Kanopolis State Park -- Part 2....

If you read THIS POST, here is part 1....

And now, continuing on....

So, the race started....Since the finish line was at a different spot than the start line, Luke and I drove down to the finish line to wait for Marc/Daddy.

As soon as I parked our car at the finish line, Luke immediately asked if he could ride his "bike." (a.k.a. his little red tricycle WITH his helmet -- Luke, being the first child rule-follower, always knows to wear his helmet, AND he will tell anybody who needs a helmet that they do indeed need a helmet).

And, before I post any pics, there's one thing I should say: If this weekend at Kanopolis State Park could be summed up, it would be, "Luke rode his bike." (That's all he wanted to do).







Luke rode and rode and rode some more when Marc was running. After Marc completed his race, and I told him how far he rode, Marc estimated that Luke rode nearly a mile -- which is pretty far for a young 3 year-old. Perhaps Luke has inherited Marc's endurance ability?

Anyways, you may or may not be able to tell that while Luke was riding (and I was walking behind him), it took off raining. Yep, it's hardly rained all summer here, and it takes off raining when I'm not near a vehicle and with a young 3 year-old on a tricycle. Fortunately, Luke didn't mind, for the most part (at one point, he said he was done with riding in the rain....I had to carry Luke the rest of the way back to the car while carrying his metal tricycle -- which is rather heavy).

So, at that point, Luke hung out in the back of the TB (Trail Blazer)....



I was cold and wet. So, I hung out there with him, covered in an old towel we had in the back.



Fortunately, soon after the rainy, wet, and cold incident, Marc came "flying" in.



I don't know what Marc's time was exactly, but I do know he earned first in his age group.

Therefore, he received a "trophy"....



in this "makeshift" awards' ceremony -- which works FABULOUS in the Kansas "wilderness."



After Marc received his award, Luke once again wanted to ride his bike. So, Marc followed behind him this time.





Finally, we headed back to the cabin where the remainder of our weekend "away" was spent watching Luke ride his bike some more....



Reading in the cabin....(I think Luke was fairly tired at this point)....



Going on a family walk (I think we walked around 4 miles that Saturday afternoon)....

(Luke looks slightly annoyed in this photo...he actually did just fine, as he always does, in the stroller; however, it was "bright" outside that day, and this Mama forgot to take along his sunglasses....a definite problem in Luke's little world)....


Playing with bubbles outside the cabin (no pic here), eating, and sleeping....

It was a nice little (albeit quick) family weekend away. We'd like to do it again, and Lord willing, we will :)

Meal Plan for 09/19/11 - 09/25/11....And a Few Pics....

Here's our meal plan for this week -- two meals which have already been eaten.

Monday, September 19, 2011
Spaghetti & Meatballs
Breadsticks
Salad

Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Grilled Pork Chop Sandwiches
Tater Tots

Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Chicken Sandwiches
Vegetable

Thursday, September 22, 2011
Chicken Alfredo with Linguine from Macaroni Grill
Vegetable

Friday, September 23, 2011
Papa Murphy's Pizza

Saturday, September 24, 2011
Lunch: Rummage

Supper: DATE NIGHT

Sunday, September 25, 2011
Lunch: Rummage

Supper: Eating with our Community Life Group from church

*****

We were home over Labor Day Weekend....On the actual day (Monday, September 5), Marc did "labor" a bit. He made a repair to our deck.

Way back on Luke's birthday (July 21), he received some "tools" from my parents. Luke put them to use to "help" Marc repair the deck.

When this repair was taking place, I was actually out walking. When I got home, here is what I saw....





Luke had his tools out to "help." As for the earphones (or "e-phones" as Luke calls them) -- apparently, Marc had the drill out, and it got a bit loud for Luke (Luke does NOT like loud noises). So, Luke ran inside and picked up his trusty "e-phones."

ALL WAS GOOD at that point!

*****

And, just for fun...Luke occasionally likes to eat his lunch in the driveway if we've been playing outside.

I captured this pic a couple of weeks ago....he just looks so much like Marc!

Kanopolis State Park -- Part 1....

Last weekend (September 9 - 11), we took a short and quick weekend trip to Kanopolis State Park -- a little over an hour from here. Those of you who either know us well or have been reading this blog for awhile know that this is not our first trip to this park. In fact, I think it's our fourth trip with Luke.

The day we left, I made the mistake of telling Luke we'd be leaving for the "cabin" after Marc got home from work. Sooooo, Luke did not take a nap. What happens when no nap occurs and Luke rides in a car?



The park actually has six cabins to rent.

