One of the Best Things about Living in Kansas City!

Miscellaneous

I feel like I have only written summary-type blog posts lately, with everything going on but I guess that is better than nothing!  Besides, I know all you really care about are the photos!

 So, in summary...

Alley has been trying to learn to ride a bike without training wheels which is a little difficult with us living in an apartment but we were able to give her some practice time at my Grandpa's house last week.  She did pretty well...in the grass!  Maybe next time we can venture out onto the driveway!  Dresden received a small bike as a gift so she wouldn't be left out of the bike and scooter riding there and she thought she was on top of the world!

The kids and I had a "Fun Day" with my Aunt and Uncle last Friday.  We were all getting over colds, but were feeling much better than we had been, so we thought a day out would be good.  We had lunch at McDonalds and then headed out to a park about 20 minutes from here to play on the little beach area next to a little lake.  They said they liked it because there weren't many people there.  We got there and found 2 vans full of kids from a day camp there!  But they were only there part of the time and then we had the sand and the water (and the lifeguard) to ourselves.  That was nice until it started sprinkling!  It didn't last long but we had already gathered our things so we stopped for a few minutes at a playground and then headed home.

Michael has recently been placed on the "on-call" rotation at work and so far it hasn't been too bad.  He has to answer a company cell phone and sometimes find a replacement to cover a shift but he gets paid for each turn he takes. 

I have started taking a ladies Bible study on Wednesday nights at church called The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace.  We are only a few chapters into it but I am enjoying it so far.  It is challenging and I think it will get more so but I know that's a good thing!  We are learning that after God, our ministry to our husband is to be our greatest priority.  I have also been reading a book by Sally Clarkson called The Mission of Motherhood (which I highly recommend) but since it focuses on the great responsibility and privilege it is to be a mother, I have felt torn!  It just reminds me that the only way I can ever hope to do even some of what I should be doing for my husband and my children is by God's grace alone! 

Vacation Bible School is starting next week for us and the kids are getting excited.  I have volunteered to help but don't know yet where I will be working.  I am looking forward to being there but not looking forward to using all the extra gas required in making several more round trips to church than usual, since we live about 20 minutes from there!

The day after VBS is over, our good friend, Jon, is flying in for a long weekend visit.  We haven't seen him since December so we are looking forward to having him around for a few days and to taking him out to experience some legendary Kansas City BBQ!

Tonight we have a meeting of our church home fellowship group and I need to get off the computer, get Dresden down for a nap and decide what finger food I want to take!  Have a good weekend!

Update

I knew it had been awhile since I posted anything but I didn't realize how long until I checked my blog a minute ago!  I have to admit that sometimes I put off posting because I don't want to take the time to download and resize my pics and I know posts with pics are much more interesting!  I need to be better at taking the time to do this!  Of course, my life with three kids can get rather hectic at times and that is another cause of my lack of posts!

Since last time....

* Our church had a Taco Dinner/silent auction to raise money for the mission trip to Juarez Mexico that some are taking later this summer and I made 8 stamped cards with envelopes to donate to the auction.  Three people bid on them and they sold for $18.

* The kids and I drove WAY out in Kansas (about 45 miles one way) to a buffalo ranch with some other homeschoolers and we learned some interesting things about the buffalo and got to see their herd up close.  The kids also got to taste buffalo jerky and summer sausage.

* Later that evening, we went to a family picnic for our homeschool group and Michael was actually able to attend, thanks to his new and improved schedule.  It was nice to put whole  families together since the kids and I ususally just see the other moms and kids.

* We had our pastor and his family over for dinner and we had a nice few hours of visiting.  It was nice to have a few hours to get to know them better and I was able to introduce his wife to the fun art of dry embossing and she is excited about doing it.   It also inspired me to get my templates out and use them again.  :)

* The kids and I went to the home of a homeschooling family in our group for a demonstration on the process of growing wheat to making bread.  They each got their own little ball of dough to knead and shape.  It was fun and we got to eat lots of yummy homemade bread right from the oven!  It's always fun, too, to see the place where each family does their work and what they have on the walls, etc. 

* Later that evening, we attended another picnic at the next shelter house over from the homeschool picnic, this one was with some people from church to say goodbye to a family in our church who is moving to Germany with the Army in a couple of weeks.  We left early and went straight to our flock group (home fellowship group) from church.

* On Memorial Day, we drove out to the cemetery where some of my great grandparents are buried to see all the flags that line their streets.  It is an amazing sight.

* Last Tuesday the kids and I went to my grandma's house and I went shopping at the thrift store near her house, BY MYSELF, and was able to find a few skirts and a dress for Alley as well as a few new summer things for me.

We didn't have any real plans for this last weekend so enjoyed just being at home for the most part.  Tomorrow I have to take Dresden to the dentist because one of her "new teeth" (caps) that she just had put on in April came off while I was brushing her teeth last week.  On Wednesday, the kids and I are going to have lunch and visit with my grandparents and then there is a book sale I might go to that evening.  We have home fellowship group again this Friday night.  Life just keeps on going!