Update on Marissa and My Blog

Marissa is doing great on her mission.  She doesn't send us a whole lot of pictures so that is why I don't do too many blog posts of her and her mission.  Her letters are very positive and we are so proud of her that she is serving a mission!

A member in her ward had been telling her about "Howsley" street for awhile and she finally got a chance to take a picture with the sign.  It isn't spelled quite right, but it is close!!

Marissa, Emily, and her companion, Sister Loveland.  This picture was taken the day Emily got baptized.  Marissa says Emily is really sweet.  Sister Loveland has been her first mission companion in California and Marissa's trainer.  Marissa loves her and she was so thrilled on the last transfer day when she found out she got to stay with Sister Loveland for 6 more weeks.  Sister Loveland will be going home at the next transfer so she will be getting a new companion in a couple of weeks.

Well, this makes a total of 55 posts that I've posted in August, but I am now officially caught up with my blog posts.  I got way behind because of my trips, but I am determined to keep this blog up to date while Marissa is gone so we will have a good record of while she was away.

The Elk

Last fall Mark got an elk when he was hunting in Idaho.  It has been at the taxidermist and he was able to go pick it up recently.  Bret and Mark took Bret's truck and went and got the elk.  They said they were getting all kinds of crazy looks from people as they were driving home with the elk.  Most people gave them dirty looks but a few people gave them thumbs up signs!!

Bret took this picture of the elk in the back of his truck.

 Sister Beuchert and the elk which is now hanging up in our family room.  Most of the family wanted to hang the elk upstairs, but I chose the basement.  It is times like this that I'm so grateful to have a walkout basement so the elk will fit downstairs without a problem!!  Sister Beuchert was serving in our ward but recently got transferred.  We loved her.  She was so much fun and so personable!

 Reagan decided that the elk should wear a hat today.  I thought it was funny!  Rob was mad!  Needless to say, I was smart enough to take the picture BEFORE I informed the males in our family that the elk had a hat on his head!  Ha, ha!!

Kate

The kids noticed Kate lounging in this weird position on the couch so they asked me to run get my camera and take a picture.  I took the picture right before she moved!

Rob and Kate.  Rob is so good to Kate and they both really love each other!

Kate on her new bed.  Rob decided to take the computers off the computer table and make it into a bed for Kate.  She really likes it!  Mark calls it her throne!!

The Cucumbers that were supposed to be Watermelons!!

Maddie had been regularly watching her watermelons and told me about a week ago that there was one that was getting really long, but looked more like a cucumber then a watermelon.  She asked me if I thought it would get fatter.  I told her that it probably wouldn't and that it would probably just be a long skinny watermelon.  However, I didn't go look at it.  When Mark went and looked at the "watermelons" he instantly realized that they were cucumbers.  Maddie was trying to be a good sport, but the more she thought about it the more it made her mad.  Rob, Mark and I were trying not to laugh in front of her, but we were all thinking it was pretty darn funny, even though we felt bad for Maddie!!

 Maddie holding up some of her cucumbers!

 The cucumbers were very large and quite bitter since they were so large!

 Maddie cut some up and sprinkled them with salt, pepper and vinegar.  I ate a few slices and they were fine!

 Maddie used some of her cucumbers to make a cucumber beauty mask.  Reagan is applying the mask to Maddie's face.

Maddie with the cucumber mask on her face.

Maddie's Birthday

We celebrated Maddie's birthday with cake and ice cream the day after her birthday since Maddie, Rob and I were at the Royals game on her birthday.

 Maddie wanted a marble cake.  Here is the cake with the candles lit!

Blowing out her candles!

 While we were gone to Kansas City, the young women came and decorated her room to welcome her to Young Women's.  This is the view from the hall outside Maddie's room!

 The Welcome sign.  Morgan wrote on the sign that she is excited to get to know her better.  Ha, ha!

 A view from inside the room.

Some of the little bee pictures that were hanging on the wall.

Royals vs. Nationals

We went to the Royals game vs. the Nationals.  As usual, we got there very early for batting practice and the kids collected souvenir games at the end of the game.  There was a promotion where they gave out Negro Leagues Baseball shirts.  Needless to say, we were in the first 10,000 since we were waiting in line over a half hour before the gates opened.  The Royals were on a skid after doing great and unfortunately they lost to the Nationals.

 A picture during the game.  I believe Hosmer is on first.  The Royals are wearing Kansas City Monarch uniforms from the Negro Leagues (Red) and the Nationals were wearing Grays uniforms (blue and gray) so they were both in the wrong color!  I kind of liked the Negro Leagues uniforms, though.  They were cool!!

 Emilio Bonifacio and Alcides Escobar playing in the infield.

 Justin Maxwell playing in right field.  He was the closet player to where we were sitting!

Eric Hosmer playing first!

