Family Adventure Day!

Today was family adventure day. MONTHS ago, my brother-in-law Pete organized a trip for any interested family members to go and visit the Shatto Dairy Farm!  As avid Shatto fans, we all jumped at the chance.  It is an hour and 15 minute drive to the farm, but it was a great time had by all.  Our tour started at 10:30 AM. 

Here we are in the bottling section - watching them make the flavors (we were watching iced coffee milk at this time, and it is DELICIOUS let me tell you!).

SAMPLE TIME!  We tasted 6 different kinds of milk.  All were amazing. 

Watching the mass cow milking.  

With Daddy and the little calves

Sophia was a pro at milking the cow. 

Calves. 

  

The tour ended with samples of cheese curds and the delicious butters.  We packed a picnic for afterwards - and we purchased special drinks for the little ones. And they gave out cow tattoos for the kiddos!  Monica did not want her tattoo anywhere but RIGHT THERE.  

After Shatto, we went home and Monica and I tried to nap, however we were too late.  She took a few minutes to fall asleep, when our lovely neighbor decided to start mowing his lawn.  They are such kind people, but somehow they always mow at nap time!  So, Monica woke up after about 20 minutes.  Bah. 

 Anyway, Shaw and Sophia went in search of fireworks, and went on Daddy/Daughter adventures to the WWI Monument and the new Italian market downtown.  

Monica and I met Shaw and Sophia at one of our favorite Spanish (in honor of you Liz!) restaurants that has a fabulous Happy Hour Menu.  Most of the menu is half off at Extra Virgin (conveniently located right across the street from the Rieger and Manifesto, alas too early for cocktails, and the whole pregnancy thing.  Bah).

Monica delicately eating Sea Urchin Pasta, Spanish Meatballs and Pablano Mac n Cheese.  Not pictures: Chick Pea Fries (actually in the bottom right hand corner) and Pork Belly Steam Buns (YUM). 

After dinner (so about 5:15 thanks to the necessary happy hour times and prices) we hit up the Kemper Museum to relax in the "art" display they have in front right now - lots of Hammocks! 

The girls loved it. 

While we were there, a photographer from the KC Star stopped by and asked if he could take some pictures of our little family enjoying the Kemper.  We accepted, and just kept hanging out as a family.  Who knows if/when it will ever appear in the paper, but he took our names and chatted with us for about 15 minutes.  

Shaw especially loves hammocks, and his personal swingers.  

Then a very necessary stop at Glace' Artisan Ice Cream by the plaza.  Really the only place to get ice cream in KC.  

The fruit of Shaw and Sophia's firework search

We ended the night setting off a smoke bomb and a few "sprinklers" as Sophia calls them.  Notice the homemade guard on Sophia's hand - a water bottle cut in half that her hand can fit in, and the sparkler goes through the hole and she can hold it without fear of drips or burns. Thank you Pinterest! 

After baths and stories the girls passed out swiftly in their bedroom.  Whew!  

Colorado Vaca 2014 - Day 6 - The Return

A full night sleep from Monica!  Sophia came skipping into our room at 6:02! It will be great when we get home and it turns into 7:02! We watched some cartoons while everyone woke up,  then packing continued. Random leftovers for breakfast of Cheerios,  turkey, cheese and milk.  Girls were pretty cranky,  which does not bode well for the 10 hour car ride ahead of us! We left our condo at 9, speed for coffee and gas,  one stop to take a family photo with the mountains behind us.  30 minutes in and we are already on our third craft with the girls!  Tea set played with,  dinosaur stickers attached and new dinosaur stamps used.  Ack!

After a rough start,  things started looking up!  The snack necklaces (make your own snack with fruit loops and pretzels) were quite the hit. 

We went on a mission for Colorado beer which wasted about 30 minutes of time.  We stopped about 15 minutes East of Denver at a liquor store for Colorado beer and a lolly pop,  a nice grocery store for restrooms and lunchables for the girls,  then subway for us.  While shaw was getting the sandwiches,  the girls and I went running between the trees off the side of the parking lot.  Just enough time for an ambulance to come through the parking lot,  freak out Monica enough to make her trip and scrape up her knee.  Never fear,  antibiotic ointment and band aids will never leave my bag!

We ate in the car,  and as the girls were starting to get antsy again,  the blessed windmills appeared!  Both girls find so much joy in these things,  and I happen to think they are pretty beautiful as well.  Then,  the girls played with play dough.  Olafs, rocks and elephants all made appearances. We practiced colors and what primary colors combine to make what colors.  "Smush.... And fold. ....Smush..... And fold. ...... Smush. ..... And fold. .... Smush. ..... And fold"! Play dough lasted for over an hour and a half!  We made it to 3:30 pm Kansas time and finally started a show.  Doc Mcstuffins of course.  "There is no silence - there is only Doc Mcstuffins!" - Ron Swanson from Parks and Rec. I don't know why my kids refuse to nap on long car trips,  but it will sure make tonight and tomorrow cranky!

We made it to the Sternberg Museum in Hays in one piece! What a fun place!  It was much larger than we expected and had lots of fun things for kids. There was a whole discovery room for kids,  lots of hands on activities and a sand fossil hunting area!  Not to mention the great museum itself.  The girls (Monica especially) loved the huge rattle snake exhibit,  fossils and rocks everywhere,  dinosaur video games and much more! The upper level was all about dinosaurs. They had huge life size models of a bunch of dinos that moved!  We learned the scary way for Sophia as I had just told her not to be scared,  they are just statues that wouldn't move!  Oops!

We stayed a hour which was rushed,  but really the perfect amount of time.  It closed at 6 and my beautiful sister Emily and her family so graciously had a fabulous homemade meal all ready for us at their lovely house in Hays, a mere 4 minute drive from the museum!  It was so wonderful to see them,  including my super handsome nephew/godson on the eve of his 1st birthday!  It was the perfect resting point and brought much revival to our trip.  Thank you!

We threw the girls in their PJs and started the last 4 hours home.  Things went well at first,  but then exhaustion hit the little ones.  Monica has never slept well in the car for some reason,  and she loved facing out so much that she couldn't seem to sleep. Sophia fought sleep with all of her might,  but eventually succumbed at 9:30 PM  Monica is quite the stubborn one!  Well,  Doc Mcstuffins brings at least peace and quiet to all, if not sleep.  We could tell that Monica wanted to sleep,  so when we tried to sneak the show off,  she would whine "Doc pease!  Doc pease!" over and over!  I can't figure out how to keep one sleeping and the other from waking up their sister! Oh parenting failures!  Well at least we didn't drug them tonight!  :) Monica lasted until 10 when we said "All done and night night" to Doc. We successfully made it through the toll bridges in Topeka and KC without anyone waking up,  which is a triumph! We rolled into our Hemlock house about 11:30, threw the girls into bed and crashed ourselves.  Whew!