Church Sites.....one last time

Our journey today took us to Liberty, Missouri to see the Liberty Jail where Joseph Smith was imprisioned for 4 months. The prison has been recreated to show what the conditions were like inside. The walls are 4 feet thick. The floor under the straw is the original rock floor. The sister missionary that took us on our tour today told us that The Community of Christ musuem in Independence, Mo. has the original door to the prison, an interesting bit of information that we didn't know. Todd and I have been to Liberty 5 times now since moving to Kansas and we learn something new every time. There is such a Spirit at these church sites.From Liberty, we drove to Independence. We have always talked about The Community of Christ's interesting building, but didn't know anything about what was inside, until today. The outside has a tall silver spire that twists up like an ice cream cone. The museum inside was very interesting. They had a lot of information on Joseph & Emma Smith and the early church as we know it. It was very fascinating. From here, we walked across the street to the LDS visitor center. We always enjoy the tour here. In December, there is a display of about 300 Nativity scenes set up from all around the world. Each one is so different and unique. During the tour, I started comparing our experience over at The Community of Christ to our church's visitor center. Both had a lot of great information, but one was lacking the warm, peaceful feeling you get when learning these things. I am so grateful for the early saints who sacrificed everything they had, even their lives, to give us the church organization we have today. I gain a deeper appreciation for them with each visit to these wonderful church sites that we have been blessed to be close to over the past 2 1/2 years. We are going to miss visiting all these places! At the end of the tour, there is a pioneer playroom for kids. Paige loved sitting on the wagon. Carter and Hali were in school today, so that's why they are not in the pictures.

Hali's Gymnastics

Hali had her last night of gymnastics tonight, which meant we could go inside the gym to observe and take pictures. It made the night more special to have Grandma Pingel and Grandma & Grandpa Sanderson there to watch Hali. She loved performing for them! It's been fun to watch her become more confident, especially in the balance beam.

Kansas BBQ

We are moving from Kansas one week from today and trying to squeeze in all of our favorite things. Tonight it was BBQ for dinner. Kansas has some of the yummiest BBQ restaurants, Arthur Bryant's and Vermont Street are a few of our favorites. We have been so excited for grandparents to come this week. We picked Grandma Pingel up from the airport yesterday and Paige talked her leg off the whole way home! I was getting Paige ready for bed and she asked me if she could go look at Grandma again. I told her she needed to go to bed, and she said, "I just want to look at her again." It's been a while since we have seen family and we appreciate them coming to celebrate graduation with us. Grandma & Grandpa Sanderson flew in today and Paige was once again excited to go to the airport.

Gingerbread Houses

Our family was invited to make gingerbread houses on Saturday with another family that we go to church with. This has been a family tradition of their's for 30 years. We had to bring our houses and icing and they supplied all the candy to decorate with. We had such a fun time and the kids loved being creative. I was surprised at how their houses really resemble their personalities. Carter likes to build things that are very neat, organized and symmetrical. Hali likes things colorful, fun and not very organized. Paige was just trying to stick candy on as fast as she could get it in her little hand. Hali was so sweet to share her house with Paige. If anyone is looking for a gingerbread house recipe and pattern, here is the link to one that is tried & true. It is very easy and kid friendly. http://www.mormonchic.com/recipe/recipebox/pages/gingerbread.asp

It was truly a candy wonderland! The hardest part was deciding what to put on the house! I think the kids walked around in circles several times, taking it all in, before gathering candy.

The finished houses! Carter had a tree in the yard with lights on it, Santa in the doorway, and a woodpile on the side of his house.

Hali and Paige had a tree, snowman and gingerbread man in their yard. They also added a pond and a flower garden.

I am thinking this is a great family tradition to start!

Lollipop Reflector

I always have good intentions to journal the funny things our kids say and do, but for some reason, I rarely get it done. I am finding that I actually do it now that I am blogging. Being able to have a picture with the saying is so much more fun. Paige and I saw this reflector when we were on a walk and she quickly said, "A lollipop!" I explained to her that it was a reflector and told her what it was for. She thought for a few seconds and said, "Yea. A lollipop!" I don't think I will see reflectors, just as reflectors anymore. Too Cute!

