Vacation, Part V

We had our traditional stop at the Noblesville STARBUCKS on the way out of Indiana ... what a great way to start any morning!


Hayden was a real trooper on the drive home ... I think all the fun he had with Gigi, Grandma, and his Big-Papa's made the trip much more fun!


When we got back to Olathe, Hayden showed us a great talent of his ... he loves to play on Papa Kinnan's piano and sing into the microphone ... he did this for hours ... a future musician?


We enjoyed every second of our trip to Indiana and back and are so thankful that Hayden has the privilege of knowing all of his great-grandparents ... they are an invaluable source of strength and heritage and David and I are proud that he will know that he is loved by many extraordinary grandparents who have passed down such incredible incredible gifts and traditions ... we are truly blessed!

Vacation, Part IV

We also spent some time with Grandma and Big-Papa Kinnan! As usual, our happy little toddlers were happy to say "cheese" for the cameras!



This is such a great picture! Hayden and Big-Papa had some very in-depth conversations! They involved tickling, Hayden talking about his "beep-beeps," and more tickling!


Hayden and Ailee remembered the cookie jar from our time there during Thanksgiving ... they begged Big-Papa and Grandma for cookies and ate to their hearts content! :)


Hayden is never too busy to relax with his Papa Kinnan!


Grandma and Big-Papa Kinnan also had a great surprise ... another pool! Hayden and Ailee continued their swimming ... and Hayden learned how fun it is to drink from the garden hose ... and loved to spray everyone with it


We got to see Cousin Kayla who was home from college ... Hayden and Ailee had SO MUCH fun with her!


We got to see Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Bill, too! This was right before our huge dinner the last night of our trip ... between the Wolf's and Kinnan's, we NEVER lacked for anything ... especially food! :)


When it was time to say goodbye, it was hard! Hayden and Ailee had become quite attached to all of their great-grandparents ... and so did we!


Two precious little toddlers ... cousins ... pals ... and soon-to-be very exhausted travelers!

Vacation, Part III

Our first full day in Indiana was spent with Gigi and Big-Papa Wolf. Gigi had a great surprise for Ailee and Hayden ... a whale pool! Just their size ... and it quickly became their favorite place to be!

Hayden, being the inquisitive little guy that he is, offered to check the water temperature ...


and decided he'd go in one foot at a time ...


but soon followed older-cousin Ailee's lead and dove in ...


they lounged ...


they splashed (well, Hayden splashed ... ALOT) ...


and played musical-pool when they couldn't decide whether to stay in or get out ...


but the bubbles Gigi brought out convinced them that they should rest from swimming!


We loved spending time with Gigi and Big-Papa! It was great because the last time we saw them was at Thanksgiving when Hayden was only about 15 months old ... he remembered them, though, and quickly warmed up to them ... and went around the house saying "Papa, Papa!"


Gigi also had an adorable little table for Hayden and Ailee to dine at. Here they're enjoying ham and cheese sandwiches with jell-o ... yum, yum, yum!


That afternoon they had their afternoon snack - cheesesticks - on the infamous staircase.


The temptation to climb the stairs seemed to be unbearable ... there were several time-outs given, but they finally decided that the first step was good enough! :)


We got to see Cousin Josh!


Hayden liked Uncle Gregg and Aunt Julie ...


Hayden and Mommy snuggled after dinner ... Hayden was sleepy from all that swimming,


but not too tired to tickle Papa Kinnan!


Ahhh ... some peace and quiet!

Vacation, Part II

Heather and Ailee joined us for the first "leg" of the trip ... we eventually met Tom and Kathy in St. Louis and ate at the Cracker Barrel ... my favorite because it's a great place to eat, but you get to SHOP too! Kudos to you, Cracker Barrel!

Although the "honeymoon" period of these toddlers lasted for awhile, eventually the close proximity made them a little frustrated and territorial ... but by then it was time for a nap!


