A trip to Kansas

When Madelyn went off-track in January we decided to take a trip home to Kansas to see family and introduce many of them to Henry. We packed our bags to the brim and tried to make sure our flight there would go as smoothly as possible. Luckily it went very well. The kids must have been excited and enthralled enough by the airplane ride that they all behaved very well. It was on the long 2-hour drive from the airport to Emporia that poor Luke had had enough. We had to stop and buy some milk so that he would be able to fall asleep in the car. 

Unfortunately, we brought the bitter cold with us and were reintroduced to how cold Kansas winds can be that night. But it did eventually warm up while we were there!

The next morning Henry got to meet Gigi and great-Grandpa Neer. He is named after her dad and it's been so fun to see some of their similarities, especially in his eyes.

Henry was a happy baby and gave them lots of smiles.

Henry and the kids also got to spend some time with my beautiful aunt Barbara. She brought them all gifts too, which they loved! Madelyn and Evan spent an afternoon with her and Gigi at the mall and at Gigi's house.

Henry also got to meet all of his cousins and aunts and uncles on the Starr side.

Henry with Courtland and Uncle Jacob

The kids loved spending an evening and afternoon just playing with everyone at Grandpa and Grandma Starr's house.

They also enjoyed watching Courtland play at one of his basketball games. It was fun to be able to do some of the everyday things with our family out there.

 

Poor Luke had a hard time sleeping in his own bed at Grammy and Papa's house. Jonathan had to lay down with him whenever he needed to get to sleep. Or Luke would just fall asleep on the couch, and he watched A LOT of Minnie's Bowtoons in his spare time.

The nice thing about all of this was that when we got home it was easier for him to transition into his big boy bed!

My mom is an inspiration to me when it comes to food and cooking. She gave me lots of new ideas and inspired me to cook better for my family. I'm excited to make my own tortillas and bread now, and cut out a few more processed things now. 

Kayla is also an inspiration to me in how hard she works at school and other activities and how organized she is in her life. One morning while we were there Kayla taught a yoga class we went to. It was fun, and I learned I am not very flexible right now. Madelyn did great and endured through for a whole hour.

We also celebrated Grandpa and Grandma J's anniversary while we were there. Madelyn and Grammy made a special cookie cake for them. Maddy has skills too! This was the first time she had piped anything and she is a natural. It must be in her genes.

 

Madelyn, Evan, and Luke (or "Bob") also put on a play for Grandma and Grandpa J about families being together forever. Evan wasn't really liking being told what to do, but he was a good sport.

On Sunday the kids took a few pictures with Grammy before going to church.

 

We were able to celebrate Ariel's birthday with the family that evening. They made some yummy Cafe Rio-like dishes that were spot-on. Madelyn decorated some pencils for Ariel with duct tape and wrote a nice note. It is always sweet to see the bond they have with their cousins.

On our last full day we went to Grandma Starr's work and got to meet a lot of her co-workers and see her office. She and Grandpa then took us out to lunch at Jimmy John's. It was great to see where grandma works and the influence she has there.

Later my aunt Debbie came by and met Henry for the first time too. She and the kids went to the zoo and played the favored Star Wars Monopoly game.

 

Evan trying to explain the rules? :)

We spent the evening with Papa and Kayla and watched more of The Incredibles. It is safe to say that one is our new favorite movie...how do we not own that one?? 

The next morning Gigi took us out to IHop with Kayla and we said our good-byes. Good-byes are the hardest, especially when we don't know how long it will be until we see everyone again. 

Henry and the kids were angels on the ride to the airport. They were a little harder on the plane, but luckily nothing too bad. We were all ready to be home and see the mountains.