Daddy LOVES his photo ops!

Today we visited Union Station in KC. Years ago, we had a family picture taken there, so we headed back to the same area to take some pictures of Allison. By the look of the pictures you'd think she enjoyed it. If only you could see what we had to do to get her to smile at all or look at the camera. We must have looked like idiots, but I don't think anyone could see us, thank goodness! She was NOT being cooperative, but we still got some awfully cute pictures! :)

Tomorrow morning we head back to St. Louis. Allison has been asking to go home for several days now, so I think she's ready to go back to her own crib, her cribmates, her toys, and her books. Be sure to scroll down a bit because I added 3 new posts today. I'm looking forward to my next post being from HOME! I also look forward to being able to check in on the families I peek in on every week. I've missed seeing what you all have been up to!

Goodbye from Kansas City!
Laurie

A Visit to Kaleidoscope

There's a neat place in KC called Kaleidoscope- a place Hallmark (headquartered in KC) put together for kids to explore, make crafts, color, etc. In the old days when I used to work for day care centers, we'd visit with groups of kids, but this was my first time taking my own child. MUCH more fun! She was a bit young to get a lot out of it, but it was a good time for her anyway. Today was a GREAT day all in all because Daddy arrived in KC last night, so we had him all to ourselves all day today. YIPPEE!! We explored Crown Center (fun shopping place in KC), went out to lunch, and of all things, went car shopping. No, we didn't buy- just window shopped. :)

"ETC"

These are just some random shots of our final days in Kansas City. First you'll see Allison enjoying the benefits of Halloween. She LOVED that sucker! It's probably the 2nd one she's ever had before, and she was savoring it. You'll then see her trying to blow some bubbles, and lastly, she's collecting leaves and "flowers" at the restaurant where we ate tonight. :)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Happy Halloween, everyone! What a fun night I had with my little pumpkin! The only thing missing was Daddy, but other than that, it was great! She was much more "into it" than last year, and after a few houses she wanted to do it herself. Other than having a tough time climbing up big steps to people's front doors, she did very well and even maneuvered around packs of big kids smoothly. I was so proud of her! We went back to Aunt Jan's house when her pumpkin was heavy enough that she was dragging it on the street. That told me it was time to stop. :) Back at Aunt Jan's she emptied out her pumpkin and explored all that was inside. Thankfully she didn't fuss much when I told her she had to stop after eating two things. I promised her they'd be there tomorrow, although I think Mommy might have to steal one or two things first. :) I hope you all had a fabulous Halloween evening.

Fun with a friend

This morning we had a little play date with a friend of ours, Olivia. Olivia's mom is Lori, and when I met her she was working for our adoption agency. She is the person we had our initial talk with, and we thought so highly of her that we ended up signing with the agency, AWAA.

I'm so glad Lori and I have kept up our communication. I'll never forget going to breakfast with her one morning, shortly after she and her husband had brought home Olivia. I knew our referral was just a few months away, and it was so exciting to spend time with someone who had just returned from China. I brought a LONG list of questions that morning, I'll tell you that! Olivia and Allison play very well together, and I'm already looking forward to another play date in the near future.

On a side note, Allison is SO excited that today is Halloween. Several times today she's looked at me and said, "It's HalloWEEN!" or "Happy Halloween Day, Mommy!" So cute! The weather should be cool but nice. My pumpkin is fast asleep right now, so she'll be well rested and ready to go come 6:00! I hope all of you reading this have a great Halloween night. :)

Too cute for words...

