Date Night At Powell Gardens

     Daniel surprised me by taking me out to Powell Gardens, a 970-acre botanical garden in Kingsville, Missouri. It features 6,000 varieties of plants, with 225,000 plants in seasonal displays. They also do various special events. This was one. Festival Night: Latin America, Mexican folkloric dancers from Los Bailadores de Kansas City perform Jalisco style of dance and dances from other regions of Mexico. 

    We explored a bit and then met some new friends as we got our dinner and settled in for the show.  It was beautiful. I really enjoyed the experience.

Look close, all of these butterflies are paper, stapled to the trees!

These are real however:

I will have to return to see more of the gardens. It was magical.

Emily Turns 9

     As with Lizzy, Emily's birthday festivities lasted the better part of a week! Her official party was on Friday, she had a Pokemon party with friends at the park. We had the old Missouri town on the 4th, and her real birthday on the 6th. Sunday we finally got around to her pinata.

    For the Pokemon party, I had Devon and Lizzy be Team Rocket. I made a Pikachu cake and got creative with the kids making Pikachu ears and then they had training. Afterward, they had to stop Team Rocket by squirting them with water.

She had a great time.

Happy birthday Emily!

The Dog Days of Summer

 Summer is both a flurry of activity and moments of much-needed recuperation. At times we are extremely busy, rushing hither and yon, and then we are home, together and yet apart, each dealing with their various stresses in their own unique way. Somedays the plan is thrown out the window and we just relax. Other times we stick to the plan. I love having the freedom to do this. Usually, we have few appointments, so if we don't feel like venturing forth, we don't. 

    There are times, however when a little extra relaxation is called for. 

    Self-care is important, and I do love having the tools I need to help my children benefit from it. Of course summer has the the alluring call to get outside. The boys went on a stake priesthood campout. Daniel was able to join them for 2 of the days. They came home red as lobsters as they did not reapply sunscreen during their day on the river. Here they are loading up for the trip.

    Meanwhile, Lizzy got creative with tie-dye and was thusly colored for the better part of a week. They were making the ward camp shirts for girls camp.

We visited the splash pad. Look at those clouds!

Went to Worlds of Fun and caught the kid's show:

Had a blast at Old Misouri Town for the Fourth of July!

Devon and Emily entered the pie-eating contest, Emily came in second.

Churned some ice-cream

Participated in the parade.

    It was a fun morning. We were celebrating Grandpa and Emily's birthday so it was nice to get together with him and the Blacks. Afterward, we headed to a lot for fireworks. It was majorly intense. They do not mess around here. So many giant fireworks. They lasted for days too. Half of us got hit with shrapnel. That was a first for me. Next year we will stay way back!

    Charles and Lizzy went to Warrensburg for FSY. They had a wonderful time. I am glad since Lizzy's last one was a big disappointment to her. She really has matured and is better at not going in with a sour attitude. Charles didn't have a camera, so I don't have any pictures of his experience.

    The weather has finally come down a bit so we explored Burr Oak Woods Conservation Area it is a 1,071-acre property with several walking trails and a visitor center. They are very family friendly and the kids had a great time exploring in and outside. Henry found his twin there.

I hope we have some more fun days before school creeps up on us.