Outdoors and Up High

It's definitely cooling off around here, but that's not keeping us indoors. We enjoyed a trip to the park on Sunday. Derek was running the trail and I played with the kiddos. We explored the outdoors and eventually they found their way up in a tree.

After being told not to pick off the bark, Jackson asked, "Why?" (not surprising). I explained to him that the bark was like the tree's skin and it keeps the insides safe. He then asked if the tree had a heart and when I explained that it didn't he said, "But Mom, trees need love too!" :) 

But anyway, ever since he found his way up that first tree-- we've been climbing every single day. This whole situation is surprising to me as he's a pretty cautious kid, but he loves to take off and he'll climb higher than my reach.

I love that in this day of electronics and gadgets, television and netflix, and toys galore-- that my son's new favorite activity is to climb trees. He's collected many scrapes throughout the climbs and he even experienced a fall (a short one)... but he climbed right back up! 

When did my little boy get so big?!? I can barely believe he is turning FOUR in just a matter of weeks. 

Field Trips

I finished up my super crazy semester of grad school last week. It’s summer break! Woo hoo! This means nothing to my kiddos, of course {especially the part about sleeping in}, but I really want to capitalize this no-outside-obligation time with my kiddos and do some super fun things around town! 

Sometimes our stay-at-home-life can get mundane {like tomorrows morning errands to the post office and DMV}. There are several things I’ve said to myself, “Oh, I want to do that with the kids!” or “Jackson would really enjoy that!” but never actually gotten around to making it happen.

So, I am determined to make it happen. I made a list.

The idea is to do one of these activities each week-ish. Some might happen more together and others might be more spread apart, but ideally, I’d like one day a week to be set aside for specifically kid “field trip.”

• Baseball game
• Belton Train Ride
• Berry Patch
• Bowling
• Dinosaur exhibit at Crown Center
• Fire Station
• Kaleidoscope
• Kansas City Zoo
• Outdoor live music show
• Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens
• Pirate Playground in Lee’s Summit
• Worlds of Fun

This isn’t a list of “top things to do in Kansas City” but more of a personalized list that I made to capitalize on Jackson’s current interests and the things we really enjoy as a family. Most of the activities are super low cost {or FREE!} too!  And of course there are several other things that we will be up to this summer— visits to the pool, summer reading programs, trips to the park, a visit from Julie!!!—but this list is more of a “big ticket item” list.

I will be sharing about our field trips as I am sure I will have a bazillion pictures. Plus, maybe you’re family will enjoy a few of these places/events too!

Notice I have one marked off the list already?! As I began typing this post at naptime today, I got the bright idea to get started on our list! I messaged Derek and we made plans to visit the Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens! I have had some friends mention it and I’ve read about in the Kansas City parent magazines. We had fun—it was nice to take a walk/mild hike with different scenery than our neighborhood!

We walked a couple of the mulched paths. Strollers on mulch isn’t super easy, but it wasn’t impossible. It just made for a great workout!

Jackson was kicked out the stroller enjoyed walking some of the trail too! We saw some really cool areas that would be super fun to picnic or to enjoy a snack and there were places to walk down by the creek too!

As we were walking, I spotted a deer just four or five feet off the path. I got too excited when I pointed it out to Derek, but the deer didn’t go too far. We all enjoyed watching it for a few minutes! {It’s the upper left corner}

After we walked the trails, we checked out some of the gardens. We let Belle get out and stretch her legs after sitting in the stroller while we walked! Fellow patrons stopped in their path to watch her squeal in delight looking at all of the pretty flowers! She’s just too cute.

We loved it and can’t wait to go back.

Destination: Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens
Location: Overland Park, KS
Cost: Free
Pros: Outdoor fun, great exercise, kid friendly {pets too}, paved areas
Cons: Small kids might not want to walk longer trails, strollers can be used but it can be a challenge on rugged parts of trail
Time: We walked for about an hour, but we blazed rather fast. You could easily enjoy two-three hours of fun.
Bring with you: BUG SPRAY!, water bottle, picnic lunch, camera

From Shorts to Snow boots

So yesterday Jackson was outside playing in shorts! Okay, it was kinda chilly, but it was *really* nice for January in the midwest! Well, anyway, today he wore his snow boots.

They say, if you don't like the weather in Missouri-- just wait five minutes! But seriously, I'm ready for yesterday's weather again. Brrrr! It's cold outside. I'm not a fan.

January Sunshine

I don’t want to be lame and talk about weather, but seriously… it has been SO nice lately! The past two winters here have been cold, snowy, and overcast. And so far this year, we’ve had mild coldness, one light dusting of snow, and lots of sunshine! Temps were up near the 60s on Christmas day {kinda weird, but I won’t complain}.

We’ve totally been taking advantage of the sunshine and nice weather. Goodness knows, we might have a snow storm tonight! I snapped some pictures while we played today.

Swinging is definitely the favorite activity of both my kids

This is a happy face, I promise!

Check out the crazy hair!

Belle is always watching Jackson. He has a special way of making her laugh. I love watching them interact together!

All week, Jackson has gone out “driving” to go “pick up some ketchup”. Apparently he thinks we are running low, but thankfully he is keeping up fully stocked. At the time I snapped the picture, he was looking at the smoke line that a rocket ship {airplane} left in the sky.

It’s so crazy to think about Belle being old enough to actually play outside and that Jackson has such a wild imagination. Watching my kids grow and learn is such a blessing! I love most every minute of it!

Memorial Day Weekend: Camping

Our Memorial Day weekend was jammed packed full of fun! So much fun, and so many pictures that I have to divide it into a few different posts. Tonight's post will be about camping!!

First, we had to put up the tent! 

Jackson was the crew leader

Hhmm.... that's not quite how it works! 

Once he figured it out how the poles, he was a big help!

 There was a big fallen down tree behind out campsite so Jackson and I went to climb and explore!

Grammy stopped by and here and Jackson went "fishing" in the puddles of water.

It's a nifty fishing rod, isn't it?

Julie found this awesome stick. First, we chuckled because it looked like the middle finger. And then she thought it looked like an L, and then she figured it could be used as a nose picker too! It was used as a Derek-poker once too... before he snapped it! Ugh!

Jackson "helped" with dinner... by helped, I mean, made more work for me, but he got to be involved.

Aunt Laura visited too!

Roasting marshmallows 

Jackson likes his well done!

 Belle enjoyed chillin' in her little area! She loves the outdoors.

Two goofballs

Hanging out by the fire!

Jackson LOVED his headlamp!

He got super hyper with it on. His face may not look all that rambunctious, but check out the sock in the air. He was throwing it around the tent.

Julie enjoyed some nice Belle cuddles by the fire.

The next morning, we woke up to find that the raccoons enjoyed all of our capri suns. They opened the cooler, took them out, and left them scattered all around. But hey, at least they closed the lid!

Jackson was a big help when it was time to pack up!

And he helped load up the car!

Jackson seemed to enjoy himself. If you were to ask you about camping he would mention that we built a fire, had hot dogs and marshmallows, and that he shared a bed with Julie. He really enjoyed being outside and having the freedom to roam. Belle did really well too! We had a pack-and-play type thing, but she ended up in the bed with us. Jackson woke up with the sun, like 6:15ish, and talked non-stop for like thirty minutes until we all got up because we'd given up on getting any more sleep. 

We had a great time camping. The weather was cool, but that beats super hot any day. I would like to have been able to stay longer, but the scheduling just didn't work. Hopefully we will be able to take another trip sometime this summer!