We were so BLESSED to have Anthony’s parents—Grammy and Grandpa – come visit us here in Kansas City.
Tanner was so excited! He was literally counting down the days…when we realized we were two days ahead of schedule. And on the day she was to arrive, he assumed it was first thing in the morning…but it wasn’t until AFTER he was in bed that night. So just imagine the excitement when he woke up on Friday morning with Grammy in his room, fast asleep, but not for long! Grammy quickly got accustomed to Tanner’s excitement, in the form of song, when he woke up each morning :).
We LOVED having her here. She's been so loving, patient, and silly with these kiddos. And Rylee, she's just not going to know what to do without all those Grammy cuddles!!! She's been spoiled...we ALL have.
We had so much fun with her playing with the kiddos, reading endless amounts of story (Tanner knew to pic the LONGEST ones – ones I don’t normally finish in one seating), bringing presents for them, not to mention all the chores she helped with – like picking up toys, helping with laundry/dishes, waking up with the kiddos first thing in the morning…like I said…totally spoiled!!
And being around her made me realize she’s the kinda mom I want to be. Gentle and loving, but still sticks to her guns :)
And while she was here, I’m pretty sure my kids were on the absolute worst behavior. Brooke especially – she is/was having a life crisis – a perfect storm of having to adjust to having a new sister, being sick with a miserable cold, and getting 4 new teeth. Let’s just say her constant whining and tantrums would drive anyone crazy. I lose my patience ALL the time, but she’s un-phased. As I was telling my confession to Anthony, he gently reminded me that she wasn’t always this way…and recounted the story of how she broke a wooden spoon trying to spank their behinds :). But still, I’ve convinced they must have surely deserved it!
And Rylee’s personal favorite. She' gets cuddled, rocked, swept up in an instant. These two have were nearly inseparable :)
This is one of my favorite pics – love Grammy’s smile :)
Since she’s left…my goal every day is simple. Survival. Everything else, optional.
I’m seriously not sure we would have gotten through the past few weeks without her. Say when Brooke has to get shots/blood drawn at doctors visit…and is still crying an hour later at home…and then drops her glass bottle on the floor and it shatters everywhere; Tanner cuts his finger trying to “help” although being advised otherwise just a few minutes before school; all the while Rylee screaming is the top of her lungs…it’s been fun. After witnessing the daily moments of chaos, we’re hoping she’ll still want to come visit again too :) Not really what she had in mind for a ‘vacation’ but we’re extremely grateful nonetheless.
Darrell came up to visit for the weekend Rylee was blessed (more on that later).
We squeezed in as much into that weekend as we could -- visiting church history sights, taking him on tour of union station and crown center plaza, playing card games, eating authentic KC BBQ, watching football, playing catch with the kiddos, busy busy all the time!
Liberty Jail
There’s a quiet reverence that you feel as you enter the historic site where the Prophet Joseph Smith spent several months in jail, falsely accused, in the freezing cold of winter with horrible food – while getting news that mobs were attacking Far West and Hauns Mill.
But despite the conditions, those that were with Brother Joseph mentioned it was more like a temple than a jail; Where God’s presence was near as Joseph Smith received some powerful insights from God Himself. And going back to read the words that were penned during those brought on a new level of understanding:
“My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.” ----or----
“My son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good. The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?”
And while it had been YEARS since I’ve been here, the feelings were just the same. I’m so grateful for Joseph Smith and his work to restore the Gospel to this earth.
Independence Visitors Center
Early saints of the church settled in Independence, Missouri, for a short period of time before being asked to leave. Today, the church has built a visitors center to honor both the past and present.
My favorite past is the Christus statue. Rylee was tired and hungry – so I hung out here next to her – and felt totally at peace.
We didn’t get to spend at much time as we would have liked looking at all the exhibits. But we enjoyed the time we did have. Tanner loved all the new interactive hi-tech exhibits…we’ll definitely have to go back again soon!!!
The visual reminder of all the languages the Book of Mormon is published in:
And last but not least, playing with some old-fashion cabin and covered wagon. This was a perfect way to end a very busy Saturday!
Kansas City Temple
Tanner was totally impressed by the size and grandeur of the beautiful building. And I can’t wait to be able to take him inside one day, too.
Temples are all about families! And how great it was to be able to go with them!
Despite the freezing cold wind…we captured one shot.
Crown Center Plaza
And last but not least, we took them through downtown and crown center plaza. Since it was a Monday, most of the exhibits were closed…but we still saw Union Station and Crown Center. We then went to the Hallmark Museum and Kaleidoscope – one of Tanner’s favorite places…and soon to be Brookes.
Here they can create many different masterpieces with nearly any art supplies. So fun!
Later that day, Grandpa left to go back to Dallas. Despite ALL the fun we had, Tanner insisted “today wasn’t a good day cause Grandpa has to leave!”
Lucky for us, Grammy got to stay even longer! She was here nearly three weeks. And yes, it was a sad day when it was time for her to go too. As Tanner was getting ready for bed, he told us “I hope I dream about Grammy tonight. I miss her!” Such a sweetheart!
I tried to explain we’re going to be planning a trip to Dallas when he had a break from school. But he wanted to leave NOW! He’s been plotting ever since. He elaborated some story on what he would tell his teacher to explain why he wasn’t at school…all fictional of course. When I finally got him back to the reality he couldn’t miss school, he said, “Okay, we’ll just have to leave on Saturday!” Seriously, he can’t wait to go visit!!!
So in case you’re reading this and wondering, yes, you will be missed :) Especially by this lil one…