We stayed in this cabin -- named Wyatt Earp (I know -- rather fancy name)....



Our main purpose for this trip (besides Luke's purpose of visiting the "cabin") was for Marc to run in a race called, "Horsethief Canyon Trail Run." It runs on the "Horsethief Canyon" trail in the park.

This race is an independent race put on by friends, Phil & Stacy. The race is somewhere between 6 and 7 miles (depending on how Phil lays it out). It's almost all on trail...can be sandy, muddy, etc....depending on rainfall amounts. It goes through several water crossings. Needless to say, it's not a clean race.

Despite the lack of rain we've had this year, it's rather comical that we woke up the morning of the race to rain and cloudiness over the lake.

(This is our view from the deck of the cabin).



Fortunately, we did get to see a large and beautiful rainbow from our deck of the cabin. Luke's become interested in rainbows (thanks to books), but because it truly hasn't rained much this summer, he hasn't really had the chance to see one.

He did like seeing the rainbow that morning! (It had to be in two pics).





We made our way to the start of the race....Luke (newly potty-trained -- for another post) got his early introduction to these lovely restroom alternative. (Fortunately, this Mama didn't get completely grossed out as he seemed to have to touch EVERYTHING in this restroom alternative. Let's just say this Mama is EXTREMELY grateful for antibacterial wipes and gels).



Then, because this race is on a trail in the middle of nowhere Kansas, there was a pre-race meeting -- where the race director (Phil) gives some pretty specific instructions about not getting lost :)



During this meeting, Luke spent his time walking around with his little "digger" toys -- attracting attention over his cuteness.



And, just for fun....some new pics of Luke with his parents.





And, I'm going to stop here for now to avoid this post getting too long...I'll continue on in another post!

Thanks for reading!

Weekly Meal Plan and Luke Pics....

Here's what we're eating this week....

Monday, August 29, 2011
Chicken Fajitas

Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Spicy Tomato Pork Chops
Mashed Potatoes
Corn on the Cob

Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Sloppy Pizza Joes
Fries

Thursday, September 1, 2011
Chicken Tacos

Friday, September 2, 2011
Grilled Hot Dogs
Pasta Salad
Baked Beans

Saturday, September 3, 2011
Lunch: Rummage

Supper: ????

Sunday, September 4, 2011
Lunch: Rummage

Supper: Spaghetti & Meatballs, Breadsticks, Salad

*****

Marc was out of town last week; henceforth, the "weird" meal plan....In case you're wondering, he was in Columbus, Georgia.

So, Luke and I hung out here all week....We managed to fill out time despite these few weeks (right now) are kind of in "limbo." (Our summer activites have ended. Our fall activities have yet to begin).

We went out for ice cream one night....to this LOCAL CHAIN. Luke stuck to his old stand-by of chocolate ice cream. I stuck to my old stand-by of Cookies and Cream ice cream -- a flavor which NEVER lets me down.



On the morning that Marc came flew in, Luke and I went and met him at the airport. To entertain himself while waiting, Luke flew his own little airplane around (you can't see it in the "motion" shot). The ironic thing is that I took this photo right in front of the Cessna display at the airport -- the company Marc works for.



The next part of this "story," if you know Marc, will NOT surprise you.

After Marc's plane arrived (ON TIME -- YAY!), we wanted to go eat somewhere. Marc decided that he wanted to eat at Sbarro Pizza -- at THIS MALL (which is the only place it's located here in Wichita).

Sooooo, we actually went to the mall -- just to eat.

Upon walking through the parking lot into the mall, Luke quickly noticed many lawnmowers displayed outside of Sears.

For the ENTIRE time we were eating, Luke was asking and asking and asking some more to go and see the lawnmowers. Poor guy -- he REALLY had to learn patience during this meal.

But, we did take him out to see the lawnmowers after we were done eating....



Luke then wanted Marc to climb on a lawnmower too. Fortunately for me, I was able to get a good shot of my two guys!



After the lawnmowers, Marc called his boss to see if he could have the rest of the afternoon off. His gracious boss agreed; therefore, Marc was home in the afternoon with us (which ended up with ALL 3 of us taking LONG naps)....

Weekly Meal Plan and a FEW Pics....

Just so that none of you think I've given up on weekly meal plans, here's this week....(and in case you are one who might have just thought that I gave them up -- I actually have been doing them; they just haven't made it to this blog)....

**Note: This week's plan is a bit "sketchy." We're not all around for every meal; therefore, there's just plain and simply going to have to be some "rummaging" going on....it'll be different next week!

