In honor of my mom's 60th birthday (7/24), we decided to take her to the Sedgwick County Zoo. We went on Saturday, July 23rd. It has been 100+ degrees almost every day that we've been here in KS so going to the zoo was a risky decision. We headed out to the zoo as soon as Miles woke up hoping to beat the heat, but it still got HOT and fast. We were all pretty much wiped out by the end of our visit. I think we all had a good time though. Here are some pictures from our trip.
Miles riding the fake horse
Trying to get food out of the machine (with some help)
Feeding the obnoxious goats
More obnoxiousness
Miles enjoyed feeding all the animals
Wandering through the rain forest (It actually felt nice in there compared to the outside temperature)
Grandma taking a break
Posing by the bear statue
Most of the animals were just laying around trying to stay cool
I love that the gorilla is "stretching" in the background
This guy was swinging from the ropes and banging against the glass before posing for this picture
For some reason all of my photos/videos from the concert didn't upload to my computer. The other day I noticed them on my camera and noticed there were a few that I felt were blog worthy.
In this video Donnie recognizes the guy in front of us that he gave the hat too
After our swimming adventures with Aunt Cathy, Dave and I got ready for our date night at the NKOTBSB (New Kids on the Block/Backstreet Boys) concert. I've been trying to get Dave to attend a NKOTB event with me for a couple of years now and he, rightfully so, has refused until now. I'm so glad he finally agreed to go with me. I had a blast and it was great having him by my side. He is a GREAT guy! He is such a goof too. He'd scream right along with us crazy girls every once in a while (especially when Donnie ripped off his shirt!). Below are some pictures and videos from our evening. I know there are a ton, but I had a hard time limiting them. Between the two of us (we both had cameras) we got a lot of pictures that night!
Opening act - Matt Morrison from Glee
Proof that Dave was there
The beginning of the show
NKOTB
So happy to be there! We had pretty good seats - row 5 from the end of the stage
I'm such a dork!
NKOTB
NKOTBSB
NKOTB
Joe McIntyre
BSB
BSB
NKOTB
Jordan Knight in the crowd behind us
Donnie Wahlberg
Kansas City love
A hat signed by Donnie*
*One of the bigwigs with NKOTB came up to a guy who was sitting in front of us during the concert. This guy had very visible scars from what looked like a very bad burn covering all of his visible body. This guy was a very proud BSB fan and would sing and scream along whenever they were on stage. The bigwig asked him and the lady that was with him a few questions and then disappeared. A few minutes later he came back with a signed ball cap from Donnie Wahlberg. Donnie must have noticed him out in the audience and decided to do that for him. How sweet! It really made me smile even bigger. Later in the concert this guy started screaming for NKOTB and the lady who was with him leaned over and asked, "I thought you didn't like these guys?" We couldn't quite hear his response, but by his body language you could tell that he had changed his mind. That was a fun moment to be a part of!
On Sunday we had lunch with some of my aunt and uncle's friends that we've met on past skiing trips. They recently moved from Arizona to Kansas so it was fun to see them in Kansas. They also got to meet Miles for the first time. After Miles' nap we met one of my friends from high school, Mike, and his family at a frozen yogurt place (yummy!) for a quick visit and then headed back to my mom's house in Halstead. The weekend went entirely too fast, but we had a great time!
Last weekend (7/15-7/18) we went up to Kansas City. My aunt lives up there and I also have four friends that live in that area as well. The main reason we went that particular weekend though was to see the NKOTBSB (New Kids On The Block and Backstreet Boys) concert. An added bonus was to see friends and family! We had a great weekend. Time just flies entirely too quickly and we weren't able to see two of my friends, but we have a return trip planned on 7/29 so hopefully we can see them then.
Friday night a friend of mine from college, Brook, invited us over for dinner with her family. We had a great time chatting and catching up. Her kids are so big and so grown up! Thanks for the wonderful visit Brook!
It was close to bedtime and Miles started to get really crazy so her kids turned on one of their video games and Miles chilled right out. He never just lays down on my lap and relaxes so Dave had to take a picture to prove that he can do it.
Brook, Miles, and I
Brook and her family
There was a beautiful harvest moon Friday night. Too bad a picture just doesn't do it justice!
