Girl's Night Out

Tonight this Mama had herself a much-needed girl's night out! 

Every year around this time, my group of girlfriends we refer to as "the Elite" meet up for an evening to do our annual holiday dinner & gift-opening gathering. This year we decided to meet down on the Plaza & the restaurant of choice was Kona Grill. 

Unfortunately, 3 girls from our group were unable to join us but we somehow managed to have a good time without them - even though their presence was missed.

We started off the evening by having a celebratory holiday drink & toasting to a wonderful year together:

We had made reservations earlier in the week & ended up waiting a LONG time for our table so a couple of us in our group had complained to the manager & we ended up getting a round of appetizers for FREE! I guess it pays to complain :)

Deb & Camille

Jen, HT & HK

The majority of the table had ordered sushi & I am not a huge fan of sushi but I ordered some anyway thinking I would try something different. With the help of my girlfriends, I ended up ordering the Shrimp Tempura Roll. I'm not going to say that I am now a lover of sushi but what I had was actually really good & I would definitely order it again! So I am glad I gave sushi another try!

After dinner we headed on over to HK's Aunts' house. Her Aunt lives in Omaha but has a condo that overlooks the Plaza that she stays at every now & then so when Heather is in town she stays there - SO nice! This was our view from her living room window - Plaza lights & all. SO pretty!

Everyone brought a yummy dessert to share while hanging out at HK's place. I had brought a Heath cheesecake made by my dear friend Stetson which was absolutely dee-lish. We all filled our plates up & gathered around the kitchen table for some fun & serious conversation. 

We decided to forego the gift giving this year due to a lot of things - finances, last minute plan to gather together, several of the group not being there, etc. which was ok with me. The important thing was that we were together celebrating another year of friendship & had a wonderful time!

I love these ladies oh so much & am so thankful to have them all in my life! Looking so very forward to the memories we will make in 2015!

Operation Christmas Child

This video was shown today in church & I couldn't help but sit there watching it in tears:

Operation Christmas Child - have you heard of it?? It is the world's largest Christmas charitable project known that uses gift-filled shoeboxes to share God's love & word with needy children around the world.

The organization Samaritan's Purse has collected & delivered more than 113 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in over 150 countries. More than 500,000 volunteers worldwide are involved in collecting, shipping & distributing these shoebox gifts. Before shipping, the volunteers take each shoebox & include a little book inside of it called "The Greatest Journey" which is a 12 lesson discipleship program to help children know & follow Jesus Christ.

While watching this video, I was in awe that these kids were SO excited over a small little box packed with simple things that we here in America take for granted. I had never heard of Operation Christmas Child before today & am sad I haven't participated in this wonderful charity before. 

An anonymous person in our church donated all the plastic bins for our congregation to use & we were to take as many boxes as we wanted & fill them up. I took two boxes - one for a boy & one for a girl. I chose the age group 2-4 years old & then set out to fill them up with fun & much-needed items for a child. 

Here is a picture what I put in the little boys box:

It included: Play-Doh, crayons, a coloring book, stickers, Matchbox cars, a bouncy ball, suckers, 2 little story books, toothbrushes, toothpaste, bar soap, a washcloth & a little stuffed animal. There was also an information page you could fill out with a picture of yourself, a questionnaire & your address to include with the shoebox.

The little girl's box was identical except for the stuffed animal. Here are the completed & packed boxes:

After I closed them up, I prayed over the boxes & for the child that was about to receive them & we delivered them to church the next Sunday where our Pastor prayed over all of them as well. I really hope these little boxes put a smile on the little child's face that is receiving them & that they enjoy all the things I put in there!

This was so much fun to do & it makes my heart full knowing that it is going to make someone so very happy! I can hardly wait until next year to be able to do this again!!

Update:12/23/14
Today I received an email that both my boxes were being sent to Mexico. In my boxes I included a picture of our family, shared a little bit about us & included my address so I am hoping the family contacts me & we can keep in touch.

Rock Chalk

Tonight is a much needed "date-night" for me & the hubby so we got us a babysitter & headed to Lawrence, KS for the home season-opener basketball game at Allen Fieldhouse. 

My friend Lori has a girlfriend with season tickets & lucky for us they were unable to go to this game so Lori asked me if we would want to go with her & her husband. When she said the seats were 4 rows up from the court it was an immediate YES!

We got to the game about 15 minutes before game-time so we grabbed a quick bite to eat & made our way to our seats which were AMAZING! It is a much different experience being that close to the court than sitting up behind the student section! 

Lori & her husband Bill showed up shortly after we did & we all had SO much fun hanging out watching the game together! These two are a super fun couple & we have already planned some future get-togethers this winter - including another KU game :)

Shane & I both LOVE going to KU basketball games & have talked seriously about buying season tickets next year. There is nothing like seeing a basketball game in Allen Fieldhouse - the fans, the players, the high energy, the game - it is awesome & so much fun!

I am looking forward to the upcoming basketball season & many more "date-nights" in Lawrence with this die-hard KU fan!!