Monday, August 22, 2011
BBQ Chicken Sandwiches
Pasta Salad (probably purchased from our local grocery store)

Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Leftovers

Wednesdsay, August 24, 2011
Will be eating with my parents

Thursday, August 25, 2011
Rummage

Friday, August 26, 2011
**Will be eating lunch in Wichita with Marc (not sure of location yet)

Supper: Popcorn and Orange Julius drinks (made here at home in blender)

Saturday, August 27, 2011
Lunch: Rummage

Supper: DATE NIGHT (not sure where we're eating yet)

Sunday, August 28, 2011
Lunch: Rummage

Supper: Will be eating with small group -- will be taking THESE COOKIES and cream cheese tortilla roll-ups

*****

And now, a few pics (since it's been awhile)....and yep, they're ALL of Luke (of course)....WARNING: They were all taken on my phone, and I saved them to a lower file; therefore, they're not the greatest of quality.

BUT, we love them anyways!

For those of you who don't live here (as in the state of Kansas), it would be an understatement to say that it's been a HOT summer (and most of you are probably tired of hearing us whine about that).

Today, Wichita hit its 45th day this summer of ABOVE 100 degrees....one more day, and we'll tie a record. Two more days, obviously, and we'll break said record.

Several weeks ago, Marc was at a meeting at church. I needed to run some errands. Despite the heat, Luke wanted to wear a stocking cap. I opted to not stop him from it. I figure -- he can learn on this one. But, that particular time, he didn't learn as demonstrated by this smiling photo.



When I was young, my grandparents (specifically, my mom's parents) had this wooden marble game at their house. My grandfather didn't make it, but he bought it from somebody who had made it (so, it's homemade).

Almost 11 years ago, when my grandparents downsized from their home of probably over 50 years to a small apartment, I snagged that game.

Last week, it suddenly dawned on me that I had that game in our spare bedroom. I pulled it out for Luke as he's excellent about not putting things in his mouth (with supervision, of course).

Luke loved it and has continued to love throughout this past week....the mere sound of the marbles traveling down this "house" takes me back to my grandparents' house as a child.

First, the marbles are dropped into the top of the house.



Then, if you're Luke, you stand back and watch and really observe the marbles coming down.



And finally, after a good 45 minutes of playing with this same game (seriously), if you're Luke, you sit down and enjoy the stinky smell of your blanket.



This past Saturday, we spent the morning in McPherson (a town about 30 minutes north of us)....

Marc participated in a small triathlon. Luke and I went up there to hopefully watch Marc, but we actually missed him because a certain little 3 year-old was difficult to get out of bed and get going. (And, it didn't help that this triathlon was SHORT and very easy to miss)....

But, Luke and I went up anyways because two of our favorite McPherson people, Roger and Karen, invited us over to their house for the morning. (Roger and Karen own the McPherson Dairy Queen, and even though I don't work for International Dairy Queen anymore, I consider them friends).

Our invitation to their home was 3-fold....a) The cycling part of the triathlon went right behind their house...we could've seen Marc ride past there had we been on time. b) Karen offered to make Mickey Mouse waffles for breakfast -- having Luke in mind. c) Roger offered to give Luke a ride on his riding lawnmower; therefore, this ended up being the true highlight of Luke's morning.

Sadly, I took a whopping ZERO pics of the morning (too busy talking and catching up, I guess). Fortunately, Roger took a photo of Luke on his lawnmower.

Yep, Luke has his "e-phones" on -- Luke doesn't particularly care for loud noises.

Too cute....



Thanks Roger and Karen for a fun morning! And, like you mentioned, Karen, we'll have to make this an annual event with the triathlon!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Luke!

I'm a little behind here, but our ultra-sweet Luke (a.k.a. "Little Sir" or "Little Guy") turned 3 back on July 21 (I'm not even a week behind here)....

I know this has become cliche', but I "really can't believe he's 3 already....time has gone so fast."

We had a little party for him a few days before -- on Sunday, July 17. We kept the party small -- only family. We both come from small families....so, the party consisted of us, my brother and sister-in-law and their 3 girls, my parents, and Marc's parents.

*****

And, because I can NEVER leave out a "sleeping Luke" pic, here's one from that morning. He had to be woken up for church that morning....



After church, our Sunday progressed as a typical Sunday....lunch and then naps. We had mentioned to Luke that grandparents, aunt and uncle, and cousins were coming over later, but we did NOT make a big deal about it. We wanted him to NAP. And, being the great and wonderful sleeper that he is, he did indeed nap.

After his nap (but before everybody showed up), Marc and I gave Luke his gift from us -- an indoor tent. Luke thought it was great, and I personally LOVED seeing his smile when he saw it.

