weekly picture post

I don't really know why I am doing these Tuesday through Monday.

On Tuesday I attended my first session at the Kansas City Temple with some friends from my ward. Because we went to the last session of the day, it was dark out when we were leaving. I had never seen the temple after sunset before (besides pictures) and couldn't believe how beautiful it is in person. It's so nice having a temple close by. We were previously assigned to the St. Louis Temple, which is about a 4 hour drive each way. Tuesday I was able to drive to and from the temple and go through a session in about the same amount of time it would take me to drive one way to St. Louis.

Will likes to "read" to us. And by read, I of course mean recite. He has a few books memorized, his favorite being the Boat book. He does a pretty good job, but it always makes me laugh how phonetic (is that the right word?) his readings are. Lauren likes to observe what Will does, and I'm pretty sure she's going to be surprising us any day with what she can do.

Tony's Aunt Kathryn and Uncle Robert were in the area because Uncle Robert was speaking at a medical conference. They checked out our house and allowed Will to drag them around to show off his toys and the bird's nest that fell out of a tree in our backyard, earning his devotion in about 5 minutes. After visiting at our house for a bit they were kind enough to take us out for BBQ and ice cream.

For my birthday, TJ got us tickets to see In the Heights! at Starlight. I was really excited because I had heard the play was good, but even a little more because I enjoy outings that don't involve a diaper bag. Lauren is getting to where she goes down for the night early enough that we can still get out and do something, and I look forward to taking advantage of that this summer. It was a prefect night. The weather was gorgeous, not to hot or cold, with a light breeze. The actress who played Nina had an amazing voice, listening to her sing made me wish I was more talented in that area. I would tell you to go out and see it, but I think the national tour ended in KC.

TJ turned to Betty Crocker to heal his aching heart after the Celtics lost Saturday evening. In an attempt to lose weight I have stopped buying as many treats as we are accustomed to having in the house, so Anthony had to resort to a snack-sized cookie mix.

I love our back porch. This is the view I had Sunday afternoon as I attempted to take a nap. Why would I take a nap on the back porch when I have a perfectly nice bed inside? Noise pollution. Will has given up napping and refuses to have a quiet time, so when we put him in his room he yells, cries, and kicks the wall. I can't hear it outside, it's lovely. I can pretend it isn't happening and that I have a sweet angel upstairs, resting peacefully in his room.

We went for a walk to the park today, and Will climbed onto my lap when he saw a dragonfly. Will enjoys correctly identify many insects, but he freaks out if one ever gets too close. In this case too close is within his line of sight. This is what happens when we are outside: constant looking to the sky for insects, quickly identifing what said insect is, and then either crouching, covering his face, or attempting to climb onto me. On another note, this picture doesn't quite do them justice, but Will and Lauren's heads are the same shape.