December 27, 2009
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Pre-Christmas 2009
HOLIDAY CHEER!
We spent the two weeks prior to Christmas in Missouri visiting my parents, and family. Some highlights of the trip were (in no particular order):
- Visiting family and friends, old and new.
- Meeting all of the new babies that had been born at church there since we last visited.
- Presents!
- Making sugar cookies with my mom
- Visiting some fun Christmas-y things in Kansas City.
- Smooth airplane flights.. we were a half hour early both coming and going! (Yay, Southwest, not that I'm partial or anything.)
- Watching Austin play with the toys at Granny and Grandpa's house.
- Generally watching Austin hang out with Granny and Grandpa, and all of our other relatives there, which included two aunts, two uncles, one cousin, two great-uncles, two great-aunts, one second cousin and in-law, and two third cousins. Last but not least a big furry sheepdog, two tiny scotties, and two small poms. He had lots of family to visit both furry and human.
- Watching his cousin Cameron play hockey, and they WON! Yeah! (Hooray #2!)
- Watching the Cardinals descend on the bird feeder in my parents' backyard.
- The Mickies that I forgot to bring home on our last trip were there waiting!
Airplane ride: going
Airplane ride: coming home
Hockey fun.. right after landing at the airport we had to head straight to the game to catch it.. therefore explaining the "who are these people and what am I doing here" look. (My bro. Kevin and SIL Cheryl)
We love #2! Go Cameron!
Hooray for good sportsmanship and zambonies.
Happy Grandparents..
Grandpa and his boys.
Reee-united and it feeeeels so good... sorry but that song plays in my head when I look at this picture!
Peppermint sugar cookies:
Driving the "jet car" at Grandpa's:
They even let him drive it in the house.. I'm pretty sure they would have NEVER let us do that when we were little kids!
Some presents!
new outfit..
Mickey ornament:
Hot Wheel truck:
Cardinal: (actual, not baseball)
Dad taught him how to "left-click" the mouse and play a little preschool computer game..
Union Station, downtown Kansas City:
Beatiful old building..
Austin loved this painting:
The Christmas model train display that they have every year. I read that it takes an entire month for them to set it up. It was HUGE!
Austin's favorite car.. he laughed hysterically at it. He still talks about it. "The little funny car shaped like an O-val!"
Laughing at it with my mom:
Other scenes from the station:
Larger scale steam replica:
Train ride:
Cow:
Interior:
Diner:
Gift shop:
Across a heated, glass sky-way.....
we walked to Crown Center (maybe like a 10 min. walk)
This is the line outside of Fritz's, the diner where the trains cruise around the walls and drop your food to your table.. we did not wait in that line.
Instead we ate at a Streetcar Named Desire, and the food was good and pretty economical!
The Gingerbread Village!
(my favorite)
(It had a Santa and reindeer flying around above it and a little gondola going up and down a wire and a train. Austin loved it. It makes the little gingerbread house that we built last Christmas from a kit look really sad.)
Fun times at Kevin and Cheryl's:
Helping Lisa grade her 5th graders (or is it 4th) papers.. we had lots of fun visiting and grading!
Last but not least, perpetual hair twisting: which must mean it's time to go to sleep! Goodnight!
(This post has sooo many pictures. If you made it to the end, contact my friend Lisa, the teacher, and she will give you a star.
)