They slept for nearly 2 hours of the 4 hour trip to St. Louis ... and since I was in the back with them and it was all of the sudden very quiet ... I decided to get some zzzzz's myself.


This is one of the coolest parts of the 8-hour trip to Marion, Indiana. It's somewhere between St. Louis and Marion ... but after awhile things start blending together, so we can't remember for sure. It is such an awesome part of our trip ... everytime we go by it we pray that our fellow travelers who don't know that Lord will be stirred by it ... or by anything ... and will seek Him, and for those that do know Him, we pray that this would be a visual reminder to spread the GOOD NEWS!

Vacation, Part I

On a Saturday afternoon in mid-July, we left our dog Abby and our home in the care of our good friend Andrew and headed off ... our first stop was to Grandma and Grandpa Kerby's. Hayden played with Papa and Nana while David and I went to my 5-year class reunion ... stop laughing ... 5 years ago we thought this day was vitally important!

Hayden loves it at Papa and Nana's because he gets to play outside ... and even got fudgscicles!


And there's a sandbox that has one side with sand and one side with water ... he LOVES this ...


When David and I got back it was time for goodbyes (which we don't like - but Hayden is especially upset when we have to go!), and headed for Olathe to get a head start on our long drive!

Back from vacation

We're back...updates w/ tons of pictures are on the way!

Fun in the Sun

This morning we met Lilu and her mommy at the park ... we had lots of fun but only stayed for a little bit because it was so hot!

We played in the sand ...


climbed some cool toys ...


took a rest on our way back down ...


and then we decided it was too hot ... and went to Dairy Queen to cool off!


while we were there, Hayden put his recent obsession with "details" to the test ...


and, achieving his goal of perfectly placing the straw ...


he celebrates with a drink!


Migi and Lilu have been such blessings ... I am personally thankful for Migi's joyful spirit and love for the Lord that radiates through her and is evident in every word that she speaks and in every kind and thoughtful thing that she does to brighten someone's day. The Lord has been filling my life with women of faith ... friends that I have been praying for as long as I can remember. Migi is one of those answers to prayer, and I am so thankful for her! Her husband, Chris, is in Iraq right now, and will be home soon for R&R ... please be in prayer for them ... that he has safe travel and that their visit be as special as it could possibly be! She's one of the strongest women ... in heart and mind that I have ever known!

This evening we had our monthly ministry team meeting ... we discussed the upcoming "40 Days of Purpose" that we'll be doing with other local churches. It is going to be so amazing ... and everyone is extremely excited about it!

Love,
Kate

Katy's Class Reunion Countdown = 2 Days
Kinnan Vacation Countdown = 3 Days

Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

Family Camp
Last Friday afternoon we packed up the car and headed for Living Water Ranch, which is just about 20 minutes north of Manhattan. Real Life Church held its inaugural family camp!

As soon as we got there we took Hayden's temperature because he was so warm ... he definitely had a high fever and lost his lunch soon after ... for the first time in two years (too much information, I know!). So ... David stayed to hang out and help unload while Hayden and I went to our "cabin" (really a fabulous air-conditioned little condo) and got settled. The first thing he did was look for some food!



After a very restful evening, Hayden woke up feeling better, and was back to his running-all-over-the-place self. We were very happy about that! After spending some focused time in the Word during a prayer labyrinth, we decided it was time for some swimming before lunch! Hayden wasn't really interested in going in, but eventually he did and had a great time!



David showed us his skills as he jumped off the diving board ... what a stud!


Hayden and I got some great sun!


Mark and Becky came up to the pool with us and brought little Kyra ... who loved the water!





The camp was amazing! A special time of fellowship and quiet away from the "noise" of the world! No phones, no television, no cars honking ... perfectly peaceful, and a weekend that we are forever thankful for!

