Battle of the Bean

 

 

This past Saturday we ran the Battle of the Bean 5K in Leawood, Kansas. This was a great race for a few reasons- first off, the charity was Happy Bottoms, which provides diapers for KC-area babies and toddlers in need. Until I read about Happy Bottoms in the newspaper a few months ago I wasn't aware that WIC and other similar welfare programs don't cover diapers. It was great to see the huge pile of donated diapers on race morning! Second, the theme was coffee vs. cocoa, so there was plenty of Roasterie Coffee post-race and all runners got both Christopher Elbow chocolates and a scoop of Foo's Frozen Custard. Basically, this is a trinity of local Kansas City deliciousness. In addition to race t-shirts we received mugs- even though I ran for Team Coffee, I used mine for a big cup of hot cocoa on Sunday afternoon. The course was through a well-manicured suburban neighborhood, not the most thrilling scenery, but a pleasant course on a chilly January morning. Joe came in about six minutes before me at 30 minutes, and I finished in 36 minutes (the clock time in the photo wasn't my time through the chute- which was done in waves). Not my greatest time, but not too bad for post-holiday middle of winter either.

September!

Since the end of August/beginning of September, things have been super hectic with work around here, so I'm behind on the daily photos. I've still been snapping, but haven't had the chance to post as frequently. In any case, September started on a regular Thursday with a common summer activity- backyard evening hoops.

Waldo Fountain

Last weekend of August, possibly the last chance to go play in the Waldo fountain.

Local Hiking

Hiking out at the edge of the metro on a warm Saturday afternoon.

Antennas Up @ the Nerman

Another free Friday concert at the Nerman, this time Antennas Up.

Zoo again

Another Sunday at the zoo, this time with the other set of grandparents. Little man got up close to the gorillas, I love this guy's chill pose.

The Nerman

A Tuesday morning trip to the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art.

Roasterie Tour!

With my family in town we spent a lot of the weekend doing fun touristy things, like the Roasterie Roasting Tour on Saturday morning. This free tour informs visitors about coffee roasting, buying, trade, and history, as well as how to properly slurp coffee to get the most of your taste. Also- free coffee samples!

Jules Olitski at the Kemper

July 24 was yet another day of heat warnings and high temperatures, so we spent part of the afternoon at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, viewing the current exhibition of paintings by Jules Olitski.

Chips and Salsa

Entering the imitative behavior stage of toddler-hood provides for a lot of cute scenarios. For example, anyone who knows Joe knows that he eats chips and salsa daily. So when we had dinner at Jalepeno's in Brookside, it shouldn't have taken us by surprise when little man jumped in and hit the salsa, copying the behavior that he sees his Dad perform every day.

Hearts of Darkness

Friday the 8th of July brought beautiful weather to KC, as well as a free show by the fantastic Afrofunk band Hearts of Darnkess on the lawn of the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, out in the suburbs. We enjoyed a Thai take-out picnic, and had a great time lounging on the lawn, but perhaps the best part was when little man was dancing and then received a spontaneous hug from another dancing toddler. Too funny!

Wallace State Park

Camping on a hot Friday night at the fantastic Wallace State Park, about an hour north of Kansas City.

Back to the Farm

After returning from Wichita, I had the afternoon off and my family was in town, so we decided to take little man out to the children's farm for an afternoon of feeding the goats and gazing at the ducks.

Oxford, Mississippi

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We spent Saturday the 29th on a day trip from Memphis down to Oxford, Mississippi, home to Ol' Miss (University of Mississippi). The small town square had a variety of restaurants and shops, very few of which were open on Sunday. We also learned that restaurants can't serve alcohol on Sunday in the state. The fantastic independent Square Books was open, and we spent a while wandering the shop, which ranks as one of the best bookshops in the nation.
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The courthouse at the center of the Square.
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The Mississippi state flag. We saw at least three Confederate memorials and a few Confederate flags during our day. We also sampled grits, which I liked but Joe didn't care for, and drank sweet tea, which was appallingly sweet.
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We continued the literary theme of the day at Rowan Oak, an 1840s house that was home to William Faulkner in the mid-twentieth century.
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In the afternoon we took a drive to Alabama, the 49th state that I have visited!
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Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead

We spent a beautiful Sunday afternoon out in the suburbs at the Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead, where little man had a great time feeding the goats, watching the birds, and seeing all varieties of domesticated and wild animals.

Easter

Little man's Easter gift, an amigurimi set, handmade by my mom. The two birds fit into the nest, and the flower has a tiny musical chip that plays Brahms lullaby. So sweet and so amazingly constructed.

Park time

A warm Sunday afternoon at the park!

Voted

March Madness

Exhibiting a bit of Jayhawk spirit, even if we did lose the game to an eleventh seed....

Rocky Mountain National Park Snowshoe

We spent Sunday March 20 visiting with family and snowshoeing in Rocky Mountain National Park. If you haven't snowshoed, it is quite a workout and a lovely way to view the forest in winter. Luckily we weren't breaking trail, which we've done frequently in Minnesota, and which is really challenging, but an extra 25 pounds of toddler-in-a-backpack (as seen here on Joe) will take a snowshoe workout to the next level. We traded off carrying the kiddo, Joe on the way out, me on the way back. The vistas in the park were beautiful, and the contrast of the pine trees, snow, and blue sky was gorgeous. It was also fun to see the trail signage, usually at eye level, at foot level, indicating that we were floating on about five feet of snow-packed trail.