Rock Chalk :)

Playdate

Today we had a playdate with sweet little Miss Ava Jean & her Mama Jen. We all met out at the Great Mall & our 1st stop was Monkey Bizness. While the littles spent the afternoon playing, the Mama's were able to do some catching up which was nice since I haven't seen Jen in awhile.

After much "monkeying around" we sat down for a snack & then headed over to the train station to check out the choo-choo's. These two were fascinated by watching the trains go round & round the track & it was so cute watching them together:

Before we left we stopped in to the aquarium store to check out all the fish. We also got a chance to pet the baby bunnies which the kids loved doing. After a few hours of hanging out it was getting to be nap-time for the littles so we decided to get going. 

It was so fun getting to hang out with these two girls & we will for sure be planning many more playdates in the future with Miss Ava Jean & here Mama!

The Great Mall

So we have discovered a wonderful little place to hang out this winter when it is cold out & need to burn off some energy. 

The Great Mall.

Now I wouldn't call it "great" as it is pretty run down & hardly any stores left in it anymore but there are a few fun kid-friendly things to do while there. There is a fun place called Monkey Bizness that has huge inflatables for the kids to bounce around in, a play area with nothing but slides, an area for them to climb upward on & then slide back down - all for $4 - super cheap entertainment for a few hours & it wears Mason out.

After spending a couple hours at Monkey Bizness we then make our way over to the Great Plains Train Station where Mason could sit for hours watching all the choo-choo's make their way around the tracks. This kid is CRAZY for trains right now so it is a lot of fun to take him here! There are many different sets of tracks with little villages & landscaping set up around the entire track & the trains go round & round all day long. So neat to see - for "big" kids too & the best part = it is FREE!

We were there when they were all decorated for Halloween & when I took this pic I never even noticed the creepy "zombie-like" body coming out from underneath the trains in front of my child - lol :)

After we get our fill of the choo choo's we head on over to the aquarium store where they have tons of salt water fish tanks set up & all kinds of pretty colored fish swimming all around in them. They also have a few parrots & bunnies that are fun to see also. This little visit is FREE also :)

Since it is an inside mall & usually never busy we let Mason run ahead of us which is another cheap & easy way to wear this kid out.

So we were at the Great Mall for almost 4 hours & our little outing cost us $4.00. We had one worn out kid once we left who napped for almost 3 hours - WIN WIN! 

We will definitely be spending a lot of time here in the upcoming cold winter months!

Trick or Treat

Happy Halloween :) 

I am super excited about this years Halloween festivities. Last year Mase was only 9 months old & was too young to go around the neighborhood....

Ugh - look at how little he was :( I so miss that toothless grin.

I was hoping Mase would get the whole idea of Halloween this year - picking out pumpkins, carving them, trick-or-treating. I think I was more excited about it than he was. He enjoyed picking out his pumpkin at the pumpkin patch but after we got home with it I decided against carving them with him. I knew he would want to try & "carve" the pumpkin himself & rather than make an unexpected visit to the ER we just left them out on the front steps. 

The holiday started out with a party in his room at daycare. I had signed up to bring dessert & fruit so I ordered these cute little mini cupcakes at my favorite cupcake shop - Gigi's Cupcakes: 

And for the fruit I made these super cute "Pinterest-inspired" jack-o-lantern fruit cups: 

I hollowed out oranges, used a paring knife to make the eyes, nose & mouth & filled them with strawberries, blueberries, pineapple & oranges. I was told that the kids loved them :)

Mason's daycare provider Tiffany sent me pics of Mase & their Halloween party. All the littles dressed up in their costumes & went trick-or-treating at the grocery store & Assisted Living facility behind the daycare. When they got back they played a round of "hit the pumpkin pinata" & had their treats at their party.  

Mason's costume was made by my mom several years ago for my nephew Tanner. It was too cute to only wear once so my sister handed it down to us & Mason wore it this year. How cute is this little lion??

Looks like they had a fun time :)

Later in the evening we had supper, put our costume back on, filled up the wagon & were on our way to cruise around the neighborhood trick-or-treating. He had so much fun going up to the houses & getting candy in his bucket. After we would leave one house he would sign "more" as we were walking to the next house - so cute! 

It was pretty cold out so we only went up one street of our subdivision & by the time Mase figured out there were suckers in his bucket the night was pretty much over for him.

Once we got back home, we poured out all his candy to examine what he got & he picked out every single sucker & lined them up for all to see. I think he gets his OCD organization skills from his Mama ;) 

We all had a great time taking Mason out for his 1st trick-or-treating event & look so very forward to next year!

4 coaches - 60 years

Last month Shane had mentioned to me how he would like to go to an event they were holding at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, KS to honor the 4 coaches who have coached the past 60 years of KU basketball. He mumbled something about having no chance in getting tickets & I didn't hear him mention it again. 

A week later I got my Rock Chalk Weekly newsletter via email & it had said there were still tickets available for this event. I immediately got online, purchased two tickets, printed them out & suprised Shane later that night. 

