Sorry it has been a while!

Update on Oklahoma, we didn't get to go! Kevin's grandma ended up catching something and we stayed home. So, we had vacation in Lawrence. It was actually really fun for me and the kids. We went to do all the things that we usually don't have time for and took our time doing things we usually do. We ate out often for lunch (even ordering anything we wanted), went downtown to play at The Toy Store, went to the St. Patrick's Day Parade, Kevin stayed home a few days, I got my hair cut/colored (yeah!), and we went to the zoo in Topeka with cousins. We even played at the park and had ice cream from the ice cream truck (William!). Enjoy the pics!

Everyone at the Zoo.

This lion kept roaring and pacing - a really neat sound.

(Side note here - I always had a soft spot in my heart for the Topeka Zoo, I went there as a kid, and even when William was little and loved it. We loved the tropical forest, the hippos, and they seemed to have all the good animals without being too big. WELL - this time I was quite disappointed. It may have been the slightly cool weather, and while the zoo was nice (especially the REALLY clean bathrooms), I could barely withstand the smells from both the rainforest and the hippo building!!! And, I used to be able to tolerate just about anything. Maybe I am just becoming more sensitive as I get older, but OH MY GOSH!!! It took me at least 10 minutes to get used to the smell and my stomach even turned a bit. So, next time, we are going to head east to the KC Zoo and check it out. I know it is BIG, but I am hoping for a better experience for me anyway. :) Who knows, we may even end up in Nebraska at the Omaha Zoo, or St. Louis. next.)

The Rainforest Dome

Stop getting so big!

This sloth had a baby hiding up in the vent with her. Really cool.

My grandma's sister also had a nice vacation here for a couple weeks. She did wonderful taking care of and spending time with my grandmother. We will miss her! She barely made it back to California though with a big snow storm that blew into Wichita (12+inches). It was a great visit for her, but also sad because she worried that it might be the last one. It's true that my grandmother is getting worse, becoming more frail with her body getting away from her at times. While I am looking forward to her moving on eternally, I just realized today how much Kate will really miss her. She loves spending time with Grandma Great, and it's funny to see part of Gma being passed on to Kate. (Kate thinks all tags have to be cut out now.) While I have mixed emotions about having Kate spend hours at her house from time to time, I know that it is a blessing for my Gma and even for Kate, being showered with pure, loyal, love.

Watch out for the crocodile!

Eating giant popsicles at the park.