Kansas City Trip

We headed to Kansas City on Saturday to get away for the weekend. The kids didn't have school today (Monday) so Saturday night we spend the night with my dear college friend, Shi, and last night we stayed at a hotel in downtown KC.

We stopped at Oak Park Mall before heading to Shi's house on Saturday. There is an American Girl Doll store there and Stella received her first AGD from Santa this past Christmas. She and Porter both brought $50 of their own money to spend this weekend.
I've told Stella that she can get her ears pierced when she turns 7, which is how old I was when I got mine pierced. Her birthday is two months away and we let her get them pierced a little early! She was VERY excited.....until it came down to it!! If you know Stella well, you know she DOES NOT do well with pain (even a hangnail can send her into hysterics!).
Here she is in the chair.....happy as a lark! Now this is getting serious....drawing the dots on her ear lobes where the earring posts will go....she's starting to rethink this whole ear pierce thing......

Really not happy and ready to break down and cry, poor thing!

She surprised us all and actually went through with it, but that was after getting out of the chair, crying saying she wasn't going to do it. We were lucky that there was a girl her age waiting to get her ears re-pierced (her holes had grown closed) and the little girl didn't flinch, shed a single tear, anything! Then (after some coaxing!!!) she got them pierced! She cried, but this is just a few seconds afterwards, trying to put on a brave face!
She was SO happy and proud afterwards. She hasn't stopped talking about her pierced ears ever since. She is very excited to go to school tomorrow and show all of her friends! :)

Close up of her earrings, they are sparkly flowers.

The mall had a cool double decker carousel. The kids and Mike rode it after leaving Claire's.

At the AGD Store. Stella used her money to get Kanani's (her doll) ears pierced also! She also bought extra earrings and a little something else. Your money goes fast at that store!!

After all of that we stopped by Target where Porter spent his money (more on that below), then headed over to Shi's house. I haven't seen Shi in 3 years! And our friend Jen from college also came over, I hadn't seen her in over 10 years! Crazy! We had a lot of fun catching up and Shi even pulled out a couple of photo albums from "the good ole days" that left us laughing and laughing!

Mike and the kids settling in for a movie.

Shi and Stella

Shi and Porter

Me and Jen! I didn't get one of the 3 of us, but if you are FB, there are some pics on there that Jen took.

Stella was showing off her gymnastics skills during the movie, then Shi started showing off her own!! Too funny!

Then she moved it outside!

The next morning we met up with another college friend of ours, Jenna and her family for brunch. We (Shi, Jenna, Jen and me lived on the same dorm floor freshman year). Jenna also lives in the KC area and suggested this cool place called Fritz to eat at. It was such a neat place.

Here's part of the group.
There were trains that ran across the ceiling of the restaurant.

But it gets better! Trains will actually come to your booth and deliver your food! The train stops and puts the food that is in a basket on a tray that then lowers to your booth. Stella and Porter were in awe!! It was really neat.

Kids watching the trains.

Little Lannah, she was so cute and funny during brunch. I think she keeps Chris and Jenna on their toes!! :)

Sunday afternoon we were supposed to meet up with our friends John (Wulffe for some of you) and Julia. Julia called me on Sunday morning letting us know that John was in the hospital due to his lung collapsing!!! So we obviously did not meet up with them. I'm sure the kids would of freaked out seeing him laying in a hospital bed with tubes going into him and I'm sure he wasn't really wanting a ton of visitors. So instead we found a Children's Museum to go do. It was a lot of fun and the kids loved all the different rooms. It was an old elementary school turned into museum.

Body builder, Porter!

Stella built a motorcycle that was she was very proud of out of blocks.

After the museum we checked into the hotel and headed down to the pool.

Here is Porter with what he spend his money on......drum roll please...... a skateboard!!! He asked Santa for one for Christmas, and Santa didn't bring it (skateboarding in Iowa in the winter?! Santa thought that would be a better birthday gift in May!). Anyway, Porter knew exactly what he wanted to spend his money on, he also bought a very cool helmet that looks like a shark!

When we got home this afternoon he and Mike (yes, Mike bought a new skateboard, too!) went outside and practiced their moves. I'll be sure to get photos of them soon!

Monster Truck Jam

Mike and Porter went to Monster Jam on Friday night. Porter has loved Monster Trucks for some time now and it was the perfect time for them to invade Des Moines! :) I told Mike a few times before he left to text me lots of pics so I could put them on our blog....I got two! Thanks, honey! LOL! And he didn't even text those to me until Sunday evening when he was sitting next to me on the couch! :)
The pics aren't that great. He's wearing ear plugs that they brought, which was good b/c it was very loud! The show started at 7:30 (which is when Porter is usually beginning his bedtime routine) and he fell asleep on the way home and when they got home he wasn't too talkative about it all. Stella spent the night with a friend for the very first time on Friday night. She's had lots of over nights with both sets of Grandparents and Aunt Sara, but this was the first friend sleep over and she did awesome! So I was all alone at home on a Friday night....and it was AWESOME!! :) I surfed the 'net and watched some TLC. :) Anyway, Saturday morning the 3 of us went out for breakfast and Porter couldn't stop talking about the Monster Truck show! It was very cute! He had lots to tell me about the show.

Here he is watching the show. P and with his good friend Eric. They actually sat in a suite at Wells Fargo Arena..... it's good to have good friends that have neighbors who have box seats/suites at "The Well" :)

Arizona Trip

We spent 5 days/nights in Arizona, leaving the day after Christmas and returning on NYE. We had a great visit with my inlaws and my brother-in-law. :) It was a short trip, the only downside was not being able to see any of my Arizona family, but hopefully we can make that happen next time! :)

Porter and Mike the day we arrived. As you can tell, they are matching! :) Porter already had this shirt and as I was out shopping a few weeks ago, I found the same shirt in Mike's size (from different stores, I actually bought P's last year). I couldn't pass it up and this is what P gave Mike for Christmas. LOL! We did a lot of "off-roading" and hiking this trip! The kids LOVED it as did Mike and I. When we asked what they wanted to do each day it was: Off-road, hike/climb and swim!

Hiking up a "mountain", Porter is checking out the rocks and even brought a few home with us. Stella is half way up, you can see her if you look closely.

At the top

The place we hiked the first time also had TONS of HUGE boulders in this one section of desert, out in the middle of nowhere. We never would of found it had Linda not been our guide that day. Stella and Porter just loved climbing all the rocks, so did Mike and I. It was a lot of fun!

Porter posed himself this way. It cracks me up! Looks like a senior portrait or something! ha ha

Making their way through the desert.

Linda and the kiddos

The Jeep that we took off roading.

Steve and Linda moved last year and the house they live in now has an inground pool, hot tub and a small putting green! Lots to do at their house!

One day we went to the Phoenix Zoo. It is a fabulous zoo, we always have a great time there. The Iowa Hawkeyes played in the Insight Bowl the day after we were at the zoo and there were TONS of Hawkeyes at the zoo. It was fun seeing all the Black and Gold and visiting with some of them.

Linda and Steve with Stella and Porter

The kids LOVED all the time they got to spend with Uncle Chris!

Chris, Kim, Stella and Porter at the zoo.

After the zoo we went to Papago Park and hiked the mountain there. You can see the hole in the mountain and that is where we hike to.

At the top!
They found a perfect seat!

On our last day there Porter was worn out! He fell asleep on the couch while watching the ISU Bowl Game!