More Good Times in KC

The boys had so much fun playing and exploring in Mimi & Grampy's back yard.  They played ball, played with bubbles and tested their curiosity at just about every opportunity.

 Davis climbed Mimi's chair after he had given up climbing the rain barrel.

This cool truck was a hit!

Carter got ahold of the camera and started snapping some candid shots: 

Uncle Josh as "The Fly"

...Me holding my sweet niece.

...Aunt Natalie

...and an action shot of Uncle Josh playing Frisbee.

These two look like they are partners in crime!

Grampy helping Brinley walk around the back yard.  But, my favorite is this family shot:

We spent the last night of our trip visiting another best college girlfriend, Miranda.  We are sorority sisters and former roommates.  Lots of good times had with this girl.  Her kids are so sweet and we had a great evening of pizza, beer and catching up...just like old times!!

Both of us with our families.  Miss you, Mir!!!  It was so good to spend time with my dear friends on this trip.  Makes a girl realize how lucky she truly is!

Mizzou-tastic!

We stopped in Columbia on our way from St. Louis to Kansas City.  It is always so much fun to stop by campus to see what all has changed since Sean and I were students (a lot has changed).  The MU campus is amazing.  We were happy to find out (unless it's a rumor) that children of MU Alumni are eligible to pay "in-state" tuition.  Carter says he wants to go to school at Mizzou some day and we think that would be great!  Anyway, we stopped in Brady to buy some souvenirs from the bookstore and got some fun pics.  The boys each got a stuffed Tiger (MU mascot) and we were off to meet my dear friend, Stephanie, for lunch.

Flat Branch was one of our favorite spots in college, so it was just perfect to meet up with Steph and Soren there.  (Her older two kids were at camp.) Stephanie and I are sorority sisters and she is one of my dearest friends.  She is one of those people that just feels like family.  I miss her so much and, like with Mary Anne, I wish we were closer. Thank goodness for Facebook, so I at least get to sort of keep up with her.

Carter and Soren, with Davis climbing a tree in the background.

I have known Steph for almost 20 years...look at us, all grown up!  

After lunch, we went back to campus to take some pics at the Quad.  I love our campus!  Sean got some really great photos of the boys and the columns.  

Davis looks so tough, but he's a sucker for stuffed animals. 

We can use this for blackmail when Carter is a Freshman at MU.  

The boys loved Soren and we were all sad to say goodbye.  I am so truly blessed to have a handful of very best girlfriends in my life.  Seeing these girls while we were home was one of the highlights of the trip, for me.   There's just something amazing about college friends that makes them lifetime friends.  Love you girls!

Fun In the 'Lou

We had 2 1/2 days in St. Louis and made the most of it!  Sunday was the big anniversary party.  On Monday, we visited the Science Center.  What a fun place!  And, just like the St. Louis Zoo, admission is free.  Gotta love that!  

There is a cool walkway over the highway that connects the two sides of the museum.  They have radar that you can point at the passing cars to see how fast they're going.  They also have little windows in the floor to watch the cars go under your feet.  Pretty cool!

Building the Arch out of soft blocks.  This was one of my favorite parts-Sean and the boys drew a big crowd of people by the end and we all shouted when it came crashing down.  

Playing at the water table with Daddy.

Carter has decided he wants to be an astronaut when he grows up, so this was good practice for him! 

Two boys in a giant hamster wheel...what's not to love?!

Sean's favorite: the Energy exhibit.  The boys learned about the power grid and wind energy.  

As great as the museum was, my favorite part of the day was lunch.  We got to see my best friend from college, Mary Anne, her husband and two kids!  What a special treat...we don't get together very often and I miss her SO much.  Our kids got along great...makes me wish we lived closer so we could do play dates.

Davis and Katherine bonded over her stuffed bunny. 

Kat, Davis, Carter and Patrick.  So cute to see them all play together!

College roommates reunited!  Love you, girl!