fiber content.
Then the children played for awhile with the few toys Glenna had. The lights flickered a few times. But we were well insulated from the storm.
Once the storm had passed, we set out again. We had the girls and were heading to Mansfield, MO to see the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home. Nana and Papa had the boys and were heading to Ava, MO to visit the Monastery where they had stayed on their honeymoon (long story).
Unfortunately, the diaper bag with the pull-ups and extra boys clothes was in our van, and not in Nana's car. Since the boys don't have that many accidents that didn't seem like it would be a big deal.
On the way to Mansfield, Paul's cousin, Lisa called. She was concerned since she knew we were in the area. The tornadoes had passed close enough to them that she could actually see some from their home. So it was a relief, in a way, that we had not been in Mountain Grove as planned. Her daughter was still sick with the flu, but was beginning to get better.
When we arrived in Mansfield we followed the signs to the Wilder Home. The sign on the gate said "Closed". The hours indicated it should be open. Just then a nice lady pulled up in an SUV. She got out her cell phone and called the people who run the museum and discovered that because of the storms the museum was without ALL utilities. Then she showed us around the area, and told us some stories about Laura. And she showed us the stone cottage nearby that Rose Wilder Lane had built for her parents. It turns out that this lady's mother had personally known Laura. (But her mother was ill, and not able to meet us).
Then the kind lady directed us to the Mansfield Historical Society just up the road. It was also closed, but we could see through the window some of Laura's things (a dress and such).
Then we hopped back in the car heading toward Kansas City.
Meanwhile, when Nana and Papa arrived in Ava, they discovered that both boys had wet their pull-ups. When Papa took them to the restroom he removed the pull-ups and threw them away. Leaving the boys with pants on, but no underpants. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal. But given that they had both eaten oatmeal that morning, the result was disastrous. Nana and Papa had to find a place to stop and buy them some more clothing. Oops! I felt terrible when I found out.
We drove through some interesting areas, and continued on until dinner time, where we stopped and had a picnic at Truman State Park. After dinner we walked around and picked up rocks. I taught Abby a science lesson about how rocks are formed. And we had a little nature hike. Then we left the park and went to look at the Truman Dam. There was man there who had worked on the security for the dam and he explained a little to us about how the dam worked.
Then we continued on our way, arriving at Grandma Pat's house about 10:00 PM.
Nana and Papa arrived a couple of hours later, thanks in part to the mess they had, had to deal with.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
for those still interested
After exiting the cave and moving far enough away to get good reception, we talked to Nana and Papa via the cell phone which of course did not work in the cave. They relayed the information that Glenna (my grandfather's former wife), had reserved a hotel room for us near her home in Arkansas. Since we didn't have a plan, this sounded good to us. So we headed toward Arkansas. I was excited because this meant coloring in another state on my map of all the states I have been to (now if only I can find the map).
We stopped for dinner at a pizza hut in Cuba, MO. This was exciting, since there were no gluten-intolerant people with us. Isaac wanted something green on his pizza, and Sammy wanted something red. So we had a pepperoni and green pepper pizza.
And after dinner I was so excited because Sammy went #2 in the potty (which he had never done in a public toilet before).
Then we drove down into Arkansas. We had directions to drive to Ash Flat. Then about 12 miles from Ash Flat, my dad told us they were at the Walmart in Ash Flat and we were to meet them in the parking lot. Then Glenna was going to meet us there.
When we arrived at Walmart, I nearly freaked out to see that my beautiful daughters were sound asleep on the parking lot in sleeping bags. But as they seemed to be safe, I mostly bit my tongue. I hope that my father will not do this again though.
Glenna arrived shortly after we did. And we made introductions. We then followed her to the hotel in Horseshoe Bend. The hotel room was pretty average. The hotel was actually a spa with swimming pool and large hot tub (as in swimming pool-sized). We didn't get to use these at all though. There were also tennis courts and a golf course, it looked very nice. Well when we arrived it was near midnight so it just looked dark, I found the rest out in the morning.