He was SO excited when I told him. He may or may not have told me that I was the most amazing wife ever :)

So we got ourselves a babysitter & had us a little "date-night" in the town & the building that we love - Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, KS!

Coaching legends Ted Owens, Larry Brown, Roy Williams & the current head coach Bill Self came together for the 1st time ever on Joe Naismith Court where they all had coached & paid homage to college basketball & to relive their favorite Allen Fieldhouse memories.

 L-R: Bill Self, Larry Brown, Roy Williams, Ted Owens & ESPN analyst Jay Bilas

(photo credit)

Introductions were made for each coach first by a video montage of their years coaching at KU & then a former player from their time at Kansas came up to welcome their coach to the podium.

All money raised for this event was split 4 ways & went to a charity of the coaches choice. The tables on the floor in the above picture went for $5000. I counted 66 of them. Now take a second & do the math. Yeah - that is $330,000 on the floor alone. Later in the evening they announced that almost $500,000 was raised that night. WOW!

 Selfie of me & the hubs with a "photo-bomb" in the back :)

It was an amazing ceremony & to watch on the big screen & hear all the history that has occurred in this building these past 60 years was awesome. There were lots of laughs & even a few tears as each coach talked about their time spent here at Allen Fieldhouse.

So honored to have been a part of this special event & so happy to have put that big smile on my hubby's face :)

Cider & Pumpkins

 This pic was taken at the pumpkin patch last October:

This pic is from this year - same little boy, same pumpkin patch:

...except now he is a foot taller, runs everywhere, has a mouth full of teeth & says "cheeeeese" when asked! Crazy how much Mason has changed since last year! 

We went to the Louisburg Cider Mill & pumpkin patch again this year & had a great time! It was an unusually hot day for the end of October with the high being 89 degrees! Darn Kansas weather - you just never know what to expect!

Once we got there, we made our way over to the barn where they process the apples for the apple cider. They had just picked a ton of apples earlier this week so there were thousands of apples being processed through the mill. It smelled heavenly!

We ordered a bag of cider donuts to share & made our way to a table so we could sit down & enjoy our snack. I wasn't sure if Mason would like the donuts as he can be a picky eater sometimes but just like his Mama, he LOVED the cider donuts! I usually order a cup of hot cider to eat with the donuts but today with it being so hot I opted for a cup of ice cold cider instead - still delicious!

After we had a little "snack" & a took a few pictures we made our way over to the play-area where they had all kinds of fun things for the kids to do. This was the 1st year Mase could actually run around & do the activities & it was so much fun watching him have such a good time.

We played on the slides, the tractor tires, ran in & out of the teepee, picked out pumpkins, saw the goats/baby pigs & even went on a hay ride around the corn maze:

Mase is eating yet ANOTHER donut - he just couldn't get enough :)

We spent a couple of hours at the cider mill & ended up being a hot, sweaty mess by the time we were ready to leave. Mase was getting tired & was in desperate need of a nap so we said goodbye to another year of fun & on the way out we had to get a picture in front of the "How Tall This Fall" board:

I foresee this becoming an annual photo-op :) I just love this time of year!

Fall

The weather has been beautiful here these past couple of weeks so we have been spending a lot of time outside soaking it all up. Shane & I took today to get the yard cleaned up & bushes trimmed for the winter & Mason had so much fun "helping" us. 

We had a little bit of down-time in between cleaning so I grabbed the camera & snapped a few pics of our little man! Every time I look at these I sit in amazement & wonder where my little baby went :(

I just LOVE those lashes!

First time playing in the leaves!

20 months old & looking like such a little man!

Cheeeese :)

Hope everyone is enjoying the fall season so far! We are SO looking forward to Halloween & the upcoming holidays!!

WI Trip - Day 4

Ugh - 4:30am came way too early but that is the time I need to get up to get packed, load the car & make our way to the airport in Milwaukee. Mason slept the entire 1 1/2 hour drive & woke up just as we were filling the rental car up with gas. He really is a great little traveler both in the car & in the air!

We got checked in, made our way to the gate & I thought we had 30 minutes before we boarded the flight but I noticed they were boarding Southwest A group once I got up there so there was no time to change Mason out of his PJ's or go to the bathroom. Luckily for my it was a short flight! 

We boarded the plane, got settled in our seat & we were lucky enough to get an empty seat next to us so Mason was able to have his own seat. Once we were high enough in the air, I put his Mickey Mouse video on, gave him some pretzels, apple juice & didn't hear a peep out of him until it was time to shut the video off for landing!

Shane was waiting for us at the gate & Mason was SO excited to see his "Da-Da"! Ugh - warms my heart to see him like that :) The rest of the afternoon he wanted nothing to do with "MaMa" & clung to Daddy the rest of the day.

After getting our bags out of baggage claim we got settled into the car when I saw this:

I of course had to send this picture to my sister! I really enjoyed my visit to WI seeing family but I am SO very happy to be back in KC where it was sunny & warmer than 40 degrees!!