Pictures and notes from Kansas City

Last summer on our way home from Texas we stopped in Missouri to visit some of the Mormon historical sites.    We also drove by the Kansas City Temple, which was still under construction.  Mary begged to go inside, and when we explained that it wasn't even finished yet, she suggested, "Let's come back when it's finished so we can go inside."

So we did.

To make it even better, Uncle B and Aunt Le and Little Cousin N and Cousin J trekked across the plains to join us in Missouri.  Family and the temple.  It was a good combination.  

And now I will show you some pictures of what we did.  

[We all know it is actually easier to show a lot of pictures than a few. Keep that in mind. Also, I'm determined that my kids have a million pictures to scroll through.  I know they are young: but I hope they will carry with them a glimmer of memory of this trip.  Family and the temple.  A good combination to remember.]

HANGING OUT AT THE HOTEL

Notes on hanging out at the hotel:

David initiated J into the world of Pokemon.  Mary and Little N hid Barbies around the room in lieu of Easter eggs.  There was also a lot of swimming in the pool.

FAR WEST TEMPLE SITE

Notes on the Far West temple site:

This is the site of the second temple the early Latter-day Saints hoped to build in Missouri.  Like the first, in Independence, they had to flee for their lives, leaving behind only the cornerstones.

It is simple.  And powerful in its simplicity.

This place speaks to Greg's soul.  I can tell it also speaks to David's soul. (I wonder what it is about Far West and these two men of mine.)

About this place, David told me, "It is fresh and quiet and far away.  It is a good place to pray.  And to play tag."

HAUN'S MILL

Notes on the site of the Haun's Mill Massacre:

We got there via GPS coordinates.  It's in the middle of nowhere.  Very rural.  Very.  I felt so far removed from civilization that it was making my chest tight.  I've been in the middle of nowhere before--plenty of times. But, I realized, there are usually mountains in sight.  Being in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the Midwest was kind of freaky.  I think I am a city girl.  Or a suburban girl.  Or a mountain girl. Not a rural Missouri girl.

I think the boys enjoyed driving their Subarus in the middle of nowhere.  And using longitude and latitude.

It is a mud puddle on the bank of the Shoal Creek.  Somewhere in the vicinity there is an old well where all the victims (seventeen, eighteen of them) were hastily interred.  No one knows exactly where it is now.

Everyone was quite muddy after our visit here.

BRECKENRIDGE PICNIC

Notes on a picnic in Breckenridge, Missouri:


Breckenridge is in the middle of nowhere.  You know how sometimes in your travels you end up way off the beaten path and you drive through little towns and you wonder that anyone lives there?  Well, this really had me wondering.  Another dying (dead) tiny rural town.

Its claim to fame is a millstone from Haun's Mill displayed in memory of the massacre.  There is a thoughtful marker nearby that speaks of the importance of tolerance. The mill stone is at the city park, which is beneath the water tower.  This is where we had a picnic.  The children had a ball.  All you need is a merry-go-round and some mud.  There was also a stray dog and--bonus!--a stray cat.

It was a delightful picnic.   Truly.  Sitting outside, eating bagels and cream cheese, talking, listening to your kids laugh in the distance.

(Location for the next H Family Reunion!  Underneath the water tower in Breckenridge, Missouri!  How about it, folks?)

ADAM-ONDI-AHMAN

Notes on Adam-ondi-Ahman:

I like this place.  It is what it is, except you're not really sure what it is.  But it's something.

And beautiful!

And fun with cousins!  Look at those adorable cousins.  Off the charts adorableness, I'm telling you.

---

That evening B and Le took their kids to Independence and Liberty Jail.  Meanwhile, Greg and Mary went swimming and walked to Chile's.  David and I drove downtown to see a Titanic exhibit.  More to come.

By the way, if you are a regular reader with a good memory, you might be having a bit of deja vu.  We visited these same places last summer.  Please read THIS POST if you'd like to read more about these sites and some of the historical context.  (Also, there are more cute pictures of my kids.)

Outing

We follow three academic calendars in our family.  Sometimes school breaks and holidays observed and parent-teacher conferences align, but often they do not.  For instance, last year we had three different spring breaks, David, Mary, and Greg each with their own.  This year, miraculously, all three of the students had the same week off for spring break.  

The first half of the week was spent working on a project in the backyard.  The kids excitedly followed their dad around for hours as he hammered, nailed, painted, mowed, dug, hauled, and took the inevitable thirteen trips to Home Depot.  The second half of the week was spent in Kansas City.

But there was one day when Greg needed to go to campus and focus on his research.  And our little friends were all out of town, so there were no play dates on the calendar.  So I had the kids to myself.  I stared at my kids for a few minutes, trying to remember.  There was something familiar about this situation: Me, my kids, and a whole day ahead of us.  What does a mom do with her kids on a day off of school? 

Then I remembered.  An outing.  You go on an outing!  (My, how life has changed. Back in the day before school and all that comes with it--like homework and after school activities and playing with friends--I do believe I took my kids on an outing almost every day.  For sanity.  Toddlerhood requires a full agenda if you and your kids are not homebodies.)

With such unseasonably warm weather the past few months, I thought we could visit Olbrich Botanical Gardens and looks for signs of spring.

We found them:

Green grass and blossoming magnolia trees.  (I love the scent of magnolia blossoms.  Heavenly.)

And emerging tulips.  (I love tulips.  Too bad they don't smell like anything.  But that's what the spring magnolias are for.)

We posed under the Thai pavilion.

And climbed on an elephant.

And skipped through the birches.

Then we tried out a new playground.

And inspected the shore of Lake Monona.

It's nice to get out.

***

I leave you with this picture from the botanical gardens.  Sometimes it's hard having a little sister.  There is little difference between adoring and annoying.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter!

We spent most of the day in the car, returning from this with them.

It was awesome.  More than worth spending your Easter on the road for.



P.S.  Have a few minutes?  Don't forget this.  It's Easter (and bunnies are better than bells.)

Easter pictures of them both

So it was chilly outside.  And on the gloomy side.  The best natural light in the house was in my bedroom.  Is that weird location for taking pictures of your kids in their new church clothes?  Probably.  Oh well.

Inside, outside, up and down.  I love these kids no matter where, no matter what.

Enjoy this week!  May it bouncy and happy and holy.