 |
November 24
|
Kasey is always coming up with novel ways to sing during singing time. This week, in honor of Thanksgiving she made these pilgrim cut outs. Miles looked so cute as the boy pilgrim (Charlotte is the girl pilgrim).
 |
| November 25 |
Monday morning we kicked off
John Family Staycation 2025 by meeting the Wilsons at the zoo. It was freezing! The temperature dropped twenty degrees over night and it was in the 30s, overcast and windy the entire time we were at the zoo. Thankfully there are several indoor exhibits and we visited many of them. We did have some fun encounters with the otters and kangaroos outside. We also rode the train and carousel. Calvin loved all the animals and his energy was infectious. There weren't many people at the zoo, but we did run into the Priday/Moss family, which was very fun. After the zoo we went home and packed, then headed to the Westin to begin our overnight adventures. We started by riding the streetcar to the City Market and eating a delicious dinner. Elliot ordered a burger and declared, "I've been missing out!" because the last few times we've gone he ordered chicken strips. On our ride back to the motel we ran into my high school friend Michelle and her family. Small world! That evening we went swimming in the indoor/outdoor pool and warmed up in the hot tub together. Then Anthony used the sauna and Will worked out in the gym while the rest of us hung out in the hotel room and watched Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
 |
| November 26 |
Tuesday morning we woke up and drove to Chick fil A for breakfast. Then we tried out the
KC Wheel! It was pretty cool to ride up and see the city from the sky. Our ride lasted about 5 rotations, which was plenty for some of the heights-wary members of our group. Then we played a round of mini-golf at the adjacent Pennway Putt Mini Golf. The kids enjoyed the mini-golf more than the wheel, and with Will keeping score on his phone the game became pretty competitive. Miles had the highest score by far, but was the only one of us to get a hole-in-one (though it did ricochet off a wall to get there). After the wheel and golf we dropped Lauren off at home and hit up Science City. It was more crowded than I hoped, with various daycare and school groups. We pretty much tried to avoid wherever the Adventure Club was and were able to have a good time.
 |
| November 27 |
It is officially soup season! I've made zupa toscana twice in the past week. In the past month we've had white bean chicken chili, willy chili and chicken & wild rice soup. Corn chowder is on the menu for next week and hopefully I can find a good copy cat recipe for Cafe Rio's chicken tortilla soup. Soup is one of the things I enjoy the most about the winter months.
 |
| November 28 |
Will, Elliott and Anthony started Thanksgiving off by playing in the Turkey Bowl arranged by Uncle Matt. I opted to sleep in (it was freezing!) and then go for a walk around the neighborhood. During the day we watched football and the Macy's Thanksgiving parade while making our side dishes (sweet potatoes and green beans). We met the local Crane family at my parents for a delicious meal. A quiet but satisfying Thanksgiving Day
 |
| November 29 |
Anthony and Will spent the day at the Chiefs game. They had to get there very early because they scanned tickets as part of a fundraiser for the SMS Speech and Debate team. Halfway through the first quarter they were able to search for a place to watch the game. They found some standing room in a restaurant and watched the game. The Chiefs didn't play like they deserved to win, but they puled off the W. Elliott clearly found me a poor game watching substitute for TJ and Will, but I did my best to understand what was going on. In the afternoon my friend Soni and her daughter Naomi came over for a few hours. It was fun to catch up with her and see Miles and Naomi slowly warm up to each other. That evening we all watched Wonka together.
 |
| November 30 |
Saturday morning while I was at water aerobics it started to snow. I was hoping it would just be a dusting, but the flakes kept getting bigger and then began to accumulate. It took me about 20 minutes to drive home--instead of the usual 10--because the roads were so slick and everyone was driving slowly. That evening Lauren and I went and saw Wicked with friends from my book club (and Lauren's friend Ariana). I really enjoyed the movie and have been listening to the soundtrack ever since. The music was so beautiful.
