My brother & sister-in-law (Nate & JoLee) have lived there for 3 years, and our visit was LONG overdue. We were thrilled to spend time with them and to get a little glimpse into their fabulous lives.
Lucky for me, Nate was willing to help out with the big drive.
I got the kids all packed up in the car while Nate hopped on a quick Southwest flight from Kansas to Dallas. We picked up Uncle Nate at the airport and drove him right back to Kansas! It all worked out perfectly, as Nate & I were able to catch up on chit chat during the 8 hour drive & the kids behaved like angels (they were so thrilled to have Uncle Nate in the midst!)
The most memorable part of the drive for me was the hour when Savannah fell sound asleep & Will FINALLY had his first chance to HOLD THE DVD PLAYER! He was beyond excited to have complete control of the contraption and to not have to lean on his big sister for viewing pleasure.
Our first evening in Kansas was spent touring the apartment & enjoying a fantastic fresh grilled chicken salad, prepared by Uncle Nate.
The next morning, we woke up early & headed over to the Farmstead. We were all so completely impressed!
Everyone fed the fish
Will communed with the baby goats
We admired & loved the pregnant cow
Will had a blast bouncing on the playground animals
I got a huge kick out of feeding bottles of milk to the baby goats
Savannah picked up some SERIOUS speed on her tractor (her legs were spinning like crazy!)
Will got assistance on his tractor from Uncle Nate
Later that afternoon, we all headed downtown for a tour of Hallmark Headquarters (where Nate works).
Aunt JoLee helped the kids with the bow-making-machine
The kids loved the "Kaleidoscope" event that Hallmark hosts on Saturdays. TONS of arts & crafts & projects for busy little hands!
Will busted some good moves in the dancing machine
After Hallmark, we headed over to the Planetarium. We watched the most random show about a space cat. The production was so ridiculous that Nate, JoLee & I were just in shock. The kids, however, thought it was AWESOME.
The Science Center was our next stop. Aunt JoLee ran around with the kids & helped them explore.
At the end of the day, we split up the boys & the girls. Nate & Will enjoyed an evening of male bonding at the apartment while JoLee, Savannah & I went to the ballet! We saw Romeo & Juliet & it was spectacular. We ALL loved it.
The next day was Sunday, and we enjoyed going to church, relaxing & hanging out together. Honestly, the BIGGEST hit of the entire trip for the kids had to be time spent with Zephyr the cat. The kids LOVE Zephyr.
I think this picture says it all...
Thank you, Nate & JoLee, for such a wonderful trip!
5 comments:
Oh, I'm so jealous! We LOVED Kansas City when we lived there. Where does your brother live? I'd be interested to see if he's in our old ward.
Anyway, isn't the Farmstead one of the greatest things for kids? That was our favorite place.
Awesome post, Jen. It did a good job of capturing some of our best moments. The picture of Will body slamming Zephyr is fantastic. Look for a future review of Larry the Cat in Space on my blog. Thanks again for coming. We need you to come again so that Zephyr will mellow out. Do you want a loud, high-maintenance cat?
I think Nate should do his own version of Larry the Cat in Space using Zephyr as the star. I am so glad you finally caught up on your blog! Been wondering about the Hinze goings-on.
Anna & I went to that farmstead in KC this time last year when we visited my sister. It was so much fun. I never asked you how the roadtrip went.
I need to vacation with you guys. You guys are always having fun!
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