To the woman who has taught me to laugh, to love and to forgive, Happy Birthday Mama! Thank you for your continued support and for always being there for me and all of our shenanigans. Hoping this is the best year yet – as we know it will never be dull!
How lucky am I to have a best friend so close and willing to spend so much time with me and my babies. Through the many good times and the painfully bad times, I am so blessed to have someone to lean on. Watching my girls light up at the mention of your name and the tears that fall before you even step out the door, remind me how lucky I am to have you in my life and the lives of my girls. Your bond with each of them is stronger than anything I could have ever hoped. Thank you for all the memories you have made and continue to make with us each day. We love you Gigi!
Fighting over Gigi’s lap
This sums up some of our trips
We look forward to many adventures to come! Happy Birthday!
Where did our little baby go? As I look through the rear-view mirror at this beautiful little girl filled to the brim with excitement and wonder about starting school, I can’t help but tear a little at how fast these three years have gone. She is so bright and kind, full of hope and questions. Where has the time gone?
After Bailey was born, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work from home so I could stay home with her. We’ve had so many adventures and I have learned so much from her . She’s my mini-me, my pint-sized partner in crime. Until Sienna was born, we hadn’t spent the night away from her. Our work load has doubled, both in and outside of the home and often times we feel we’re burning the candle at both ends, but we wouldn’t trade it for the world.
I never dreamed that I would have been the type of Mom to want to stay home with the kids, but each day with them is a blessing. People keep telling me that I will love having Bailey in school, but as the day creeps closer I can’t help but feel sad and feel as thought I miss her already. It’s only three hours, four days a week, they say. You need a break, they say. But dropping my heart off at school everyday will still be hard, even when I know how beneficial it will be for her.
When we applied for enrollment at the beginning of the year, it felt as though we had all the time in the world. Weeks passed, our application was accepted and it was official – Bailey was going to be starting preschool as a peer model in our local school district. We were so excited! Bailey told everyone she met that she was going to school and each morning asked if it was time to go. I reminded her over and over that it was coming soon, but it still seemed so far away. Until today.
Today was Sneak a Peek night at her school and we got to meet her teacher and get to know the classroom and staff. Bailey picked out one of her favorite dresses, we styled her hair a bit and got to show off to Gigi and Pop Pop who came over to watch little sis. As she slipped on her backpack and stood at the door, my heart caught a bit as I realized that my little baby was not a baby anymore. She looked like such a little girl. Not a baby, not a toddler – a little girl ready to take on the world.
She obliged us with a few photos before we left and she practically skipped out the door. We talked about her teacher and how it is her first year too. I was a little worried that she would be shy when we got there so we tried to calm any nerves on the ride over. Little did I know she would lead us in without a fear in the world as her Dad and I looked as though we were the ones that needed calming.
Bailey greeted everyone and as we walked into her classroom, I knew she was in her element. She flitted back and forth talking to everyone and looking at all the cool toys and art supplies. She hugged her teacher, played with just about every toy she could find and helped put everything back in its place. We stayed the entire time, not wanting to leave and had to take a pic with our teacher after giving her another big hug.
Bailey with her teacher Miss Courtney
Pride and sadness continue to wage a battle in my heart, knowing that Monday she will be off on her biggest adventure yet. I will keep a smile on my face, wishing her well each day and relish all the one-on-one time I gain with Sienna. But I will silently be counting down the minutes until I get to pick my little girl up from school and hear all about the adventures of her day. We are so proud of you Miss Bailey and know that you will be in great hands!
We have two animal lovers on our hands and nothing could make me happier. Both girls have shown so much sweetness and interest in learning more about animals so we try to incorporate outings that include animals as often as we can. We also love learning about them so we pick up books on different animals on our garage sale outings and watch Discovery and Animal Planet whenever we need to relax.
We are fortunate to live in an area that offers tons of animal interaction activities and museums filled with hands on activities and animal information. Our favorites include the Kansas City Zoo, The Museum at Prairie Fire, Union Station Exhibits – currently Dinosaurs Revealed, Cedar Cove and Sea Life. We have memberships to several that cut down on costs, but we also like to look at inexpensive or free activities so we don’t break the bank. Here are a few of our local favorites and some free and inexpensive options if you are looking to please the animal lover in your life.
Kansas City Zoo
We have loved going to the zoo even before the kids were born and the Kansas City Zoo is a beautiful zoo with excellent exhibits. From the kangaroos lounging in the open Australia exhibit to the expansive Africa territory there is truly something for every animal lover. We love to watch the polar bears playing with their water toys, waddle with the penguins in the beautiful Helzberg exhibit and catch a a sea lion show.
But the new exhibit they just added has to be the girls all-time favorite – Stingray Bay! It’s an indoor bay where you can touch the stingrays and sharks. We could stay in there for hours with Bailey. She is so patient waiting for the stingrays to come to her, making sure that she keeps her two fingers in the water and to not splash. Each time she touches one, her face lights up and she squeals in delight. A few have even mistaken her fingers for food but she just laughs it off and gets ready for the next one. We had several older kids and their parents watch and comment on her bravery.
