Trip back to Kansas City!

We moved from Kansas City over 4 years ago. The moving truck pulled out just a few days before Will turned 3 and I was pregnant with Lainey. We absolutely loved our time there and if you had told me when we moved that it would be over 4 years before we made it back for a visit, I wouldn't have believed you.

We left so many wonderful friends there that I was sure we would be back as soon as Lainey was born so we could show her off to everyone and Bennett and Will could see their friends. But life happens and a visit back wasn't in the cards for us until this Fall. Our school system had a Friday and Monday off for the kids and I was able to take a Sunday off from work and we finally made it back. We could not have been more excited to visit our old stomping grounds.

As we were pulling into Kansas City we drove right past one of our favorite places- The Louisburg Cider Mill! That had been one of my favorite places to go in the Fall and it just happened to be a gorgeous October afternoon as we were driving past. We pulled the car over as fast as we could and got a cup of apple cider and a bag of cider donuts. The trip was off to a great start!

We stayed the weekend with our dear friends who are more like family, the Haines. That Friday night we all went down to eat at our favorite restaurant on the Plaza, Jack Stack barbecue.

We love Terry, Mary and Caleb. 

The beautiful fountains of Kansas City.

The next day was just amazing and one of the best days I have had in a long time. We took the kids back to Deanna Rose's Farmstead. I must have taken Bennett and Will here 50 times when they were babies. Maybe more. I have hundreds and hundreds of pictures of them here when they were babies. Taking them back and seeing them remember things and constantly yell out, "Oh yeah!! I remember this" was so sentimental for me. I have met friends for lunch here, organized playdates, changed dozens of diapers, given bottles to baby Will on the swings and so much more. We even had Will's 3rd birthday party here. It was so wonderful to go back and revisit everything.

Riding the horses! Be still my heart.

And there they are at our favorite fishing spot. I believe this is where both kids caught their first fish.

                                      

And here is a flashback picture of B and W at 2 and 3 feeding the goats and then again at 7 and 8.

And here was our very first family photo taken at Deanna Rose right next to our most current one.

In the afternoon we drove downtown to Kansas City.

We went to "the train restaurant" otherwise known as Fritz's. There was no way we could come to Kansas City without eating here.

Sigh......

We hung around the Crown Center and did a lot of things we enjoyed doing when we lived there.

The next day we went to our church, Church of the Resurrection where Rob was on staff for 3 1/2 years and where my kids started pre-school and I made so many life long friends. It was great to come back for a visit and catch up with the senior pastor, Adam Hamilton.

We then went by our old house. This was the house we brought Will home from the hospital to and where we found out we were having Lainey. There are hydrangeas in the front yard that we planted on Will's first birthday party and rose bushes that we planted for Bennett.

Later that evening we went to the home of my dear friend Krista. I spent many days in Krista's home when the kids were little. She so graciously said I could invite other friends to come over for a cookout so I asked some of my dearest friends to come over that night so we could all catch up and have a chance to reconnect. It was an absolutely beautiful evening.

These three have been together for a long time now. Here they are recreating one of our favorite pictures in the exact same spot. My kids reversed spots, but you get the gist.

Lainey climbing on a hay bale. She could have done this all evening.

My friends started showing up and I thought my heart would burst when I saw these girls. There is a connection you make when you are a brand new Mom that never goes away.

The kids all caught up in about 2 seconds flat.

My best friend.

I thank God every time I remember each of these special friends.

What a wonderful weekend and what an amazing trip down memory lane. Even just posting these pictures makes me so grateful and so happy that I got this chance to reconnect, reminisce and remember. I am so grateful for this gift.