We awoke around 7 AM. Except for Paul who continued to sleep. I got the kids dressed and van packed up. We ate breakfast from what we had packed since the hotel restaurant was still closed for the off-season. The coffee pot in the room was really neat. It had a disposable tray and a disposable cup which functioned as the pot.
Then the kids and I set off on a mission to find the ice maker. There was a map of the resort and the path to the ice maker seemed clear. So I pushed the stroller and Sam and Abby each brought a cooler. But what the map didn't show was the giant sets of stairs. So we ended up turning around, ditching the stroller and walking back.
Around 8 AM I tried to call Glenna. And I continued to try. But the phone service was really finicky. So it was 9 AM before I made successful contact. I had to stand in the middle of the parking lot.
When they arrived in the parking lot to get us, they alerted us to the fact that a tornado was on it's way.
We stopped for dinner at a pizza hut in Cuba, MO. This was exciting, since there were no gluten-intolerant people with us. Isaac wanted something green on his pizza, and Sammy wanted something red. So we had a pepperoni and green pepper pizza.
And after dinner I was so excited because Sammy went #2 in the potty (which he had never done in a public toilet before).
Then we drove down into Arkansas. We had directions to drive to Ash Flat. Then about 12 miles from Ash Flat, my dad told us they were at the Walmart in Ash Flat and we were to meet them in the parking lot. Then Glenna was going to meet us there.
When we arrived at Walmart, I nearly freaked out to see that my beautiful daughters were sound asleep on the parking lot in sleeping bags. But as they seemed to be safe, I mostly bit my tongue. I hope that my father will not do this again though.
Glenna arrived shortly after we did. And we made introductions. We then followed her to the hotel in Horseshoe Bend. The hotel room was pretty average. The hotel was actually a spa with swimming pool and large hot tub (as in swimming pool-sized). We didn't get to use these at all though. There were also tennis courts and a golf course, it looked very nice. Well when we arrived it was near midnight so it just looked dark, I found the rest out in the morning.
We awoke around 7 AM. Except for Paul who continued to sleep. I got the kids dressed and van packed up. We ate breakfast from what we had packed since the hotel restaurant was still closed for the off-season. The coffee pot in the room was really neat. It had a disposable tray and a disposable cup which functioned as the pot.
Then the kids and I set off on a mission to find the ice maker. There was a map of the resort and the path to the ice maker seemed clear. So I pushed the stroller and Sam and Abby each brought a cooler. But what the map didn't show was the giant sets of stairs. So we ended up turning around, ditching the stroller and walking back.
Around 8 AM I tried to call Glenna. And I continued to try. But the phone service was really finicky. So it was 9 AM before I made successful contact. I had to stand in the middle of the parking lot.
When they arrived in the parking lot to get us, they alerted us to the fact that a tornado was on it's way.
Friday, May 15, 2009
not related to our trip
But there is something seriously wrong when you google Richard Scarry's Busy Town and it brings up near pornography.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
The Cave
We arrived at the cave after driving past the place that sold unique chainsaw carvings. The park it was in was very pretty, though the river was a little muckier than I had remembered. Before we went inside the building we took the boys to the potty, and we discovered that the chocolate chips (potty rewards) were melted.
Then we went inside. There was a large building constructed over the entrance of the cave (technically I think it was a cavern, I'm not sure). Inside the building was an ice cream shop and a gift shop where they sold all kinds of interesting things including hats shaped like various animals and a large variety of toy guns. Sammy (age 4) and I had a lot of fun with the magnetic rocks.
Then there was the information desk and the ticket sales desk. The tickets were $18 per adult, but the children were free. It seemed pretty pricey, but oh well.
Sammy was pretty scared to go into the cave. He kept saying "But mommy, it's too old!" But I coaxed him in, and promised to hold his hand the entire time. He made sure that I kept the promise.
Our tour guide was a young man probably late teens or early twenties. He wasn't very professional, and he seemed mostly interested in finishing the tour so he could get off work. Including us, there were six people on the tour. He said that earlier in the day there had been a tour group of about 80, so that could explain his mannerisms a little.
The first room of the cave was humongous, it was the "ball room". It had a disco ball hung from the ceiling and a bar in. I assume people sometimes plan events like wedding receptions there. I cannot imagine having a reception in a cave, but okay.
