Trip to Atchison

On Saturday we decided to get out and visit Atchison, Kansas. It is a small town with LOTS of History. We visited the Town museum, the train museum, took a ride on a mini train, went to Amelia Earhart's birthplace, and a really cool park. It was a lot of fun, and we actually learned some cool history. Did you know that David Atchison (the guy the town is named after) was the President of the United Stated for one day in 1849? Who knew...

Here are the kiddos at the town museum in front of all the Kansas license plates. There is a Judy Garland movie called "The Harvey Girls" in which she sings a song called "On The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe" The train system is a big part of Atchison's history.
Going for a ride...

This is the house Amelia Earhart was born in. It was has her grandmother's home and she lived here much of her childhood.

Amelia's dolls. Kate thought this was pretty neat.

Next we went to Warnock Park. The Amelia Earhart "earthwork" is there. I'm not sure if you can see it from this view, but the tan (rocks) is her face, and she has an aviator cap on. There were postcards of it with a photo taken from the air, and you could see it much better. Sadly we did not have any aircraft at our disposal...

Oliver and the kiddos in front of the "earthwork."

We played at the playground for a little while. I haven't seen these toys for years! Kate and Cole really enjoyed playing on them.

Last we went to the forest of friendship that was also at the Warnock park. The forest of friendship is a memorial to men and women involved in aviation and space exploration. There were plaques with names such as Bob Hope, Henry Ford, Chuck Yeager and Charles Lindbergh as well as this bronze statue of Amelia Earhart.

There was also a memorial to the men and women who lost their lives in space and a "moon tree" (which means it was grown from a seed that had been to the moon.)

Isn't it a beautiful tree?

We had a great time exploring our surroundings. I hope you all learned a little bit too... ;0)

Easter Day

Happy Easter everyone! I hope everyone had a great day! We had a very busy week leading up to Easter Day, and we had a fabulous Easter! Kate and Cole were very excited about Easter Day this year. Here are a few photos from our day...

Kate left some carrots, spinach, a cookie and water for E.B, (Easter Bunny) She wrote him a letter and drew him a picture. Cole drew a picture also. Kate wanted curls for Easter, so curlers it is...

This is Kate after setting everything out for the E.B.

and the next morning this is what it looked like...

And there were LOTS of eggs around. Including a trail down the stairs...

I found one!

Gathering the eggs on the stairs...

Looking for more eggs...

Kate's eggs... Easter basket time...

After a yummy breakfast we put on our Easter finery and headed to church...

After church we had a yummy dinner with friends and played outside with the neighbors.

What a wonderful day!

Kate and the Zipline

On Saturday we had another fun outing with Kate's Daisy troop (Thanks to those you you who purchased cookies, this one was paid for with those proceeds.) This time the girls went on the zipline! Kate was really excited for days about this trip. The morning of the zipline Kate was very quiet, and I finally got her to tell me she was nervous. Excited, but nervous. I just let her know that was perfectly normal.

Out of the troop 8 girls came along to participate in the zipline, and 2 other older siblings joined us. All of the girls who came got up the nerve to try the zipline, one of them at the last minute, but at least she got up the nerve! I am so proud of all of them, because it was a lot of work, and it was VERY high.

Here are the girls waiting for their instructors to arrive.

"Gator" has arrived, and they are getting to know each other.

A little stretching out...

Now it is time to get into the gear. Harness first.

Then the helmets...

Lined up in order and waiting for the group before us to finish up.

Now it's Kate's turn. They had a choice of climbing up a rope ladder or getting clipped on in the middle and pulled up. Climbing up this tube rope ladder was the hardest part in my opinion, I am really surprised how many of the girls chose to get up to the platform this way.

Kate is on her way... Look how high they had to climb. It was not easy either! Go Kate, Go!

Almost there...Kate is at the top!!

Some final instructions and a last minute pep talk...

And she off! Woo Hoo Kate!

Pulling the rope back for the next person.

They got to go one more time, but this time (to save time) they were hooked up in the middle, pulled to the end and released. This time she let go long enough to wave to her friends.

Afterwards they gathered together to talk about their favorite parts. Kate said "all of it!"

As excited as Kate was, she did get pretty nervous. As she was on top of the platform, she started to cry. As a mom it broke my heart a little bit, but she worked through it. When she was finished I asked her how she did that, and she just told me she thought about happy things and reminded herself how much fun it was going to be and she shopped crying and just fell back. My baby girl is becoming such a little lady! I am so incredibly proud of her! Now all she can talk about is wanting to do it again.

Kate's Birthday Extravaganza

Well, last week was Kate's 6th Birthday! Can you believe it? I know I can't! This is the first year, I think, that Kate really "got it." She has always been excited about her birthday, but this year she was actually counting down and getting REALLY excited about turning another year older. A couple days before her birthday Kate said to me "I am so glad I am turning six, because I am getting tired of being 5" All I have to say about that is as much as I love seeing Kate grow and learn and mature, I just wish it wasn't all going by so quickly. The birthday celebrations started on Tuesday when Kate had her Daisy meeting. She was the assigned snack person, so we decided to make a special birthday snack for her troop. Kate chose to bring cake pops, and I decided to venture out of my baking comfort zone and make them. How hard could it be? Well, let me tell you, it is harder (and much more time consuming) than it looks. At least they turned out okay and tasted really yummy!

Pink and purple cake pops. Just what the 6 year old wanted.

The cake pops ready to be handed out to the Daisy's.

We got to the meeting and the leaders announced the meeting was canceled because of a tornado watch. Kate ran around handing out the pops to all her friends before they left, because a) she was so excited to share them, and b) I did NOT want them left in my house. The temptation of chocolate covered balls of cake and frosting is just too great to resist.

On Thursday (Kate's actual Birthday) she wanted to bring cupcakes to school for snack. She chose half vanilla and half chocolate cupcakes with brightly colored flowers on them. (No, I did not make these...)Kate had dance class that evening, then we went out to dinner at Mama Mia's (her choice because she really likes their bow tie pasta with cheese sauce.)

After dinner we went home for the customary 6 "spankings" and a pinch to grow an inch.

She didn't seem to mind.

The singing of Happy Birthday and a candle in a saved cupcake....and the opening of the family birthday gifts. This girl made out like a bandit!

She wanted a "real" camera. On Friday there was a half day at school, so I took Kate and a few of her friends from the neighborhood to paint some pottery. They had a great time, did a fabulous job and were very well behaved. (thank you Amy for coming along!)

Madelyne, Libby, Kate, Lillian and Max The Kindergarten pottery painters...

Then we went back to the house for some cake, ice cream, presents and play.

The kiddos singing Happy Birthday to Kate.

Kate LOVES her Rapunzel birthday cake (I definitely didn't make this one either) Mommy and Daddy got her tickets to see Toy Story on Ice for her birthday. Here is Kate and Cole ready to go... "Yee-Haw" and "to infinity and beyond..."

Kate's friend Libby came along with us. They all LOVED the show! I (as usual) loved the looks on their faces! Priceless.

All in all I think Kate had a fabulous, fun-filled, "non-party" Birthday extravaganza.

Believe it or not, Kate is already talking about when she turns 7! I am SO not ready for that!