Lions and Tigers and Sealions! Oh My!

Our Trip to the Kansas City Zoo
We've made it a habit to go to the zoo every year. It's something we all look forward to and we always have a different experience each time we visit. We have always gone to Omaha in the past and this was our first time to go to the Kansas City Zoo. Emily loves the big cats, so she's especially proud of this photo. It was the first time we'd seen the lions right next to the glass. One of them was completely sprawled out on it's back with it's feet in the air just like a house cat would do. Eli's favorite part was the train...no surprise there! We were at the sealion show, which was right by the train depot and when the train left the station he cried because it didn't wait for him. Even though we ended up riding the train three times that day, he still talks about how it left without him. A few days after visiting the zoo we went to the pool and when we pulled up in front of it Eli said, "I want to see the sealions." He's wanted to go back to the zoo ever since we left. We all agreed that one of the neatest exhibits was the kangaroos. They are just free to roam around. They have this huge grassy area with lots of trees and it has a sidewalk that goes all around it and they just stay there. The next time you see Emily you'll have to ask her what her Dad told her to do if the lions ever escape. I'll go ahead and tell you what she'll say. She'll tell you, "Just run faster than the slowest person."

Happy 7th Birthday, Emily: Luau Style

Well, we brought a little piece of Hawaii into our backyard last weekend when we had Emily's 7th birthday party. A luau was Emily's choice for the theme of the party and I figured it would be easy to decorate and it would also be a good way for the kids to beat the heat of July. We had the kids wear their swimming suits/trunks and we had water balloon games and we put a baby pool under the slide on our swingset, which turned out to be the hit of the party. We also had a macaw pinata and we played the limbo. Emily had 11 friends come to the party; 5 girls and 6 boys. I guess I didn't realize how rowdy 6 seven year old boys could be, but really all the kids were great and they had a lot of fun.

We decorated the deck with palm tree and ocean posters, blow-up sea creatures, pictures of exotic birds and flowers, tiki torches, tiki statues, shells, coconuts (one of which exploded on it's own), and pineapples; and we played Hawaiian music during the party. We had leis for everyone (adults included) and the girls got grass skirts and the boys got beachcomber hats. Emily's cake was a picture of two macaws and the sides were decorated with flowers and palm trees. Aloha!

Missionaries In Action

I asked Alyssa to write about what she did on the week-long Associational Mission trip. Melinda and Alyssa were the only two from our church who went this year and it was Alyssa's first trip. The rest of the group was made up of Baptists from the Northwest Missouri area. I am so proud of Melinda for stepping up and being a Christian role model for young women and I'm so proud of Alyssa for taking a step of faith and "just going for it" as she follows God's gentle nudges. _______________________________________________

I went on the mission trip this year with Melinda. We went to Madison, Wisconsin and we stayed at Midvale Baptist Church. At the church we had a vacation bible school and a block party. For the vacation bible school Melinda taught the first and second grade class and I helped her. Also two other girls from St. Joesph that helped with the class, Emilly and Ellie. On our mission trip we also had three block parties that were for the community. For each party, we went around different neighborhoods and passed out fliers for the event. As we passed out fliers we also collected food items for people whose houses had flooded. Later in the week we delievered all the food to a different church where they were passing the food out to the people who needed it. That church was also washing their clothes and had showers and bathrooms availble to the flood victims. On our trip we also toured the capitol building and went to a zoo. I had a lot of fun on the mission trip and I want to go again next year!

The Toothless Wonder

Since Emily didn't get her first tooth until she was 16 months old, I told her that she might be the last kid in her class to lose a tooth. And at the end of Kindergarten, all her teeth were still in her head without any wiggles. First grade started and all her friends started losing teeth left and right. I told Emily to be patient, that not only did she get her teeth later then most kids, but she is also the youngest in her class. Well at the end of First grade, a disappointed Emily still had no loose teeth.

One evening late in June Emily was eating an apple, when she jumped up and exclaimed she had a loose tooth! She hadn't even noticed until she bit into the apple. It happened to be the last day of summer school, so I told Emily she could say that she got her first loose tooth while she was still in First grade. A few days later, Emily was sporting this toothless grin. And now she has two more loose teeth. She may break the tooth fairy before this is all over with.

The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave

It's become a 4th of July tradition around our house that the kids would just soon skip. It's the dreaded 4th of July picture that I take every year of them wearing their red, white, and blue. You wouldn't believe how many shots it takes to get a good picture when I'm trying to photograph four kids at one time. And the longer it takes, the more restless Eli gets and the more fake Emily's smiles become. I can usually count on Alyssa and Michael to always be smiling, but when we're finally done, their smiles are frozen onto their faces. Oh well, 20 years from now when the kids are back home looking through photo albums, they'll be glad they had a picture-crazed mom.

Why Stars and Stripes?
Stars are considered a symbol of the heavens and the divine goal to which man has aspired from time immemorial; the stripe is symbolic of the rays of light emanating from the sun.

Why Red, White and Blue?
While the flag's colors did not have a specific meaning at the time, the colors were significant for the Great Seal of 1782.
White: Signifies purity and innocence
Red: Signifies valor and bravery
Blue: Signifies Vigilance, perseverance, and justice

The Next Generation of Massey Drivers

This past Saturday was the Show Me Tractor Cruise to benefit Camp Quality. There were 313 tractors participating this year. Uncle Don entered his three Massey-Harris tractors, the 44, the 333, and the 30 which were driven by Gale, Kendell, and Dad respectively. Krug Park was the stop for the drivers' lunch break, so we waited for them there and got to watch the entire parade of tractors enter Krug Park and leave as well. During the lunch break, the little kids had a pedal tractor cruise and the picture below shows Eli sitting on his Ferguson 35 Special, which was his first birthday present. The picture above is of Eli sitting on his Great-Great Granddad Grantham's 333, which was sold to him out of Morrow Implement by Eli's Great-Granddad Morrow. Eli is so crazy about tractors and he's getting quite a collection of toy masseys and attachements. Until we're able to buy one of our own, Eli gets his tractor fix at Uncle Don's and we're always on the look out for one anytime we're driving in the car. It's funny how Eli discovered his love for tractors all on his own, without any pushing from us. I guess he comes by it honest as it's in his blood. And I know a couple of granddads who are smiling down on him from heaven.

Take Me Out To The Ballgame--Maysville Blue

Michael's ball season came to an end last weekend. It's hard to believe that it's over already. The boys did a great job this year. All the boys on the team were in Michael's grade except for two who were a grade younger. It's always fun for the boys to have that fellowship outside of school. Michael had a good year swinging the bat. Sometimes it seemed to help that he was a left-handed batter. He also liked being a switch hitter, which he tried a few times this year. This was Michael's first year of playing in the infield; he played 3rd base. It was fun watching him improve throughout the season with his throws to 1st base and his fielding. His team finished 7-6 for the year and placed 4th in their tournament.