Family Vacation 2015, Part Two

WEDNESDAY:  Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead.  This was my Disneyland.  I was so happy -- I could have just gone there every day.  Izzie mined for gems, fed baby goats, rode a pony, fished and we all had a wagon ride.  Combine that with the beautiful scenery, adorable animals, and other fun activities and it was basically a perfect day.  Grabbed some IHOP for dinner and called it a day.  

THURSDAY:  Back to Legends for some shopping (Izzie was just excited for the "rides"), and then the Johnson County Fair that night.  Delicious food, rides, games, and a marching band...what a great night!  

Izzie won a little sea turtle stuffed animal at a frog fishing game.  Levi was ready to go and breaking down, so in a terrible parenting moment I told Izzie to just give her brother the toy to quiet him down.  We walked twenty feet and realized he had already dropped the turtle -- and it was nowhere to be found.  Izzie panicked at first (like any three year old), and I felt so terrible.  I told her it was my fault since I gave the toy to him and he shouldn't have had it, and she said, "It's okay, Mom.  It's nobody's fault," while sobbing.  Bryan and Levi went to the car while Izzie and I went to get a $1 princess crown, and she said, "I think I'll name him Tiny Tim."  She then proceeded to whisper-sing that turtle song to herself ("I miss my little turtle, I miss my Tiny Tim") and my heart broke.  I took my craft money, raced to the car where the boys were loaded up, and had Bryan drop me off on the side by the carnival so I could run in and "win" her another one.  It was a race against a thunderstorm, but I made it.  I know she could have survived without it, but it was such a perfect day and she was so gracious about the loss (after the initial panic) that I couldn't help myself.  Perfect day, indeed.

FRIDAY:  We packed up our stuff at the hotel room and headed to the Kansas Speedway.  The weather was gorgeous -- a perfect day for a tour of their amazing facilities.  We got to stand at the very top and see the track below, toured the luxury boxes, and even got to go down on the field and check out the garages.  We finished the tour off with a picture in the winner's circle, and got to watch a few cars race around the track.  It was awesome! 

After that, we grabbed some lunch at Olive Garden and headed home.  Levi slept almost the whole way, and Izzie enjoyed finishing up the activities that were left.  A wonderful trip with a wonderful family.  

Family Vacation 2015

Family Vacation, September 2015!

SUNDAY:  We left after church (about 1:00) and headed to Kansas City.  We were 1.5 blocks before Levi was whining and Izzie was asking for an "activity".  We were not surprised by Little Man's reaction -- he has never been a good car rider and rarely ever falls asleep -- but we were hopeful.  A sippy of milk and 15 minutes later he was out like a light.  Iz enjoyed some more activities before taking a nap as well.  Our first stop was in Mound City (we almost didn't make it -- I had to shove a diaper in Izzie's car seat as padding just in case), and then the kids enjoyed a movie on the dvd player we borrowed from the Meyers.  We order pizza at the hotel and went swimming on Sunday night.  Izzie's and Levi's favorite thing:  playing with the mirrored closet door in the hotel room.  Free entertainment.

MONDAY:  A hotel breakfast, and then off to Crown Center.  We visited Storyland first, and it was lovely.  It's a play center made out of famous children's books, and they were some of Izzie's favorites -- Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, A Snowy Day, and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.  Then it was off to Fritz's for some delicious food delivered via train.  We stopped at the Penguin Park for some awesome playtime before heading back to the hotel for a movie night with mac and cheese (later Izzie would describe this as her favorite part of the trip).  It felt like Levi had grown up a lot on this trip.  He's getting so independent and SO CLOSE to walking.  

TUESDAY:  This was the day we visited The Children's Museum -- fun but not impressive when you've been to Lincoln's version.  The kids didn't notice and had a blast.  Izzie's favorite was the veterinary clinic, and Buddy's was probably the water room.  Then it was back to the hotel for nap and off to the T-Rex Cafe for dinner.  The kids loved all the dinosaurs, and Levi thought he was pretty hot stuff roaming around the booth.