KC Living

Now that we are living downtown we are really getting into KC activities. Downtown has gone thru an amazing transition in the last 3 years and it is cleaner, safer, revitalized and pretty busy with new restaurants and venues. The kids LOVE the big city experience and are enjoying our exploring adventures. I like finding the hidden gems but am not used to someone asking me to pay for parking...or not being able to drive our big white van because it won't fit in a parking garage...so while I work that out on my own time I will share with you our busy week...

Sissy came back home this week after a long 3 week break. She went on a youth group mission trip and missed camp this year. She had a fantastic time and came home with a new appreciation for kids with disabilities. She had a great time but we really missed her! Her  brothers could not WAIT to see her! As soon as we picked her up we went to a favorite Mexican restaurant and she got lots of lovin' from her pink haired brothers...we all had pink in our hair...even Scott who had a hot pink gotee...not sure how it started but once Lucas had his mohawk sprayed the others begged for it too...and then we joined in...

The FREE friday night Crown Center movies started last week so we took the whole family (minus grandma who was in the hospital) and went to play in the fountains before the show. Scott was feeling ok (and by that I mean his pain was tolerable) that night so he came with us and the kids loved having everyone together for a night out. Scott made us hamburgers after the show and we all stood around the stainless steel table in the kitchen talking and laughing while we ate dinner...it was a great ending to our fun night.

*Off The Record- You may notice Noah is wearing this shirt a lot...and I mean A LOT...and unfortunately we have 2 that are very similar and he has acquired both...and as much as I KNOW I should be happy it is a nice, upstanding, could pass for dressish shirt....I have seen them so much that I almost can't stand it...and can't wait till the washer eats them both...or Aslan...whichever is fine with me....*

On Saturday we had pool plans which were derailed by the rain...so we went to the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art and the Nelson Museum instead. We love going to the museums and Autumn and I decided it's a perfect rainy day adventure. We specifically went to the Kemper Museum to see their exhibit of Hurricane Katrina inspired artwork. It was great stuff! Since Noah studied hurricanes last year we thought it would be a great way to make that education more personal.

We also posed by the Crying Man and Lucas picked his favorite piece of art...he picks a new piece every time we go...I LOVE that!

At the Nelson we started with the new Egyptian pieces and they were so interesting. I was enthralled with the new mummy....and its inner and outer coffins....and their fixation on the after life...all the drawings, writings, stories, carvings and even slaves were meant to protect their spirits and status in the afterlife...and some objects were meant to do work for them too....interesting....

Inner coffin

Outer Coffin

The 2,000 yr old mummy...

And the four reasons why I am a mummy....bad joke, I know...

After the museums, I took Autumn, Eli and Lucas to go see Grandma at the hospital while Scott and Noah spent some one on one time together. Noah just doesn't seem to get enough of his best buddy and constantly asks for more time with him...they are really the best of friends...

Grandma was feeling great and we had a nice short visit. When we got home from the hospital we ate dinner and then went to watch some early fireworks...but I will save all of our firework fun for tomorrow...

P.S. I forgot to post one of my favorite pieces of art at the Nelson. I have a great photo of it HERE and this time it is off the wall and being analyzed. They are taking microscopic pin prick size pieces of paint off of this Monet to check its composition. They are using some amazing technology to see the images that were painted over and how the brush strokes changed and how the paint changed. It is fascinating stuff! I highly recommend a trip to the Nelson!