Missouri Town 1855

After wrapping things up at the Trex Cafe, we had one more stop to make on the way home. There were two living history museums in the area and we love living history. Someone else fields the kids' questions and we all learn something. Win/win.

Missouri Town 1855 is a collection of buildings from Missouri. Most have been moved from other parts of this state to this Town (as far as I know, none of the buildings were original). They had buildings from as far back as 1830. Sadly, only 2 reinactors were working. However, we still had copious questions and got lots of really good information. We wandered around to the 10-15 buildings on the property and enjoyed the mild weather. A little more than an hour later, we were ready to hit the road back home again.

T-Rex Cafe

Saturday night in Kansas City we realized despite being on the Missouri/Kansas border, we had yet to cross over into Kansas (and thus, be able to cross it off our state visited list).  We then spent over an hour researching for the right location to visit the following morning on our way out of town.  Our criteria was as follows:

1. In Kansas
2. Not so far into Kansas that it would tack on an additional hour of travel time to get home.
3. Memorable enough to tell the kids when they are older ("yes, we went into a grocery store in Kansas.  You loved it SO much!)
4. Age appropriate (casinos are out)
5. Inexpensive
6. Big enough to make the stop worthwhile, small enough to see in a short time
7. Open on Sunday. Or open before noon on a Sunday.

So, we had a very short list of possibilities.  We hit the road intending to go to one location of interest.  There was a miscommunication between the adults and John ended up getting off the highway.  We weren't where we were supposed to be and weren't sure how to quickly rectify the situation.  John pulled in to get gas while I tried to determine the best course of action.  Spoiler: there wasn't a best course.  While we were discussing, we realized across the street was another attraction we had on our list.  It had become second choice because it was a store (money) and we felt the historical site we were hoping to find was more educational (education=win).  We hopped across the intersection and were happy to find the T-Rex Cafe (a dinosaur themed restaurant and gift shop catering to dino lovers.)

Let's say by this point the kiddos were a little impatient and tired of trying to find somewhere.  They were alos probably tired of hearing something was going to be a lot of fun and it turns out the pool is closed or it is a boring historical marker.

We walked up to the store (you couldn't see it from the parking lot) and William and Amelia were both complaining.  I didn't tell them what we were looking for because I wanted them to be surprised AND if it was closed/gone/empty they wouldn't be disappointed. Just around the corner, I looked up and saw a dinosaur head peeking out from behind another store.  I told William to look.  He did.  He stopped walking, frozen to the spot for about 20 seconds.  Then he yelled, "Wow! We need to check this out!" and took off running with a giant smile on his face.

When we walked up, there were a few skeletons to admire.  William raced around, words falling out of his mouth faster than could be understood.  John and I looked at each other.  This was the right place.  When the doors to the gift shop opened, William opened the door and about walked into a giant dinosaur's face.  I thought he might expire from happiness.


The cafe didn't open for another 2 hours, so we browsed the gift shop and made our purchases before hitting the road.

Kindergarten Evaluation

All kiddos in our school district need to be evaluated before they start kindergarten.  They look at vision, hearing, development and other academic skills such as number/letter recognition.  The testing process takes about an hour.  Amelia had her testing yesterday and we had a short conference afterwards.


Teacher: Amelia did a great job!  She missed one question and we have no concerns!  Great job mom!

Mom: What did she miss?

Teacher: She was unable to identify where her ankle was.  She did wonderfully with everything else!

Mom: Ok!

Teacher: See ya later!


This is funny because I had myself prepped for something a little more extensive or....difficult. 

A Prisioner

In the car....on the way to somewhere yesterday.....

