Temple Open House

I love the Kansas City Missouri Temple. We are so grateful that we will be living 45 minutes away from a temple. It has been so long since we've had a temple this close. Last Thursday, Jason and I served as tour guides at the open house. I was nervous about what I would say and how I would answer questions, but it was a great experience. I felt inspired to know what to say and actually was very calm when it was my turn to be the "voice" of the tour. Jason, of course, did an exceptional job answering questions and directing the tours he led. It was such a special experience for us both. Then, today, I took Jackson and Kate, along with Irina who lives with us from Germany, to the temple. Jackson was so excited. As soon as the film began he said "There's the temple." It made the people in the room chuckle. It made his mom very proud. He loved carrying the temple pamphlet and thought the shoe covers were funny. He did really well for most of the tour but then got the wiggles and so the end of the tour was a bit more challenging. It was special to have my two children experience the inside of the temple.

Sewing revisited after 16 years

I was inspired by so many Iowa friends who do some AMAZING sewing, home decorating, upcycling projects that I decided to drag out my sewing machine (all the way to Kansas from Utah) and see if I could remember anything. So, tonight, I made Kate a little skirt. It was a lot of fun and I actually remembered more than I thought I would. So, thanks to those great Iowa ladies who helped me get back into creating. (By the way, Jackson was jealous the skirt wasn't for him. I guess scrubs for him might be up next... :)

Hogle Zoo on St. Patty's Day

The last time I went to Hogle Zoo was when I was in elementary school in Park Valley, Utah. Needless to say, it's been a while (like a couple of decades or so). So, I thought it would be fun to take Jackson and Kate to Hogle Zoo. We were happy to have my parents join us for our adventure. Kate loved the Tigers. She got so excited when we saw them. She would growl at them. Quite frankly, I was a little scared of them, but not my Kate. I think she would have tried to pet one if she could've gotten close enough. Jackson liked the monkeys and the giraffes, but favorite parts were the train ride, carousel, and the super-fun animal shaped playground.

Utah, We Love Thee!

The kids and I headed to Utah for 15 days (the most time since we moved from there about four years ago) in March. We stayed at Nana and Grandpa's (Jason's parents home) while there as they are preparing to serve a mission for three years starting this summer. I don't think I realized how much I love Utah and being close to family until we were able to spend this time there as most of our other trips back to Utah have been rushed. I love the feeling I get in Utah: I'm home. I love the sights: mountains, Temple Square, familiar faces. I love the food: can I say Cafe Rio enough here? I love it's beauty and the peace I feel there. Instead of trying to put all of our adventures in one post, I'm going to break each out in separate posts so I can share more details about what we did there.

Tasty soup

Kate is my good eater. She loves to eat (well minus rice and oats, but that's another story). Fun picture watching her make sure she got every drop of her chicken noodle soup.

Oh the joys of COSTCO

Jackson and Kate love going to COSTCO with me. They enjoy looking at the books and eating the snacks while I shop. They've become friends with many of the sample employees (which means we get extra sometimes). And, they love the COSTCO frozen yogurt. Good times.

Gymboree

Jackson and Kate enjoyed attending Gymboree music, art, and play classes during the past several months. Jackson especially liked the play and learn course that allowed him to run and jump and slide in creative ways. For example, one class was centered on the post office. They used letters to slip into the "mailbox" (aka a slit in the slide ladder) and then "stamped" the letters by jumping off a platform onto a cushioned mat. Kate loved the rocking horse and the inflatable tubes. We enjoyed meeting other children and moms and loved Miss Cheryl and Miss Shannon. Can't wait to start again this fall.