Luke immediately had to have his "after-nap" snack and juice in the tent.





Here are a couple of facts about this tent....

a) We found it at Target way back in January. We weren't looking for it. We were on one of our "date nights." We were browsing the "After Christmas" shelves -- the ones where things are super cheap. We saw this tent for $7.48 (yep -- you read that correct) when it was originally around $30. We said to ourselves, "Luke would like this." I, of course, was going to immediately buy it and give it to Luke the next day. My VERY WISE and VERY RATIONAL husband said, "He has enough stuff....how about buying it and saving it for his birthday in July?" I agreed, and I'm glad I did.

b) Originally, when we bought it, we were thinking he could sleep in it on occasion (vacations, etc.). Then, once Marc had it set up, we realized that was not going to be possible. Even at only 3 years old, he's too big to sleep in it. It's really not very big. I guess that's why it's an "indoor tent."

c) This tent was all we gave Luke (as a tangible gift anyways) for his birthday. I know, I know...GASP! But yep, that's all he received from us. I actually had something else in mind for him, but once again, my VERY WISE and VERY RATIONAL husband rescued me from my selfish thoughts.

"Luke has plenty of stuff....he's going to get more stuff for his birthday....he doesn't need to develop a sense of entitlement....we buy him other things throughout the year."

Soooooo -- contrary to what some might thing....this was all we gave him for his birthday. And, guess what? He's super duper content with that!

*****

Moving on....

After we gave him the tent -- our family memebers started to show up.

I didn't take very many photos from the evening AT ALL (a little disappointed in myself). Marc did take a few.

We had a fire truck theme. I'm not at all a decorator, and I don't get into decorating. But, I did purchase a few plates, cups, napkins, etc. for this party.

Marc grilled burgers and hot dogs. I baked beans. I made a salad. Marc's mom brought her super duper potato salad.

I baked cupcakes, and we had ice cream.

S.I.M.P.L.E....I was sort of feeling disappointed in myself for not decorating a bit more. But, once again, my VERY WISE and VERY RATIONAL husband reminded me that Luke didn't really care about the lack of decorations, but Luke did indeed have a wonderful time.

We did indeed celebrate his birth and his life!

(Luke is wearing my dad's hat and my mom's sunglasses -- a definite "trend" in his little life).







Luke did receive some thoughtful and practical gifts from family. He also received some fun gifts from some friends of his.

We feel so incredibly blessed to have family and friends around that love Luke so very much!

Luke's 3 years of life have truly been a bless to us as well as to others!

*****

After the party, we all took Luke and his cousins to our local sprinkler park. Again, I didn't get too many photos, but here are a couple.



And, what is it with kids at the sprinkler park who like to sit on the water? I see this ALL OF THE TIME, and that evening, Luke's cousin, Grace, was no exception.



*****

After everybody left, we headed home to clean up after our fun evening.

Luke, once again, played in his tent -- this time, in his jammies. He insisted on having a little snack and his milk before bed IN HIS TENT!

A Meal Plan for the Week and Some Slide Pics....

Here's our meal plan for this week....Perhaps you retrieve some ideas!

Monday, July 25, 2011
DiGiorno 4-Meat Pizza

(really original, I know)....

Tuesday, July 26, 2011
BLTs
Frozen Fruit

Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Chicken Enchiladas
Frozen Fruit

Thursday, July 28, 2011
Taco Salad

Friday, July 29, 2011
Marc -- Eating in Wichita with friends

Sarah & Luke -- Rummage

Saturday, July 30, 2011
Lunch: Rummage

Supper -- Marc: Eating at Men's Ministry (from church) Event

Sarah & Luke: Eating at Sarah's Parents' House

Sunday, July 31, 2011
Lunch: Pizza Hut

Supper: Meatloaf Minis, Corn on the Cob

*****

Tomorrow (July 26), our oldest niece, Grace, will turn 6.

Last night, Luke and I went to her birthday party at my brother and sister-in-law's house. (Marc had a previous commitment with our small group's guys).

I actually didn't take any photos, but my dad did (as he always does).

Joel and Amber (my bro and SIL) borrowed (from some friends) an inflatable slide.

At first, Luke had ZERO interest in it as he was much more interested in "mowing" their backyard (because the grass has grown soooooo much lately with all of this dryness and heat -- insert sarcasm here).

Then, he realized there was a slide. And, after a bunch of the kids he didn't know cleared out (Luke is by no means a risk taker), he was ready to try it.

He had a great time! And, thanks for my dad for these pics!