Back in Derby

After leaving Coffeyville we headed back to good ol' Derby. The first morning back, Isaac opened his birthday gifts from Oma. Legos (!) and a book. 30 minutes later, he had finished building his Lego Star Wars racer. It was just too chilly and windy to really do much outside, so we went to Exploration Place.

Olivia and Chad enjoyed building a dam and watching the water flow.

Of course no visit to Kansas would be complete without seeing a tornado! Ezren was very brave climbing up there to touch it.

Exploration Place also had a very cool exhibit called The Scoop on Poop. We often find ourselves discussing digestion and all things associated with it (at dinner, breakfast, snacktime, whenever), so this was really cool for us! There was even a game where you have to race dung beetles (not real ones). Let's just say, Chad is the champion dung roller! :)

After leaving Exploration Place, we went to a favorite place of Chad's when he was a child -- Sim Park. Still windy and cold, so we didn't stay long at the beach (I know, it's not the ocean, but it's as good as it gets in KS!).

We also stopped at Riverside Park to check out the rocket. Unfortunately they have sealed it and you can no longer climb inside. Big bummer. But they did have a giant spiderweb thing that scared the bujeezers out of me -- but Isaac loved it!

By this time the kids were cranky and tired, so we headed home from so good Fried Chicken von Mutti.

The next day was quite the bust. It was too cold and windy again, so we went swimming. Yes, really, we went swimming at the indoor pool at the DRC. Crazy, I know! It smells and sounds and feels and looks exactly the same as when I was in high school. I didn't bring any goggles or caps with me, but I did go and do a 100 (with flipturns and all!). And about passed out so I decided to just stick with the kids.

We went out to Towne East looking to play video games at Aladdin's Castle, but it's no longer there. :( So, we went to North Rock. Nothing great, but the kids had fun playing skee ball.

Olivia was very proud of all of the tickets she won. She even got to get some prizes!

On the way home, we stopped by Tanglewood (my old elementary school) to play on the playground. Goodness! I have never seen so many spiders hanging out there! Seriously, the place was covered in webs and those crazy, big jumping spiders. Isaac was pretty freaked out and didn't really want to do anything, but we eventually cleared out some things for him to do.

Here they are climbing the ultra old (really, it's been there since I was in Kindergarten), and really scary spiral slide.

And on the teeter totters...

We had an interesting and adventurous time exploring the sites of Wichita and Derby!

A Day in Coffeyville

We left Branson on a very traffic-y Sunday morning. Not being ones who enjoy traffic, we wound our way through residential areas until we surpassed the 5 MPH line of cars. Felt pretty proud of that too!

It was a gorgeous day to travel southern KS/MO! We were greeted by my entire family (almost) when we arrived!

Here are all of the kids enjoying a dog rub post-Hallowegg Hunt.

This was the first time, in a long time, that all seven of us Nellis grandkids had been in the same room. In fact, I don't know if we have any photos of all of us together... (except this one)

And there were fireworks! Now, Isaac is not a fan of fireworks at all. On the Fourth of July he hides inside -- and all we can legally do here are sparklers and fountains. But on this day in Coffeyville he was brave and stayed for not just smoke bombs and snappers but bottle rockets too! Here are the kids enjoying themselves.

It was such a fun day! We were sad to leave and wish we could have spent more time with everyone. Hopefully we'll be able to do this again!

Silver Dollar City

On our recent trip to KS, we took a couple of days and went to Silver Dollar City with my dad and Anne. It was such a blast! Branson is gorgeous this time of year and there is so much to do -- way more than when I was a kid! Luckily, the weather cooperated with plenty of sunshine and only a slight breeze.

Our drive from Wichita to Branson was a familiar one as we drove through Coffeyville. Here we are stopped at our favorite Kansas Historical Marker at the junction of Highways 166 and 15! Previous to stopping here, Chad thought it would be a great idea to stop and give the kids a lesson in KS geology. Unfortunately, it was quite windy that day and although Chad and I have lived through way worse winds than those, my kids have been spoiled in NC with very little wind. Poor Isaac kept complaining that his hood kept being blown off (he didn't know to turn his back to the wind!). The kids now have a great appreciation for what we call "Kansas Wind."

Here are the kids posing with Grandpa for a quick photo before we headed off to some rides at Silver Dollar City!

One of the first rides the kids went on was a little roller coaster, just the right size for them! As you can see Olivia was very into it, and Isaac and Ezren were very proud that they got to go on a roller coaster!

Now, I'm not big on fast spinning rides, but somehow I was talked into going on this ride with the kids. Chad and Ez took one boat, Olivia had her own, and Isaac and I went together. Before we got on, the guy in charge said, "Kids on the right, parents on the left, and DO NOT touch the bar." We sit down and sure enough, what's the first thing Isaac does? Touch the bar, of course! Lucky for us, Grandpa had the camera and caught him in the act! (I'm saying, "Don't touch the bar!")

Before we left for KS, Olivia and Chad had been talking about how they wanted to go on a big roller coaster (Chad's loves a good coaster!). So, toward the end of the day in Silver Dollar City, we found one that Olivia could ride. It's called The Powder Keg and goes from 0 to 60 in about 2 seconds! HOLY MOLY! They loved this ride! Olivia is very proud that she rode a big roller coaster, and Chad is now thinking twice about riding coasters! This is a photo of them as they blasted off (they are in the second row)!

That was the end of our day in Silver Dollar City. Good weather, good food, good fun, good family time! What more could you ask for?

Isaac Turns Five

On the 21st we celebrated Isaac having taken his first breath five years ago. He wanted a Speed Racer cake...and he got one! Three (from scratch) chocolate cakes later, Chad cut, assembled, and frosted the edible racetrack. Isaac loved it, and boy was it yummy!

He was so excited opening all of his gifts! He kept oooing and ahhhing and laughing with excitement.

Mario Galaxy Wii Game...

Erector Set...

Spiderman Backpack loaded with books...

Lego Mars Mission Set...