The Best Kind Of Day!

Today was a great Saturday! It was the best kind of day. We had nothing planned. NOTHING! No soccer games, no church meetings, no entertaining, no school, no running errands, no schedule. It was WONDERFUL! Our only plans were to be together as a family. So because the day was 100% open we filled it up with: Painting Jake's room, painting the upstairs boy's bathroom, re-sealing the toilets, finishing the back splash in the kitchen, laying new flooring in the upstairs bath, laundry, finding and changing light bulbs, cleaning the yard, raking leaves, haircuts, repairing the vacuum,... Somehow with all that unencumbered time staring at us this morning, we thought we could accomplish a little more in one day than is humanly possible. Oh but it's refreshing to work hard! And it's even more refreshing to spend the whole day with the people you love the very best!

Skype

Today my boys Skyped their cousins.

They have a language all their own.

It's the language of crazy, alien possessed boy.

And sometimes this is the only language suitable for the communication of these young cousins.

It's a relief for me to call my sister (or in today's case Skype them) and realize that my children are not the only ones that think it's a hoot to dance around with underwear on their head.

This is what our boys did today.

All walls of uncertainty came down when the underwear on the head was introduced.

It was refreshing and liberating for them and sadly, I think, it was just plain fun.

My boys loved the whole ordeal, and talked about it all night.

It's this kind of humor that speaks to the Y chromosome.

Someone please tell me little girls don't do this. I need to know there is some balance in the universe.

And although I try to make my children be little gentlemen, and I don't encourage such behavior, it was nice to feel like we lived next door to the Rees' for a moment rather than more than a thousand miles away.

So Dear Skype, although we defiled your purpose's earlier today, it's nice to have you around to see and share our best and maybe not our best moments with our loved ones.

Kansas in the Fall.

When we left Kansas, our good friend Jodi, gave us this star. She made it, talented woman that she is. It has six points she said, to represent the six years we lived in Kansas. I love this star and I love that it always reminds me of the six years we had there and all the wonderful people we met and love.

Those were six very sweet years in our lives. Those times seem so fleeting, and yet they seem like just yesterday. Does anyone else think life chugs by way to fast? Friends and family that have gone through graduate school have always told us when we were done with school, we would miss it. They are right. Those were simple, yet hardworking, tender times in our family. I'm so happy for such sweet memories, for happy time to look back on.

I'm exited live out these next six years of our lives too.

Yesterday was an extra beautiful fall day and because I walked past our star and remembered Kansas, I wanted to write down some of the fun things I love and miss about Kansas this time of year. So for posterity sake here it goes:

Going to the Manhattan Public Library was always fun this time of year. '
The leaves on Poyntz Ave.
Mike coming home early on Tuesdays so I could go to violin lessons at Glens Music on Poyntz.
Hiking the Konza.
Countless hours spent playing at City Park, Cico Park and Anneberg.
The drive past the K-State Agg fields on the way to church.
K-State Football on Saturdays. Purple everywhere.
Watching the birds and geese fly off in formation.
playing in the leaves behind our house.
Going up to Campus to drop off-pick up Mike and the glorious trees changing color, particularly the brilliant red one behind Mikes office on Lovers Lane.
The Zoo on Quiet fall afternoons.
Going to the High School Musical with the YW.
Eastside Market.
Honeycrisp Apples at Eastside Market.
Harvesting the last of our bounty at the "Farm"
Cleaning up our garden plot.
Conference weekend and decorating the Poulson's house. That's a good tradition.
Bike rides around the park down Adams.
Hiking up to the Manhattan sign.
Carving Pumpkins with the Smith's and Sarah's scary decorations.
The pumpkin patch we went to with Mawgs and Pops out past Clay Center.
Having Mawga and Pops come visit and the whole ward excited to see them.
Driving to Salina for Stake Conference and packing a picnic lunch.
Thanksgiving at the Institute with good friends.
Boys riding bikes around the parking lot until it was too dark to see and too cold to grip the handle bars any more.
Talks on the front steps with Erin Dittman.
Meeting the Raricks and Westovers, and Shurs at the park behind their house in the afternoon and having the "Dads" show up.
Ward Campouts.
Going on drives to explore the beauty the flint hills had to offer.
Early morning drives through the fall beauty to the Temple in Omaha.
Playing flag football with my boys.
Play group.
Picking up the boys from Wee-Wigglers and walking to the Mall to get a pretzel.

Just some memories and some times I want to keep.