Catching Up Post 3: Kansas/Missouri

We started out our trip to Kansas celebrating Dom's birthday, again.  Dom loved being able to spend it with  Nana, L'Opa, his cousins: Mary Ann, Rosie, and Peter, and his Godmother: Katie.  I will be forever grateful that his cousins taught Will and Dom this new version of the Happy Birthday song:

Happy Birthday To You (cha cha cha)

Happy Birthday To You (cha cha cha)

Happy Birthday Dear Dominic (cha cha cha)

Happy Birthday To You!  (cha cha cha)

Dominic does not like cake, so Nana made him a chocolate peanut butter chip cookie cake.  He loved it, as did everyone else!  Molly, did not get any, though...

Dominic got another round of presents.  I apologize for not having a better set of pictures.  The highlights were fireman galoshes and a bunch of kitchen utensils.  He loves helping me in the kitchen and between Nana and myself, he is set for cooking tools.  There is even enough to share with Will.  Thank goodness! 

A couple of days later, Dom also received a new costume from Mitzi.  It is awesome and I will get a picture up during the Halloween post in a week or so!

Molly makes a new friend.  They have a lot in common.  Both are most mobile on all fours, both eat whatever they find on the floor, both like to be held (unless they don't want to be held in which case they lunge for the floor), and both often make sounds that get progressively louder until they get what they want.

While in Kansas we were able to not only see family, but Eric went Turkey hunting with his family in Nebraska.  This is a long tradition and the boys have been practicing around the house ever since hearing Dad's stories.  They use light sabers for shotguns, the couch for their truck, and our hearth room for Western Nebraska.  Best of all, this keeps them occupied for literally hours!!  With Thanksgiving around the corner,  I suspect our art project in the next week will be some sort of turkey. Or as they call it: Target Practice.

While Eric was out roughing it, the kids and I traveled to Lee's Summit, MO.  It was wonderful.  Having cousins the same age means that I can go hours without seeing my sons.  So even though I was a single parent for a couple of days, my life got a little easier.  And my siblings and I had a little night out of our own which may be the beginning of a new family tradition:

 

Ok, to be honest this is a tradition they have been trying to start for years.  I've been the stick in the mud who never wants to go out.  But, in my defense, the majority of these times I've been pregnant or caring for a newborn.  Or just really, really, really tired!

Also in Kansas, we got to witness the beautiful wedding of a friend of ours.  Everyone got cleaned up for the event:

And, naturally, The Reddigs/Buschelmans/Keel and friends had a great time at the reception where we were among the last on the dance floor.  I don't think it was coincidence that the majority of those left with us were other parents out without their kids.  You gotta love a good Catholic Wedding Reception!