Sometimes I just HAVE to take picture even when there's not an event. Today was one of those days. Last month I had some fun experimenting with Ebay, and I found this adorable little outfit for Allison. I'm quite sure I paid full price, but it was the experience that counts, right? :) We went with my mom to her doctor's appointment before heading to the mall and out to eat, and outside the offices I found a quaint little place for her to play and for me to take pictures. I took over 100, and there were only 2 where she was actually looking at me. Most are of her back, but they are still precious. Two of them were taken at Rain Forest Cafe- check out her expression when the thunderstorm started. :)

Not always a sweet face

This will be a short post, as our big excitement for the day was a trip to Target. I love this picture for two reasons. One is that Allison is now getting into making different faces when you request them. It's a hoot! I can't remember what face I asked her to make when she gave me this one, but it is common these days. I also like the picture because it shows her wearing a cute new outfit I got for her when I went shopping the other night. I just love the little leggings. It really looked cute with her pink shoes, but I failed to capture that picture. Once we get in the house the shoes and socks come flying off! Usually whatever bottoms she's wearing come flying off too, so hey, I was lucky to get a shot of her with most of the outfit on.

A side story- I'm very happy about how well Allison is using her manners- most of the time anyway. We've really been working on the please and thank you comments and also trying to notice when people do nice things for us. The other day my dad opened the garage door for us to go outside and she said, "That was very nice of PaPaw to open the garage door for us!" and today when a neighbor loaned us a fun tricycle to use she said, "That was so nice of Kim to give us the bike to use!" I hope these comments continue. I want her to grow up to be appreciative of what other people do for her. Sometimes the life of a stay at home mom can leave me feeling unappreciated, but today when I wiped her face after a meal she said, "Thank you, Mommy!" in the sweatest voice and that makes it all worth it. :)

Pumpkin Cookies- YUM!

Today had a few highlights to it. First of all, everyone slept until after 7:00. That's always nice! :) During Allison's nap today I was able to meet up with my friend Lisa at a really cool outdoor shopping area close by. In my opinion today was a perfect day, weather wise. It was in the low 60's with a light wind. Just perfect for shopping outdoors. We had lunch first at a fantastic restaurant and then shopped for, what else, clothes for our kids! :) We both found some cute items and then had to go our separate ways. I think we both wished we could play hookey and just hang out there all evening!

Another highlight was later this afternoon, when Allison, my dad and I went for a stroll. I rarely get alone time with my dad, so that was nice. We walked for a LONG time, and it was funny because my normally VERY talkative child didn't say a word the entire time. We didn't really give her a chance, but usually other people talking doesn't keep her from talking. Ha! Then tonight Mom made yummy lasagna. All in all, a pretty good day. If I wasn't missing my husband it would have been close to perfect. :)

Here are some pictures of our evening fun- making pumpkin cookies. Allison loves to bake, but she has a hard time waiting for things to get done in the oven. She thinks as soon as she puts it in the oven it should be done. Ah, patience- a virtue we all wish we had a little more of these days. Enjoy the pictures of Chef Allison.

Fall fun at Uncle Jeff and Aunt Jan's

Last night was so much fun! We headed over to my brother's house about 6:00 for dinner and pumpkin carving. Although I didn't capture any pictures of that event (we were very serious about it- no time for pictures!), I did get a few cute ones of Allison enjoying herself. She decorated her own little pumpkin, and it was so cute. I figure if I let her hang out with her Aunt Jan enough she might end up crafty! She certainly won't get it from Mommy.

We didn't leave there until well past Allison's bedtime- a good time had by all. She was VERY wired when we got back to Grandma's (a whole block away from Uncle Jeff's house), but when I laid her down for bed I didn't hear a sound. She was OUT! It's now 7:40, and she's still sleeping. Yeah! :)

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Laurie

Wonderscope Fun!

Today we met Allison's Aunt Sheila and cousins Abby and Caroline at a local place called Wonderscope. It's in an old school where the classrooms have been turned into all sorts of fun rooms for kids to learn and explore. It was a really cool set up, and I'd love to go back one more time before we leave Kansas City. After playing we headed out for lunch, and of course that was fun too! All the way there Allison said, "We are going to Wonderscope with Aunt Sheila, Abby and Caroline!!" She was very excited to see them- so was I!