Amelia: What is a prisoner?
Mama: Whaaaat?
Amelia: What is a prisioner?  Miss L____ (our favorite librarian at the library *) read the book about the spooky prisoner at story time.  What is a prisioner?
Mama: oh.  ah.  Yes.  Hmm... A prisioner is someone who lives in prison.
Amelia: What's prison? (did you see that one coming?)
Mama: Well, prison is where someone goes if they break the law and make a mistake.
Amelia: Like when you went through the red light? (worried voice) Are you going to prison?
Mama: Well, it is wrong to keep driving when there is a red light.  When I started going, the light was green and then turned red.  People who go to prison are people who make big mistakes like taking things that don't belong to people**
Amelia: What do you have to do to go to prison?
Mama: (flustered) Well...prison isn't a nice place.
Amelia: I know!  They have bars on the rooms and BUNK BEDS!
Mama: Yes, they usually do.
Amelia: So.  What do you have to do to go to prison?
Mama: Most of the time people who go to prison are just people who make mistakes by hurting someone else or taking things that don't belong to them.
Amelia: When you go to prison, do you get to stay for a long time?
Mama: (!!!) What?
Amelia: (Slower) When you go to prison, do you get to stay for a long time?
Mama: Most people don't want to stay there.  They don't want to stay for a long time.
Amelia: They don't?  Why not?
Mama: Well, you don't get to see your family or go outside very often.  You have to live with other people and you don't get to pick what you wear or when you get to go places.
Amelia: Oh.  Hmm. So what exactly do you have to do again to go to prison?
Mama: Look!  A big bird!!
Amelia: Really?  Where?
Mama: ((Thank goodness))




* Why yes, I do have a favorite librarian at the library.  I am also on a first name basis with all the staff at the reference desk as well as the lovely people working the check out station.  They know us and greet us by name every week when we get there.  I love the library.

**I'd like to say that the bad guys go to prison and leave it at that, but in my current position, I have come to know more than one person who has done time.  I have found most of the time, these are people.  People who have made mistakes.  It just feels wrong to characterize them as "bad guys".

Bookstore

At the bookstore on Saturday night, I realized I hadn't seen William for a few minutes. Neither had John. After a moment of panic, I spotted him around the corner. He had a big smile on his face with a big pile of books in his lap.

Mama: hey William!
William: hi mom. (Big sigh)
Mama: whatcha thinking about?
William: I just love this store. I could stay here forever. Do they have a restaurant?
Mama: I love it here too...
William: (silence as he turns the page)

Fritz's lunch+crayola

Here is William retrieving our box after the train dropped it off ( the 3 pictures per post is sometimes very limiting).

After Fritz's, we swung by the Crayola store on a tip from a friend. The kids enjoyed poking around here, but we were perilously close to nap time, so we packed up and went back to the hotel.

John held the big kids in the lobby for a few minutes while I settled Gemma. Then, the big kids watched some tv on our laptop and John and I snagged a nap. It was delicious. At times, it is very inconvenient to plan the activities of a whole family around one little person's sleep schedule. Other times, it is nice to be forced to slow down and rest a little.

That evening, we went for dinner and then to the craft store. William has been begging for a rubber band bracelet making kit (more on this later). He has worked hard at home lately to earn a kit and he finally had done it. We were going to pick one up when we got home, but he was so excited about spotting a Mike's craft store, we had to stop (and really, I will never turn down a trip to the craft store. Ever.)

Right next to the craft store was a bookstore. Can you picture a more perfect place? A bookstore and craft store? HEAVEN! John was not persuaded, but I would move to Kansas City just based on this.

After a too brief trip to the book store, we had to return to the hotel for bedtime.

John stayed in the lobby with the big kids checking out the rubber band kit and I put Gemma to bed.

Fritz's for lunch

After Lego-ing ourselves out, it was time for lunch. The options at Legoland were uninspiring (hotdogs, nachos or frozen pizza) and expensive ($60+), so we walked across Crowne Plaza to the food court area. It was PACKED. Runners everywhere. We wandered around until it was clear hunger anger was going to make an unpleasant appearance.

We happened to stop in front of this restaurant with a big train engine in front and 50's decor. Knowing nothing else, we walked in. It was so much fun. You order from the table from a little phone. A person brings you the drinks (although not a high chair). Then a train brings your food packed into a box. It drops it onto a thingee and it lowers down to your table (John could probably explain the mechanics of this better.).

The trains were a delightful distraction for the kids including Gemma. Typically Gemma requires straps to hold her down long enough for 1) me to eat and 2) her to eat. I'll let you decide which option is the most important. In this case, Gemma didn't really eat at all, but she was distracted enough that I could eat. We'll call that a win.

According to the menu, the food selection hasn't changed since 195something when the restaurant first opened. Not exactly the healthy fare our family tries to eat, but it was a very fun experience.