Sienna was a little weary at first but she has touched several and loves to watch them through the glass side they have set up. She doesn’t have the patience her sister does and would rather be running freely outside from exhibit to exhibit.
If you haven’t been, you need to go. Bring a change of clothes for the kids as they tend to get a little soaked and the t-shirt pop up isn’t always open – plus you can only have so many I Touched a Sting Ray shirts.
Deanna Rose Farmstead
A regular haunt for us is Deanna Rose Farmstead. We are members but this is super affordable ($2 per person) and after 2:00 pm it’s free. The girls love going to the Farmstead because there is always something new to see. Bailey loves feeding the baby goats, riding the ponies, fishing and walking through the Enchanted Forest. Sienna loves watching the chickens, visiting the cow barn, splashing in the water and giving as many hugs and kisses to all the animals she can reach.
Deanna Rose has a ton of activities throughout the season. We had a blast at Bug Ball dressing up and dancing with princess, building in the Home Depot section, making dirt & worms and ants on a log and watching the science experiment show. Pumpkin Hollow is coming up and we look forward to picking out pumpkins, playing in the corn, sliding down the hay bales and riding the wagon. We also hope to make it out to one of their movies or music nights soon and maybe Mom and Dad can have a date night at Moonshine on the Farm – ha, we don’t have date nights sans kiddos anymore!
County Fairs
We took the girls and Dad out to their first fair this week and for animal lovers, this is the perfect summer evening out. There were horses, sheep, goats, cows, pigs and so much more. We went to the Johnson County Fair and got up close and personal with several animals, watched some of the judging and got to play with some baby animals. The girls had a blast and then we hit up the carnival and the girls got to ride a few rides. The girls are already begging to go back so we may be heading back out to Gardner this weekend.
Dog Parks
Whether you have a pup or not, a dog park is a great place to get your child comfortable with other dogs and giggle over all the puppy antics. This is one of our favorite park dates because we get to share it with our dog, Tequila, and it’s free and encourages a lot of energy release (for both the pups and kiddos).
We are fortunate to have several dog parks near us that offer a variety of activities. Our favorites include:
Stoll Dog Park – they have expanded the park, added a sidewalk throughout and doesn’t have a pond or lake so we don’t leave looking like Pig Pen every time we go.
Heritage Park – this park is larger than Stoll and has a water feature, but it’s still easy to walk around with littles and it doesn’t seem to get as crowded as some of the other parks.
Shawnee Mission Dog Park – the biggest in our area, there are lots of trails to follow, a nice lake for the dogs to play in and shaded areas to walk along. We haven’t been in awhile since Tequila has had some ear issues and can’t resist the water, plus there have been some snake incidents and the girls are a little too curious and fast for my comfort. Tequila and I have had a lot of fun at this park over the years including a lost episode, a few cliff jumps, an ice rescue (or two) and tons of great memories. I hope to get the girls out there soon…with some additional helpers, of course!
Leawoof Dog Park – this is a little farther away but there is an agility course and an area for small dogs that is perfect for little ones that may be intimidated by larger dogs.
Pet Stores
When it’s hot out and we need a break from some of our usual haunts, we will head to one of our local pet stores to visit with the animals. The girls love getting a chance to see the occasional hedge hog, snake, bird and even a monkey and the staff at the stores are great answering questions. Our youngest, Sienna, just went on a Daddy-Daughter date to the pet store and had a blast listening to the parrots talk and the hamsters and gerbils run around their cages.
When we get a little too excited, we head to the fish section of the store and watch all the different fish swim around. It’s really calming and peaceful in that area and we love learning about all the different varieties.
It may be tempting to add a new friend to our family, especially with pleas from our little ones. We try and explain that these pets are meant for a good home that will love them and it’s more fun to visit them at the store. So far our will power is stronger than there’s and if there’s more of a struggle we offer to let them pick something out for Tequila which makes them super happy.
Animal Shelter
If you call or go visit your local animal shelter you can check on volunteer opportunities. They will often let you walk the dogs and get them out to play. Brian took Sienna up to one of our local shelters as part two of their date and she had the best time. Plus they were able to show some much needed love to some animals that needed it. I have a much harder time walking away empty handed so this will probably be a Dad thing for the time being. Tequila is a single dog-family dog and we don’t want to stress him anymore than he already is with a house full of girls.
We are very fortunate to have two little girls who love animals as much as we do and are very gentle and loving with them. However we constantly work with them on how to approach and pet animals. They are very good about asking to touch an animal before going up to one and we are always next to them when they are interacting with them.
Tequila has been an excellent teacher and when the girls get a little too touchy, he will move away or give a little growl so they back away. It’s important to constantly remind kids that all animals, even pets, have their own likes and dislikes. You have to teach them to be cautious when approaching them. We’ve seen too many kids play rough and get snapped at, so we turn those into teaching moments for them.
I hope their love of animals continues throughout their lives and I can’t wait to discover more animal adventures in our future with our little animal lovers!
