2018 :: week 48

November 18

Will and Lauren participated in the Primary Program on Sunday. They each sang well and delivered their parts beautifully. Will read 3 Nephi 27:27 with no mistakes and Lauren said that going to church was a way she learns about Heavenly Father. Hard to believe that Elliott will be up there next year!

November 19

For FHE we went to Chick-fil-A to share Peppermint Milkshakes. We love them! Anthony was skeptical, but he ended up liking them too. Elliott didn't eat his dinner so he didn't get one. He didn't seem to upset about playing int he play place the entire time we were there. I did give him a few little sips as we were getting ready to leave. We had to get home to watch the Chiefs-Rams game. We let Will stay up and watch because it was not a school night. It ended up being a week of disappointing losses for Will's football teams.

November 20

Tuesday morning we went to the zoo and literally had the place to ourselves. We counted 16 other cars in the lot! It was a cold, clear day. We had talked about going to the zoo over Thanksgiving break and the kids were not willing to wait another day. Luckily there are a fair amount of indoor things to do. We watched the "Wings of Wonder" show and visited the Tropics, Discovery Barn, Stingray Bay and Penguin Plaza. After it warmed up a bit (got to be about 35 degrees) the kids played at the playground, we fed the goats and road the carousel. We had a really good time, despite it being our coldest zoo visit yet. I'm trying to instill an attitude in my kids that weather is not an obstacle to having fun. If it's cold, we bundle up! That being said, I often find that I am the one with the worst attitude about cold.

November 21

Almost the entire Crane family came to town for the Thanksgiving holiday. The Allreds arrived Monday night and the Staritas arrived Tuesday night. Only the Toms were missing (due to Laura's poor health). Wednesday was forecast to be beautiful! I think it ended up being almost 60 degrees! We visited my Dad at work and took a photo of him and all his grandkids. We've grown quite a bit in the past few years. Then we went to City Market for lunch and a walk along the Missouri River. Elliott always sequels with excitement when he first sees the Kansas City skyline. He likes to "go on adventures in Kansas City."

November 22

Thanksgiving was perfect. We had a leisurely morning, after a rough night of sleep due to issues with Lauren and Elliott. We watched the Thanksgiving Day parade and worked on our food assignments. Later, Anthony taught Will to play Dominon and Lauren and I went for a walk. I worked on my cross-stitch while we watched Home Alone 2. In the afternoon we went over to my parents and shared a delicious meal that everyone contributed to. If only I had realized the horrific acid reflux that would result from my tiny serving of cranberry sauce.  It was a great day with great food and family time.

November 23

Friday evening we attended the Luminary Walk with the Ule family for the second year in a row. The paths at the Arboretum are lined with lights and musical performers that put you in the holiday spirit. We got to sip some apple cider while waiting to go for a hayride, then paid a visit to Santa. Another fun night!
 

November 24

We spent several hours at the temple Saturday doing temple work for my maternal grandparents and great-grandparents. Anthony and I received endowments for Robert and Caroline Flynn, my namesake. Other siblings and in-laws did proxy work for my grandparents and my mom was sealed to her parents. It was especially meaningful to do temple work for people I have personally known.