Day 2: The Sights of Kansas City

The first stop of the day was the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. The family all enjoyed the information and hands-on exhibits.  We each got a bag of free money.  The kids got to make their own currency.  We got to see the different currencies from all of the years in the U.S.

 Just a couple of blocks away was the Crown Plaza - a great stop for all families visiting Kansas City.  We went into the Kaleidoscope, a free museum for kids.  Owned by Hallmark, kids get to keep any crafts they make there.  Various puzzles, hats and bags accompanied us to our next stop, the Hallmark Visitors' Center.  The kids enjoyed watching cards and silly putty being made and we got a free souvenir.

After a lunch at Sonic in an interesting corner of KC, we went to the Visitors' Center in Independence, Missouri.  All of us enjoyed the break in the air conditioning and learned the history of the saints in the area from 1831 to 1833.  We also looked at the future temple grounds and the temple of the Church of Christ.

Making our way south, we checked into our motel and then headed to the Royals game.  With the temperature around 90 degrees and high humidity, we were ready to get into the stadium after waiting outside 20 minutes.  The kids enjoyed batting, sprinting, water and golfing in the Outfield Experience.  We ate dinner in the left field picnic area until the 4th inning.  We made our way to the seats.  Tim was excited to see Erik Hosmer hit a 3-run homer in the 13-0 rout of the Twins.  We got back to the hotel around 10:30 and the kids are having trouble  getting to bed early, as we will be getting up at 7 o'clock Central Standard Time and they are all wired now at 11:20 p.m.

The time change will set in over the next couple of days...

Day 1: Arrival Day in the Midwest

After a great drive through the deserts of the Southwest and staying in a warm and muggy Arizona night, we awoke at 4:45 a.m. and made it without incident to the airport.  Everything went well with the check-in and we ate breakfast while waiting (Round 2 actually) for our flight from Mesa, Arizona to Springfield, Missouri at 8:00 a.m..  The flight went quickly for all (especially Nathan who slept).  Sam and Sariah loved flying as it was their first trip in the air (in memory).

With 20 minutes to landing, the pilot announced to us their was a steady rain.  We were bummed to follow this rain north all the way to the outskirts of Kansas City.  After one full hour of action-packed adventure getting our bags and getting our upgraded premium rental Toyota Avalon (they were out of full-size, which we pre-ordered), we headed north through the rains.  State route 13 was 65 to 70 mph speed limits the whole way and traffic moved well.  We loved seeing the Amish families out traveling along the road several times on the shoulder.

We decided at the last minute to look up the newly dedicated Kansas City temple and were very impressed by its size and surroundings.  It is up on a grassy hill next to the freeway for all to see.  After several pictures, we hopped back in the car about 5 miles and looked up our hotel for the night.  After getting things arranged and agreeing on what to do tonight, we looked up our goal destination for the night - Liberty Jail. Surprisingly, it was less than 5 miles continuing on the route we had taken from the temple.  Solinda did a great job of booking the location right between them without even knowing it!!

The Liberty Jail was a wonderful stop for all of us.  It is a sacred and special site reminding us that we all have trials and tribulations meant to test our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  He never forgets us and then blesses our efforts to follow Him.  We learned about the jail's construction and history before moving on to learn some of the great statements the Prophet Joseph Smith made about our wonderful Constitution of the United States of America while imprisoned there.  The boys were very locked in on the presentation and we all left very grateful and uplifted.  The Visitors' Center will be in existence 50 years next month.  Stop in if you get a chance - you won't forget it.

Dinner was all we could eat and some are feeling the after-effects more than others...

The count down has begun!!

We are officially starting the count down until we fly out on our two week family fun filled adventure.  We officially have three days until we drive to the airport!  We are going to pick Timothy up from Boy Scout camp on Friday and then head to the airport on Saturday.  Our family has endured yet another crazy busy summer and we are all more than ready to have some family fun. Every detail of the trip has been carefully planned out, all tickets have been purchased and all accommodations booked.  This summer the laptop is going with so I can stay up on pictures and journal entries  the entire trip!!

Surprise!

We decided to take the long fourth of July weekend and surprise my parents.  They had been letting us know that they miss us, so we thought the best thing to do would be to surprise them.  We showed up close to midnight on July 3rd, and they were very shocked.  I was glad we were able to make it to the Chritensen Family reunion which I had not attended since 2006 and Nathan had not attended since 1999.  There were about 150 people in attendance and it was great to catch up with cousins that I had not seen in a long time.

The kids enjoyed going up and down the giant slip and slide set up by my cousin Natalie.  They spent over and hour getting wet.

                                 Timothy with his cousins Morgan and Josh having lots of wet fun!

Picture with my Aunt Laura and my cousin Thora.  I regret not getting pictures with my other cousins, but I was to busy chatting and having fun!

It was great seeing my Grandma.  She was a good influence in my life, she taught me how to cook and sew.  She also taught me pre-school.

                            Nathan enjoyed good food and catching up with everyone at the reunion.

I think that Sariah didn't seem to care about all the grass she had on her from all the water fun.

Sariah loved spending time with baby Paige this trip.  She got to see her at the reunion and she was also able to see her several other times during our stay in Payson.

After the reunion, Nathan took me to the Stadium of Fire in Provo.  We had a good time and I was shocked when Nathan got into the entertainment portion of the show which included Kelly Clarkson, Carly Rae Jepson and Cirque Du Soleil.  The firework show was also spectacular.

In the days that followed our kids spent lots of time with cousins, we went on a double date with my brother and his wife.  We went out on the pond with a paddle boat and the boys slept in my brothers camper trailer.

Sariah and her Grandma Abbott

Baby Paige talking on the cell phone while driving.  

                                   Sariah with her cousin Maggie.  (Maggie will be 8 in 2 months)