The first several rooms did not have any formations really.
One area had a replica of Frank and Jesse James because they had hid-out in that cave. They had with the statues some of the actual tools they had left behind.
Further on was a Hollywood area where various films had been shot. They even had a picture of Lassie.
After that is got more interesting as we began to see "soda straws" hollow tubes hanging from the ceiling. Then we began to see stalactites and stalagmites. The tour guide didn't explain the difference, so I told the boys what I had learned several years ago "stalactites hang tightly to ceiling and stalagmites might reach the ceiling some day" Later in the tour Sammy pointed to a stalagmite and said "Mommy, I think it might reach the ceiling someday."
The neatest parts of the cave were the wine room and the theater room. It is really hard to describe them. The wine room had clusters that looked like grapes and a formation that looked like a table. The theater room had formations that looked like stage curtains and like a balcony.
At the end of the tour as we were exiting the boys asked "Can we go in again?" and then "Well then can we stop here again on the way back?" So the tour was obviously a success.
But to me the best part was when the other couple on the tour approached me to compliment me on my children's behavior.
I have to remember that now as two and half hours past bedtime I am still struggling to keep Isaac in bed.
Tune in next time to hear about our next adventure.
Then we went inside. There was a large building constructed over the entrance of the cave (technically I think it was a cavern, I'm not sure). Inside the building was an ice cream shop and a gift shop where they sold all kinds of interesting things including hats shaped like various animals and a large variety of toy guns. Sammy (age 4) and I had a lot of fun with the magnetic rocks.
Then there was the information desk and the ticket sales desk. The tickets were $18 per adult, but the children were free. It seemed pretty pricey, but oh well.
Sammy was pretty scared to go into the cave. He kept saying "But mommy, it's too old!" But I coaxed him in, and promised to hold his hand the entire time. He made sure that I kept the promise.
Our tour guide was a young man probably late teens or early twenties. He wasn't very professional, and he seemed mostly interested in finishing the tour so he could get off work. Including us, there were six people on the tour. He said that earlier in the day there had been a tour group of about 80, so that could explain his mannerisms a little.
The first room of the cave was humongous, it was the "ball room". It had a disco ball hung from the ceiling and a bar in. I assume people sometimes plan events like wedding receptions there. I cannot imagine having a reception in a cave, but okay.
The first several rooms did not have any formations really.
One area had a replica of Frank and Jesse James because they had hid-out in that cave. They had with the statues some of the actual tools they had left behind.
Further on was a Hollywood area where various films had been shot. They even had a picture of Lassie.
After that is got more interesting as we began to see "soda straws" hollow tubes hanging from the ceiling. Then we began to see stalactites and stalagmites. The tour guide didn't explain the difference, so I told the boys what I had learned several years ago "stalactites hang tightly to ceiling and stalagmites might reach the ceiling some day" Later in the tour Sammy pointed to a stalagmite and said "Mommy, I think it might reach the ceiling someday."
The neatest parts of the cave were the wine room and the theater room. It is really hard to describe them. The wine room had clusters that looked like grapes and a formation that looked like a table. The theater room had formations that looked like stage curtains and like a balcony.
At the end of the tour as we were exiting the boys asked "Can we go in again?" and then "Well then can we stop here again on the way back?" So the tour was obviously a success.
But to me the best part was when the other couple on the tour approached me to compliment me on my children's behavior.
I have to remember that now as two and half hours past bedtime I am still struggling to keep Isaac in bed.
Tune in next time to hear about our next adventure.
Our trip to Kansas City
Our trip went well. Things did not go as planned, but God was watching over us. Here's sort of an overview of the trip
Wednesday: My mom and dad left Fort Wayne with the two girls. They were supposed to leave around 4:30 but mom had to work late and did not get left until 6. Then I took the boys to Burger King and we waited for dh to get off work. He was supposed to get off at at 6 but actually did not until 7:00. So we arrived at our first stop around 10 PM Central time. Our first stop was at my brother's place in Champaign, IL. We had a nice visit with him While the boys slept (mostly). Then my parents arrived with the girls about an hour later (yes they left earlier).
