Because we were visiting our granddaughter (and her parents) in Lenexa, Kansas, for close to two weeks, we had time to find plenty of fun things to do with her. We loved the playground at the Shawnee-Mission Park!
It had soft-spongy flooring, and plenty of toys for all ages to enjoy. We'd never seen a toy like this with rollers that a child can ride from one end to the other.
There were slipper slides of all shapes and sizes. This one was big enough and wide enough for many children and their grandparents to go down at the same time. We weren't the only grandparents at the park, but we noticed that we were the only ones riding the toys.
Our granddaughter, Carter, loved it, and yelled, "More! More!" as soon as they zoomed to the bottom each time.
We also love the paved paths through the woods and beside the lakes at different city parks. We can walk from our son and daughter-in-law's front door to this trail at Craig's Crossing . . .
while the trail at Black Hoof Park leads to this playground. The toys here have a less-exciting grandparent-slide option.
We're always looking for a farmers' market, and Lenexa has a nice one. After a cold snap, one of the vendors reported that last night was the coldest he had ever been while picking tomatoes. Check out the vegetable vendor in the picture below, bundled up this chilly morning.
We also enjoyed Lenexa's chili cook-off festival. Around two-hundred teams had cooked up their best chili, and offered free samples to the attendees. Even though Carter is a good eater, we brought her snacks in lieu of that spicy chili. She loved waving to the crowds of people that attended.
Another day we were at the Art and Music Festival at the outdoor theater in Shawnee-Mission park, practicing our grassy walking skills.
Carter was happy to walk between Gram and Granddad for the fresh blueberry rewards. We call this "the blueberry game," and it's very popular with our granddaughter.
Strolling at the supermarket can also be a fun activity, especially when there is cheese involved. We went to watch "the cheese lady" sculpting a new edible masterpiece made entirely out of cheese. The audience was welcome to eat the cheese scraps that are left-over from this art form.
Besides walking, there are also some great biking options for little ones and their very fit mothers. Carter's waving at Granddad, who's pretty good at riding a bike and taking pictures at the same time.
But the day we took the most pictures was at the pumpkin patch at the Red Barn Farm near Weston, Missouri.
Our daughter-in-law planned a morning at the Red Barn, and the paparazzi grandparents came along to take way too many pictures.
We explored many different pumpkin options that morning.
Can't you just hear her saying, "And what was God thinking when he made a lumpy-bumpy-half-green-half-yellow gourd like this?"
We found out that Carter really likes chickens, and can watch them for a very long time.
What do you think could possibly make three generations of females smile like this?
It might be a stretch to call this "the wildlife picture of the day." But this turkey made the three females smile when he plumed out his tail feathers and strutted around the coop.
The red barn had goats to feed . . .
and Carter looked a little surprised when this baby got out of the pen.
A friend and his Mom met us at the barn, and we all took a hay ride.
It took us down to the pumpkin patch, where the recent first-frost killed the leaves and left the orange pumpkins easier to spot.
It was a great morning of pumpkin fun, and another fun toddler day in the Kansas City area. We're loving our time with this little girl and her parents! Even though the landscapes aren't as grand, we still think we are wandering with some of God's most precious wonders.
No comments:
Post a Comment