More Fun in Kansas City

I had looked up some Roadside America sites in Kansas City which were near Crown Center and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.

 A DC-3 plane on the roof of the Roasterie Coffee company!

 Full-size rooftop replica of the futuristic rocket that stood in Disneyland from 1955 to 1962.

 Maddie swinging in a unique swing!  We went to the Sheila Kemper Dietrich Park which is near Kansas City.  This is a park that I discovered when I lived in Kansas City and had taken Rob and Marissa here before.

 The pirate ship

 Maddie swinging in a giant safety seat!  I pushed her to get her going before I took the picture.

 Rob jumping off a swing - something he is always asking me to take a picture of!

 Maddie sliding down the roller slide.

 Rob running up the slider slide.

Rob jumping off the head of the sea monster.  I was very pleased with this picture!!

Negro Leagues Baseball Museum

The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum was the other place that Maddie requested to go on her birthday.  She had heard us talk about it, but I don't think we'd ever actually taken Maddie here before.  Rob had been here a couple of times, but he was excited to go again.  They did not allow pictures to be taken inside of the museum so that is why I didn't take any.

 Rob & Maddie sit on a bench in front of the museum

 Maddie showing off her mini baseball mitt she got to go with her mini ball and bat that she had at home.  Rob showing off his Ethiopian Clowns baseball hat.  That is the team that Hank Aaron played on in the Negro Leagues.  It was similar to the Harlem Globetrotters in basketball.

Rob was such a good sport to pose by this cow which was across the street from the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.

Crown Center and Fritz's

Maddie wanted to go to a Royal's game for her birthday.  I offered to take her somewhere fun for lunch and she said she wanted to go to the "train place".  When we lived in KC, we went to Fritz's a lot.  Rob could remember going when he was small, but Maddie couldn't ever remember being there.  We also went to Crown Center a lot when we lived in KC.  It was definitely the mall we went to the most when we lived there because there were lots of special activities going on there.  Maddie couldn't remember going to Crown Center before and she loved it!  She is asking to go back next time we go to a Royals game.

 Rob and Maddie posing at the candy tables in a candy shop at Crown Center!

 A close-up of the M&M table top

 Rob playing the pinball game to get a super ball!

 Rob & Maddie posed outside Fritz's just before we got seated!

 A picture of the restaurant at Fritz's

The train dropping off our food at our table!

Green Dinner

This is the second time I have done a green dinner for the missionaries.  However, last time I got behind and I didn't take any pictures.  This time I took some pictures.  This was Sister Heger's very first day in the mission field with her companions.  It worked out perfectly that I had signed up to do dinner that day!  Last time I had bought a green platter and some green bowls and green plates and cups.  I did go buy some green silverware, though!

 Green breadsticks, green salad (served with Green Goddess dressing), green drink (limeade, sprite & green food coloring) and green fruit salad (granny smith apples, kiwis & grapes.

 Homemade green salsa is in the green stemmed glass!  I don't have any pictures of the bright green bow tie noodles and the green fettucinne sauce, but it was awesome!!

Sister Sherman, Sister Taylor & Sister Heger.  Sister Sherman was brand new the first time I did the green dinner and so this was the second green dinner for Sister Sherman and Sister Taylor!

Two Little Grandmas!

Reagan and Hailey had found these wigs so they decided they wanted to dress up as grandmas.  They went to my closet looking for grandma clothes.  I don't have a wide selection of grandma clothes because I throw old clothes away all the time.  It was interesting to see what they came up with.  The very first thing they brought out was Mark's cap and gown from law school graduation.  I had a pretty good laugh that they would pick that to wear as grandma clothes.  However, I didn't think they should be messing around with it so they didn't even try it on!

 Front view of the two little grandmas!

 Back view of the two grandmas.  They thought the buttons on the back of the green dress were really weird and grandma-ish.  Ha, ha!!

 Grandmas with spunk!

Psycho grandmas!!

Cheer Scavenger Hunt

On the first Friday of school the cheerleading squad did a picture scavenger hunt after school and I was one of the Moms that drove.  I was glad to drive because I love things like this.

 Doing the wheelbarrow in the library!

 Acting out a scene from a movie.  They chose to do Beauty and The Beast.  Morgan is the beast; Sarah is Lumiere (the candlestick); Megan is Belle; and Taylor is Chip (the teacup)!

 Everyone on a slide at the same time at the park!

 Doing a stunt!

 They were supposed to find a small space to fit in!

 Doing push ups at Walgreens because doing push ups is a Cheer tradition!

 Meeting a famous person!

 At the fire station with a fire truck and a fireman!

 Doing leap frog across Andover Road.  They were supposed to do leap frog in a creative way and their cheer coach thought this was real creative!

 In a fountain

 Being part of a window display.  

Dressing up as boys!