On Saturday evening we held a baptism service ... and 13 Real Life Church members stepped forward and professed their faith in Jesus Christ ... two whole families ... mom/dad/children were baptized together ... PRAISE THE LORD! It was such a moving service and the Lord has truly blessed our body of believers with such enthusiasm and love!

Softball + David = Injuries
Last night was, of course, Monday night, and like every Monday night, there was a softball game. Hayden and I went to watch daddy play, and my best friend Kelly, who is preparing to move to Lenexa for a teaching job came, too! We were so excited to see her ... but we couldn't get Hayden to sit still long enough for a picture, so I'll have to take one after her move!

The first game was so much fun and David was playing great like usual ... until later in the first game when he hurt his calf again. :( We left the game early and came home to ice it ... we'll keep you posted on how he's doing!

Uncle Pete!
Today after a dentist appointment Hayden and I were playing with his Noah's Ark set (he loves to make the animals talk to one another as I tell him the story over and over again!) and we heard a knock at the door ... it was Uncle Pete! Yeah! Hayden was thrilled to see that he'd returned ... since last week when he left Hayden sobbed for quite some time! We've enjoyed spending the day with him!

Youth meeting tonight ... Women's Bible study tomorrow ... Ministry Teams/Advisory Council meeting Thursday ... and Membership meeting on Friday ... then vacation! Yipee!

Oh ... my principal (my boss!) called this morning to let me know that I will not be a reading teacher this fall ... I will be a HISTORY TEACHER!!!!!! The 6th grade Ancient Civilization class needs a teacher, and so he has pulled some strings to move me there! What a blessing! I'm looking forward to starting and am so thankful for the faithfulness of the Lord!

Can you believe the summer is nearly over!?

Love,
Kate

A Special Visitor!

Happy Birthday, Pete!
Uncle Pete visited today ... and it was especially nice of him because he came all this way on his birthday! We had a great time and were thankful that he shared part of his 18th birthday with us!



Hayden is in the habit of clinging to family members when they visit ... and Uncle Pete is one that he especially likes to tag along with because he takes him outside ... and buys him fun toys, too!

We Love You, Pete!

Fireworks, Cousins, and Puddles

Fireworks!

We had a very exciting but restful Independence Day ... we went to Wamego to watch their fireworks show ... it was a lot of fun and Hayden didn't seemed to be too bothered by the loud noises they made ... in fact, he's asleep in the picture below!


We wanted a family picture with the fireworks in the background ... and since David is a genius with the camera, he got the timing just right ... but Hayden doesn't seem as excited!


Happy Birthday, America!


Cousins!

Ailee
Hayden got to see both of his cousins this week! On Monday, Ailee, Heather, and Jeff came to visit ... Grandma and Grandpa Kinnan came too, so Hayden had a blast getting to run around with another littler person! We had a great day and a barbeque with the biggest steaks ever! Dad Kinnan grilled and they were sssssooooooooo good!



Liz
Hayden and mommy got to go to Grandma and Grandpa Kerby's this week, too! We spent all day Friday playing with cousin Liz ... we especially liked the activity table with water and sand ... a very exciting combination for toddlers!



Hayden got to "help" Grandpa Kerby, Uncle Pete, and Uncle Ryan put siding on the house ...



Actually, he just provided the "technical support" from Pete's truck ... which basically involves trying to honk the horn and push buttons. He LOVED this truck almost as much as the food Grandpa Kerby grilled for us on Friday night! On Saturday we got to go shopping with Grandma Kerby! Hayden discovered his newest favorite thing ... matchbox cars! He spent the whole visit playing with them and saying "beep, beep, beep!" No wonder he likes the real truck so much!



Ok ... so, the matchbox cars are actually a fun new thing for mommies and daddies, because they're not mud puddles - Hayden's other discovery this weekend! It had just rained and so Grandma and Grandpa's driveway had a huge puddle in it, and Hayden was determined to investigate it! Mommy finally let him go for it, and although he ended up covered in mud, he had a great time and even got to see some little frogs!