New Glasses

Carter is into his 3rd year of wearing glasses. It's funny to see him become more particular about what he wants the older he gets. On the way to his appointment, he informed me that he wanted orange glasses. YIKES!!! Orange? He thought that would be pretty cool. Well, after the check-up with the doctor, we went to pick out some new frames. The assistant had some trays with frames inside and asked if we wanted plastic or metal. Of course the plastic, and very colorful frames had to be on the top of the pile. I quickly said, "metal" and Carter said, "I'm ok with metal." Phew!! A major disappointment avoided, so I thought. We moved on to the metal frames and picked the winning pair. Then came a question I was not prepared for. "Can you put some orange and yellow flames on the sides?" What??? Flames??? Like a good mom, I started laughing. The assistant tried so hard to keep her composure and did a pretty good job. She explained that they didn't have any with flames on the sides, but maybe when he ordered new frames next year, they just might have some. So needless to say, no orange and no flames. On the way home, I told him maybe we could find him some sunglasses with flames on the sides. He said, " I don't want sunglasses with flames on them." Then he asked me if his glasses were going to be orange. It's a good thing check-ups are annually!

Photo Tag

I've been photo tagged by Valerie. The rules are: go to your 4th folder, pick the 4th picture and post it. This is a picture of Hali showing off her art work. She is our little artist and likes to have me take pictures of her hard work.

I passed tumbling!

Well, not me. Paige and I have been taking a "Mom-n-Tot" tumbling class and today was the last day. She looked forward to it each time and is really going to miss it. The kids in the class were able to use all the equipment that the older kids use. She has been watching Hali for so long behind a window and she loved being able to go in and do everything she's seen Hali do. On the last day of class, friends and family can come into the gym to observe and take pictures. Paige seemed to really be performing for the camera! Here is our gymnast in training. You just might see her in the Olympics in 16 years!

Pumpkins

We took the kids to the Pumpkin Patch on Friday to pick out the "perfect pumpkin," as Paige kept saying about hers. We went a little late in the season and Carter had a hard time finding a big one, but he finally settled on one. I don't think he would say his was the "perfect pumpkin," but it's a pumpkin. Hali went last week on a field trip and picked out hers, so she really enjoyed telling us everything there was to know about the place. It really was a lot of fun. A tractor took us by hayride out to the patch and then came back to pick us up. There was a playground, a hay maze, and animals. We've been away from country living for too long because the kids were fascinated by the chickens and cows, like they've never seen them before. I don't think they remember the herd of cows that used to be in our backyard before we moved to Kansas. Farm animals are a novelty around where we live!

The kids got to carve their pumpkins at a church activity on Saturday. Carter and Hali did their own this year and did a great job. Paige pushed in her pieces and for the next 45 minutes, I heard, "Mom, now what do I do with my pumpkin?" She waited so patiently while Carter and Hali finished carving theirs. They were so excited to finally be able to wear their costumes. We had a great time.

A Blustery Day

Our time in Kansas is winding down fast and we are beginning to think of all the things we are going to miss. One of those being the rainstorms. But let me clarify, not the kind of rain and wind that are sometimes followed by a sound outside that we call the "Tornado Siren." We are not going to miss those storms! I'm talking about continuous thunder and lightning with a down pouring of rain. When we had only been in Kansas a few days, we were awakened in the middle of the night by one of these storms. Scared us half to death!! People later told us that we would get used to them and be able to sleep right through it. We haven't reached that point, but they don't scare me anymore. In fact, I purposely opened the sliding glass door yesterday to listen to and smell the rain. The kids on the other hand, secretly tried closing the door and few times because of the thunder and lightning, but they were busted! I want to enjoy as many rainstorms as possible over the next few months. I love the rainy days!

These pictures were taken about a year ago. I love watching the water shoot out of the downspout.

Carter's 8th Birthday

Carter turned 8 on Thursday, the 16th! He is all boy! I'm not sure if he was more excited about the Transformers wrapping paper, or the gifts inside, but all said and done he had a great day. He is a very social little guy. He likes to be the last one to leave school to make sure he tells everyone goodbye. If there is a wrestling/tickling match going on, he is right in the middle of it. He loves Transformers, Legos, and food. Carter designed his birthday cake this year. He brought me a drawing of what he wanted it to look like and what colors to use. He enjoyed building the crane and truck to go on it. I was a little sad he didn't want me to do the Lego cake I was planning on, but his was much simpler and he loved it!

Hali's Birthday

Hali celebrated her 6th Birthday on Friday. She had a smile on her face from the moment she woke up until she went to sleep. She is an angel. She brings such a sweet spirit into our home. She has a love for life and is helpful, cheerful, and spiritual. She is a friend to everyone and loves to learn. Happy Birthday, Hali!

Paige's Birthday

Paige turned 3 on Saturday! What happened to our baby? Where did the time go? Paige loves to have the whole family home. Everyday, I hear, "I miss Carter and Hali," and "I miss Dad." So it was great that her birthday fell on a Saturday this year. She loves playing with Carter and Hali and wants to be right in the middle of everything they do! She is happy, funny, and sometimes a little to big for her britches. Happy Birthday, Paige!