Thursday: Isaac (age 3) awoke early. My mom awoke to hear his crying. I asked her what time it was. When she told me it was 6:30 I decided to start getting up and around since we were leaving Champaign at 8:00. Half an hour later, now that we were all up and around I realized that it was actually 6:00 because of the time change. So after the kids were all dressed, my parents took them for a walk and dh and I visited with my brother some more. Then around 7:30 CT we left Champaign (with all 4 dc) and drove to Springfield to visit my dh's grandma. She lives in retirement home in a little one bedroom apartment. The visit went very well for about an hour and a half. But it is really hard to keep 4 children age 5 and under happy in a tiny room full of breakable objects. Isaac: "Are these no-nos ?" Me: "Yes". Isaac: "Is this a no-no?" Abby (age 5): "Everything is no-nos." Around noon we left the retirement home and picked up dh's uncle (who is disabled) and took him out to lunch with us at McDonald's. My parents who had stayed longer in Champaign met us at McDonalds.
Then during lunch, we got a call from Paul's cousin Lisa whom we were planning to visit in Mountain Grove, MO. Her 4 year old daughter was exceptionally ill with influenza. So we obviously weren't going to proceed with the visit. We decided to head that direction anyway and see the Ozarks but we didn't really have a plan yet. So when we headed out of Springfiel we didn't have a plan.
My parents again took the girls and we took the boys. As we were heading out of St. Louis we began to see signs for Meramac Caverns. I remember having gone there as a child, and thought it would be a neat place to go. So we watched the billboards (there were approximately 492 of them) and went to the exit. It was about 4:30 PM by then so we were concerned about it being to late in the day. It turns out that we were in luck and there was one more cave tour of the day...
Stay tuned for the next post in which I will detail our experience in the cave.
Wednesday: My mom and dad left Fort Wayne with the two girls. They were supposed to leave around 4:30 but mom had to work late and did not get left until 6. Then I took the boys to Burger King and we waited for dh to get off work. He was supposed to get off at at 6 but actually did not until 7:00. So we arrived at our first stop around 10 PM Central time. Our first stop was at my brother's place in Champaign, IL. We had a nice visit with him While the boys slept (mostly). Then my parents arrived with the girls about an hour later (yes they left earlier).
Thursday: Isaac (age 3) awoke early. My mom awoke to hear his crying. I asked her what time it was. When she told me it was 6:30 I decided to start getting up and around since we were leaving Champaign at 8:00. Half an hour later, now that we were all up and around I realized that it was actually 6:00 because of the time change. So after the kids were all dressed, my parents took them for a walk and dh and I visited with my brother some more. Then around 7:30 CT we left Champaign (with all 4 dc) and drove to Springfield to visit my dh's grandma. She lives in retirement home in a little one bedroom apartment. The visit went very well for about an hour and a half. But it is really hard to keep 4 children age 5 and under happy in a tiny room full of breakable objects. Isaac: "Are these no-nos ?" Me: "Yes". Isaac: "Is this a no-no?" Abby (age 5): "Everything is no-nos." Around noon we left the retirement home and picked up dh's uncle (who is disabled) and took him out to lunch with us at McDonald's. My parents who had stayed longer in Champaign met us at McDonalds.
Then during lunch, we got a call from Paul's cousin Lisa whom we were planning to visit in Mountain Grove, MO. Her 4 year old daughter was exceptionally ill with influenza. So we obviously weren't going to proceed with the visit. We decided to head that direction anyway and see the Ozarks but we didn't really have a plan yet. So when we headed out of Springfiel we didn't have a plan.
My parents again took the girls and we took the boys. As we were heading out of St. Louis we began to see signs for Meramac Caverns. I remember having gone there as a child, and thought it would be a neat place to go. So we watched the billboards (there were approximately 492 of them) and went to the exit. It was about 4:30 PM by then so we were concerned about it being to late in the day. It turns out that we were in luck and there was one more cave tour of the day...
Stay tuned for the next post in which I will detail our experience in the cave.
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