On Saturday Aunt Cathy took us swimming at the community pool. Miles had a lot of fun walking around in the shallow end.
Playing in the water with grandma
The top of Dave's head was starting to burn so he borrowed my aunt's gorgeous hat! We had to pose for a cheesy family picture. Lol!
I'm not doing such a hot job at keeping the blog updated this summer. We've just been having too much fun and there is a lot to share!
We made a return visit to the Hesston Splash Pad and this time we were prepared with bathing suits and towels. Miles enjoyed it more the second time. He had warmed up to the idea and had a great time. There also were more kids around and he enjoyed watching all of them playing in the water.
Dad forcing Miles to be brave
Dad once again forcing Miles to be brave
He probably drank several gallons of water or at least his diaper later in the day appeared as if he did
Dave working on the laminate floor. Since this picture was taken he has now finished that room and has moved on to the laminate in the kitchen. There are still several small projects to do, but he is slowly getting to them all. It is hard to work while watching a toddler!
The girls came over to play in the pools
Keaghan and Laiken in the boat
It is really hard to get a picture of these three together
I found a house that I really want to buy! It is still in the process of being built and is on about 1 acre of land. I just can't get over how much "cheaper" real estate is here than in Utah. Too bad our townhouse in Utah has lost so much of its value!
Our first week in Kansas has flown by rather quickly! We've been busy visiting with friends and family and taking full advantage of grandma's backyard and all it has to offer (including chiggers)! We haven't even begun working on the projects that we came to help my mom out with yet, but we did squeeze in a trip to Lowe's last Saturday to order the supplies for Dave to put in a new laminate floor. I'm excited to watch that project start to come together when everything gets here later in the week.
In addition to the pictures below, we also got to spend some time with a friend of mine from high school, Jill, and her son Alex. Alex is such a cutie and a VERY smart kid. The last couple of trips I haven't been able to see him because of scheduling conflicts and boy has he grown up since the last time I saw him. Jill is doing a GREAT job! We also were able to attend a baptism of one of my old roommate's (Julie) 2nd child. It is crazy to think that my friends and I are old enough to have not one, but two kids that are of baptism age (which is 8 years old in our church). Where does the time go? I'm so glad we could attend that baptism because this family currently resides in Louisiana on an army base. Julie's husband is currently stationed in Afghanistan and is on leave for 14 days for R&R. It was great to catch up with him as well!
Miles all set for a LONG trip with a blanket up to block the sun, snacks to eat, his favorite stuffed animal watching over, and his favorite DVD to watch!
Day #2 and fast asleep
Miles really is a great traveler!
Grandma has a great old claw-foot tub
Miles playing on grandma's fun teeter-totter
Laiken playing with one of grandma's fun books
Keaghan petting grandma's dog (Pickles). She is a tad bit scared of dogs if you can't tell. I don't think I've ever mentioned on the blog Miles' way of comforting himself. I want to mention it because it might be one of those cute things that we forget about after he outgrows it. He doesn't take a pacifier or suck any of his fingers, but he loves to take his big toe and rub it on his lips. Sometimes he'll even just rub his pointer finger on his lips which is actually how it started, but then he moved on to his big toe. It sure is an interesting form of comfort, but whatever works!
Miles and grandma
Miles and mom
First trip to Menards. Apparently this hardware store is popular in the northern mid-west part of the country. We had never heard of it before and weren't real impressed, but we did get a swing for grandma's backyard there.
Impromptu visit to the splash pad in Hesston
He had a lot of fun playing with the cannon
Getting wet
Grandma even got in on the fun!
Gotta love Dave's song writing abilities
He loves the swing
He loves his pool and the slide
Just chill-axin' What a stud muffin!
Miles got his arm stuck between the wall and the crib! Oops!
Miles and his great grandpa
We spent the 4th of July on the lake with my dad and his wife, Lisa. I was so excited for Miles to be on a boat for the first time. He had a blast and enjoyed every minute of it. Here he is wearing grandpa's hat.
My dad riding the air chair
Mom, Miles, and Grandpa in the boat
Miles on the knee board. Lisa wanted to see if he would ride it while being manually pulled back to the boat. Towards the end I think he got the hang of it. He might be actually water skiing before we know it.
