We arrived without incident early in the afternoon. The kids traveled very well for me and we only stopped once for a picnic lunch at a limited facilities rest area.
First stop at Garret & Alyssa's house was their new playground. Uncle Jim was putting on the finishing touches just as we arrived.
The kids and I slept in our tent Friday night. Saturday afternoon we went to a festival at Powell Gardens for the 4th of July called Booms & Blooms. They had a special exhibit this year "Jurassic Journey." And if you know my kids, they love their dinosaurs!
It was hot but the kids couldn't wait to see the exhibits.
And we picked up a scavenger hunt card to make sure that we didn't miss any of the dinos.
If you look closely behind the left dinosaur--those are the fireworks that will be shot off later in the evening.
There are a couple of "toucan-looking" dinos in the middle right.
Our ice cold water bottles were a lifesaver!
Eden, Alyssa, Eliza, Emmet, Garret & Ephraim--our little palaeontologists.
A dino "bone" that actually said "please touch."
On the trolley for a ride to the other side of the gardens.
A view from the top of the silo--with tour guide Amber in the middle.
A view of the gardens--some are in the design of quilt blocks.
Ephraim on the praying mantis.
The boys on the mantis.
And the girls on the ladybug.
A sign about the quilt block gardens. I really didn't take time to read it, considering the fact that it was HOT and the kids were running on to the next exhibit.
Ahhhh, relief from the heat (at least for the kids).
And yes, they are fully clothed--but really, does it matter? They were having good, clean fun and it was HOT!
After taking a break, we went around the dinosaur exhibits again, this time with Grandpa Harold & Grandma Twyla. They arrived Saturday afternoon.
That's a goofy Apatosaurus!
Eliza's turn!
That's a goofy Apatosaurus!
Eliza's turn!
And Eden's turn.
And Eliza's turn!
I guess a T-Rex does get thirsty!
Where do we go next?
The kids and I in front of the T-Rex. If we look hot, it's because it was plenty warm and humid this day. I was applying sunscreen on them every hour and even putting it in their hair!
And Eliza's turn!
I guess a T-Rex does get thirsty!
Where do we go next?
The kids and I in front of the T-Rex. If we look hot, it's because it was plenty warm and humid this day. I was applying sunscreen on them every hour and even putting it in their hair!
Playing on a sand pile with two tunnels. But it made them a bit dirty, so it was back to the water fountain to wash off!
Garret was holding the girls' hands, but I didn't quite get the picture in time :)
Garret was holding the girls' hands, but I didn't quite get the picture in time :)
Happy 4th of July everyone! And many thanks to those who serve our country and to their families for the sacrifices made to keep our country free.
A superb performance by the Lee's Summit Symphony. They filled the hour or so while we waited for darkness to come. Grandpa Harold stood while they played the Air Force song, along with other members of our past military.
A superb performance by the Lee's Summit Symphony. They filled the hour or so while we waited for darkness to come. Grandpa Harold stood while they played the Air Force song, along with other members of our past military.
A couple of musical performances while a Civil War re-enactor read letters that were written by soldiers to their families back home during the Civil War.
Waiting for the fireworks . . . and getting sleepy.
Two boys with their glow stick halos! Those glow sticks are a great way to keep track of kids when the darkness comes. Thanks to Grandma for buying them!
And then the 45 minutes began! It was a great show. There were even a few fireworks shot from a Civil War canon.
We were pretty close to where the fireworks were being released. So close, in fact, we were being showered with debris--just two pieces, but still. Mostly the cardboard coverings of the fire power.
Eliza actually fell asleep before the fireworks started. And she remained asleep the entire time.
Leaving the gardens was an interesting experience that took nearly an hour. First of all, it is dark and this is a place that normally closes at dusk because they do not have any outdoor lighting. And there were thousands of people there. We held onto the kids' hands for dear life lest we be separated. But we made it to the parking lot where we were stuck in an ginormous traffic jam.
That night we stayed on the living room floor due to the lightning outside. And the fact that fireworks are legal in Missouri--so they're going off non-stop.
Sunday Morning--ready for church.
After church--Alyssa opened her belated birthday presents. We got her a Fancy Nancy book and I made her a bow/barrette board.
Waiting for the fireworks . . . and getting sleepy.
Two boys with their glow stick halos! Those glow sticks are a great way to keep track of kids when the darkness comes. Thanks to Grandma for buying them!
And then the 45 minutes began! It was a great show. There were even a few fireworks shot from a Civil War canon.
We were pretty close to where the fireworks were being released. So close, in fact, we were being showered with debris--just two pieces, but still. Mostly the cardboard coverings of the fire power.
Eliza actually fell asleep before the fireworks started. And she remained asleep the entire time.
Leaving the gardens was an interesting experience that took nearly an hour. First of all, it is dark and this is a place that normally closes at dusk because they do not have any outdoor lighting. And there were thousands of people there. We held onto the kids' hands for dear life lest we be separated. But we made it to the parking lot where we were stuck in an ginormous traffic jam.
That night we stayed on the living room floor due to the lightning outside. And the fact that fireworks are legal in Missouri--so they're going off non-stop.
Sunday Morning--ready for church.
After church--Alyssa opened her belated birthday presents. We got her a Fancy Nancy book and I made her a bow/barrette board.
And a few fossils in the rocks.
We left for home on Monday morning. We made three stops this time on the way home. One to get fuel. The 2nd to get, well, maybe I shouldn't say since they may or may not be illegal in Iowa. And the third time to eat at a rest area in Iowa. We ate our picnic lunch and then visited the restrooms. I should mention, that to travel this time, I packed the girls' potty seat and an ice cream bucket to put the seat on. I was prepared! Well, we only had to use the bucket once. I was going to dump it in the toilet (keeping it legal--you never know when you're on camera these days). So, after visiting the restrooms and emptying our pail, we stop for a new Iowa map. The friendly, older rest area attendant asks me "Do you need water for your pet?" And he's pointing to my ice cream pail. "Uh, no . . . this is our emergency toilet." I got a few laughs from the others in the map area :p He goes on to say that a lot of people come in with a bucket and need water for their pets. Nope, not me :O
Eliza fell asleep on the way home. She put her blanket over her head and tried to block out the other kids. Personally, I was hoping she wasn't being suffocated from the fumes of her blanket. Let's just say that Eliza wets the bed a fair share of times and she's pretty reluctant to let me borrow her blanket to wash. Yep, just keeping it real for you. Her blanket stinks!
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