in memory of taz

It comes with great sadness that this post gets published as we had to put Taz to sleep on September 15th. He was the best little companion anyone could ever ask for. Our household isn't quite the same without him and his crazy personality.

little wildcat

McKenna lived the entire K-State football experience this year - including our long walk to the stadium. As you can see, there were times when she felt a break was necessary. That didn't keep her from having fun once we were at the game.

summer fun

With Duke off for the summer we have certainly had a lot of time to do nothing but have fun on the weekends. It was amazing to experience simple outings with McKenna. We exposed her to many new things and she was awed by all of them.

We spent a week in Kentucky visiting Lexington, the Cumberland Gap and Falls (pictured below), and Louisville. Some of the sites we saw included the Mary Todd Lincoln house, a bourbon distillery, famous Kentucky horse farms, the Louisville Slugger museum, and Churchill Downs.

















Duke and I took McKenna to Deanna Rose Farmstead on several occasions. It's a local petting zoo that McKenna has come to enjoy more and more as she gets older.

















We went to a Chinese Dragon Boat Festival on the Plaza. It was a bust, but McKenna had fun.

















We took our first trip to the zoo. McKenna couldn't believe seeing so many animals from her books come to life. She also got to go on her first boat ride.



















We took McKenna on her first train ride. There's a short ride in Belton, Missouri that goes through downtown Belton and nearby neighborhoods.

uh oh

Duke and I have been working deligently to teach McKenna that when she's done eating all she needs to do is tell us that she's "all done" versus her preferred option of throwing her food - or worse yet her whole plate - on the floor. Today, at Applebee's, McKenna defiantly tossed a french fry on the floor. As she hung over the side of the high chair trying to see where the french fry landed, Duke tapped her on the shoulder, ready to give her his ever-famous "you know better" look. After three or four taps, knowing she was in trouble, we heard "uh-oh". That's all it took to undo several weeks of hard work because she had us on the floor laughing.

shoe craze

It's a little frightening that McKenna just learned how to walk and she already LOVES shoes! She'll find her sandals no matter where they are in the house. Then she'll bring them to either Duke or me and beg us to put them on her feet. With shoes doned, she'll trot around the house with her chest stuck out and her arms swinging. She definitely thinks she's hot stuff. I think she would go to bed with them on her feet if we let her.

simple pleasures in life