Sunday, June 20, 2010

A weekend of epic proportions

I could write about 50 paragraphs about how amazing Rob is as a father. Honestly, the love he shows me and our children is hard to put into words. I will just say that he is an amazing Dad. And I don't say that lightly. He plays, he runs, he makes lunch, he cooks breakfast, he kisses boo boos, he read stories, he throws them in the pool, he takes swimming lessons with Bennett, he plays hide and seek, he points out rainbows, he shows them different types of birds, he plays the guitar, he pulls wagons, he lets them climb all over him, he throws a ball, he goes down slides.... and that is just the beginning.

So, to celebrate our Dad, we had a weekend of epic proportions. Yes, I said epic!! I will let all of the pictures (and there are a lot) speak for themselves.

We started off our weekend with a picnic in the backyard. It was hot, it was sticky, it was messy.....

.... so we cooled off in our brand new slip-n-slide!

What a great new toy.

Even Daddy loved it. Can you see Rob in all four of these shots? LIke I said, epic.

Will preferred to watch from the sidelines. And look adorable.

The next morning we had Bennett's gymnastics class and so right after we went to a fabulous blueberry patch and picked blueberries.

Picking blueberries with my girl. It doesn't get much better than this.

Bennett insisted on carrying the bucket herself. Bennett having opinions? Shocking.

Even Will got in on the action.

After naps we headed to downtown KC and checked out the Clifford exhibit at the Crowne Center. That's Emily Elizabeth on one paw and Bennett on the other. Just a little perspective on the big red dog.

Will joined Bennett in digging for some bones in the sand.

Will is standing!! He can stand by himself so walking should begin any day now, right?

Clifford's bowl is slightly bigger than our dogs.

After Clifford we went to our favorite train restaurant. They bring the food to your table on a little train. That is about as exciting as it gets in the eyes of my kids.

Almost got a good one, but the hat kept slipping. Still cute.

Afterwards they were having a chalk festival across from the Crowne Center. They had balloon animals, puppet shows, chalk drawings, snow cones, music.... SO fun. And I love this shot of Rob and the kids. I love little grassy areas in the middle of large downtowns. If I close my eyes and really pretend, I can imagine that I am back in NYC. Humor me.

Bennett loved looking at all of the chalk drawings.

We woke up this morning and had presents for Daddy and I made pancakes from scratch using the blueberries we picked yesterday. Plus my grandmother's cheese egss. Rob's favorite.

We then drove out to a small town in Kansas to take a train ride through the beautiful Kansas country side. Here are Rob and the kids waiting to board the train.

Will was terrified of the train whistle.

Quite possibly my favorite picture of these two.

Fascinated by the view.

We found it!

I am kind of crazy about these two.

Afterwards we found a great hole in the wall restaurant. I took this picture because I was so happy to have sweet tea in a mason jar. I felt like I was back home. Bennett was clearly done with pictures by the time we took this shot.

More Daddy time. Snuggling in the bed with our kiddos and our golden lab, Meg.

One final Father's Day treat. A trip to our favorite ice cream store.

After baths, Bennett requested to sit with Will. That is such a rare occasion that we had to had to get a picture of it.

And finally- after picnics, slip-n-slides, blueberries, Clifford, chalk festivals, train rides, and ice cream trips- Rob ended our "Daddy Day" weekend with bedtime stories and songs.


This weekend = perfection.

5 comments:

starnes family said...

I love you family. If we move away from Kansas, will you go with us?

Need deets on the train ride.

I love Bennett's opinions. She's a girl who knows what she wants!

Nate, Abbey, Noah, Blaire and Tatum said...

What hole in the wall restaurant was that and what ice cream store? Looks like such a fab weekend! Your family is so adorable.

Lauren W said...

Casey- Midland Railroad. It's quite fabulous. Check out their website for train dates and departures.

Abbey- The restaurant is called Melange's Apron in Baldwin City. it is adorable and they even have a playroom for the kids. And the ice cream store is "Sweet Caroline's." It is on 151st street between Metcalf and Antioch. Wall to wall candy and tons of ice cream

Anna said...

what a fun weekend and a beautiful post! what precious daddy's we have! i agree...i'm so sad you moved to KC BUT it's much easier to accept knowing that you are clearly in God's will for your family! i do think our girls would be best of friends and our husbands might just like each other too! we would LOVE to see you sometime when you're in montgomery! or maybe we should take a road trip :) hugs!

Stacy said...

I love, love, love the Rob slip-n-slide collection. Can't wait to see you guys soon!