Papa's Birthday

Papa took the week off work to spend some time with his little ones in Kansas City and we loved having he and Doe Doe here to hang out.  We had a birthday party for Papa and got the whole clan together for the night.  It was great to see Chris, Liz, and Lydia as they prep for the arrival of the newest Herron family member.  Liz looks great but as I well remember feeling pretty tired and ready to have that little man.  The kids love getting together and it is always so fun to watch them interact.  Happy Birthday Papa we love you very much!
 

Summer Days 2

The Tomlinson summer is still rolling and we're having a blast spending so much time together.  Here is just a few pictures of what we've been up to lately.  We had the Tomlinson clan over for a late birthday get together for Gram and had a great time eating way too much and watching the kids play outside.  Later in the week, Sara surprised me with a Father's Day adult day out.  Kiki watched Briggs and took him to Deanna Rose Farm with Hadley and they had a great time feeding the goats and watching the fish and turtles....Briggs always loves spending time with his Kiki.  Harper was off to Wellsville to spend the day with Leta and was spoiled rotten all day and loved playing with Lucy their dog.  Meanwhile Sara and I were off to Shawnee Mission Park and took a nice long walk and actually got to enjoy a nice, uninterrupted conversation.  After our walk we rented a paddle boat and paddled out to the middle of the lake and just floated in the quiet and dipped our feet in.  Sounds boring I know, but the quiet and relaxation was amazing.  We then headed home to get ready for our day on the town.  We had a great brunch at Eggtc downtown and even had time for a few drinks afterwards....the best part was sipping on a drink and watching everyone downtown working!!  It was time to get the kids after that and we grabbed Briggs and headed out to Wellsville for a great dinner and gator rides and feeding the fish.  It's always a blast heading out there and our kids love it.  All in all, this summer has been so much fun spending everyday with the kids and actually having no plans most of the time.  We'll update more as the summer continues!!   

Summer Days

What a busy start to our summer, we rarely sit still around this house.  I love having Greg home this summer it is amazing to wake up every morning and know that our whole family will be together and be able to do whatever our hearts desire.  Here is a brief recap of our last few weeks in pictures....

 We got to celebrate our sweet Mia's 6th birthday.  Hard to believe she is so grown up. 

 We had our cousin Allie come stay for her annual Kansas City visit.  We took full advantage of an extra pair of hands and really enjoyed having her company. 

We hit up the dinosaur exhibit at Crown Center for some bone digging and dino riding.  Hadley came along with us and the kids had a great time.

 Of course since we were close to Union station we had to make a stop at the model trains.  I think we have gone train crazy around this house!

 Picnic before heading home for naps.

 We headed to Olpe to return Allie back to her family and spend a little time on the farm.  Briggs showing his country roots with a little outdoor bathroom break.  Love those buns!

 A walk in the country with my favorite people.  Think we could be farm people,  something about the peace and quiet that I love.

 So many memories on this farm so glad my kids get to experience it for themselves.

 Of course any chance for a train ride and we are in.  Emporia has a little model train that runs one day of the week and how could we be so lucky that it was the day we were in town.  You would think that the excitement would fade after awhile but each and every ride it just as great for Briggs.

Chanute Time

I am struggling to keep up with the blog this summer.  Funny to think that that I actually had more downtime during the school year.  We have managed to keep super busy this summer with not a lot of time to blog.  Last week Briggs was lucky enough to get to go down to Chanute for a few days and spend some quality time with Papa and Doe Doe.  When Doe Doe asked him if he wanted to go it took him about 1 minute to make his way to the car and be ready to go.  They spent their days searching for trains, swimming, riding mopeds, and Briggs getting spoiled rotten.  He had a absolute blast and I don't think we were missed much!  Greg and I enjoyed having a little Harper time. I can't believe we used to think that having one kid was a challenge.  She was so cute and I know that she loved her mom and dad time as well.  Thank you Papa and Doe Doe for taking time from your lives to host our little man.  I love that he loves to be with you both and he will forever have such fond memories of his time with you guys. 

The Great Outdoors

Our summer is off and running and we are really starting to enjoy the slow down a bit (not too slow we have two kids).  It is wonderful not having to get up and rush around to get people dressed and out the door.  I love having two pair of hands as well to chase after the kids.  Believe me if you have met Harper you know that she requires one set of hands herself, such a busy girl.  We have been finding some great activities to fill our days and keep the kids busy.  This weekend Greg and Briggs camped out in our backyard as a trial run to see if we could make it through the night.  Briggs loved the outdoor life and thinks he is ready to tackle a real camping trip.  Mind you that they slept on a mattress with a night light and fan running, no quite wilderness men yet. We also took in the Kansas City Northern Railroad which proved to be a train lovers dream.  It is a small model railroad that takes you on a 7 minute ride around a track.  Briggs thought it was the best thing he had ever seen.  We took about 4 rides but I think he would have stayed there all day.  We will definitely go back for more train fun.  We also found out that Harper can say train, should have known that would be one her first big words.  We are trying to soak up every minute and really trying to appreciate all those little moments that we get to have with our kids. 

Memorial Day

A week late but here none the less.  We are off and running on our summer vacation and loving that we all 4 get to be together on a daily basis.  We kicked off our summer fun with our annual trip to Chanute for the Herron Memorial Day Party.  The kids were so excited to get down to Chanute to try the pool for the season opener and to see all there cousins and Papa and Doe Doe.  We had a great turn out at the party as usual and really had a awesome weekend.  Briggs loved the water like he did last year but Harper preferred to just doddle around the edge of the pool.  I think once the water warms up she will be a bit more of a fish.  We are now looking forward to really slowing down and taking in all that summer hold for us.  Thanks Papa and Doe Doe for allowing us to take over your house for a few days and as always providing a great time.  Happy summer all!