We're Not in Kansas Anymore

As Dorothy once said in the Wizard of Oz, "We're not in Kansas anymore!" After 6 1/2 years of living in the Midwest, we felt it was time to move back to Colorado. There was an outdoor/mountain/family itch that wasn't getting scratched often enough. So about a year ago, the plan was put in place to move our family to Colorado. It wasn't easy but in time God saw that the timing was right for our house to sell and make the move. On Friday, November 4 ... Cody, Paige, Ty, the dog and 2 cats ... made the 17 hour drive from Kansas to Colorado to start the next chapter in their lives.

Therefore, this is the last post on this blog.  If you've enjoyed this blog and want to follow the Edwards' adventures in Colorado, check out their new blog called "Life in the Rocky Mountains" by clicking here.

THS Family Pictures

With our family activity passes, we've been able to enjoy volleyball, soccer, and football games this fall over at the high school.  Thursday was the final home soccer game (Tyson has one more road game in Leavenworth next week) and then Friday was the final home football game. Since we enjoyed supporting the THS athletic program this fall, we thought we'd take some family photos over at the high school this weekend. Only 66% of the family was excited about the idea.

Hiking in The Natural State

Sometimes when you want to enjoy nature, you have to escape to someone else's backyard ... in this case, Arkansas. Cody & Tyson did just that spending 3 days exploring Petit Jean and Devil's Den State Parks. Here's 10 things learned from the trip:

1. Arkansans love their football. Every campsite was equipped with a stereo to broadcast the Razorback Football game Saturday night. 
2. Some things come natural for Ty. Rock climbing is one of them. He scampered up and bounced around every collection of boulders he could find.
3. Farmer's fields make for a great location to change into church clothes.
4. Playing soccer has created "boundless" energy within Tyson. 15 miles of hiking had little to no effect on him.
5. Arkansans are some of the friendliest folks around. Our camping neighbors welcomed us to our campsite, showed us the flattest spot for a tent, and loaned us anything we forgot.
6. A 4am rain shower on Monday morning helped get us on the road a little sooner than we had planned.
7. Arkansas is called "The Natural State" for a reason ... it's beauty is unbelievable.
8. Tyson can live without his electronics. In fact, he thrived on it. From the first whiff of pine needles to the moment he left the mountains, he was in heaven. The mountains and the outdoors is where he's at his best.
9. Spending 3 days together driving, talking, hiking, camping, and eating together can go along way for a father-and-son relationship.
10. 5-7 hours is a long way to drive for an "outdoor adventure." Our family needs to be in Colorado.

Team Tongie 5K

Tyson and Cody participated in a local 5K race this weekend to help benefit Team Tongie, a local charity group to help the less fortunate. Consequently, it was also Tyson's first race but weeks of soccer practice had him in good running shape. Ask him and he'll tell you that all he does at soccer practice is run and run some more. And this race wasn't really a 5K (3.1 miles) since the route ran past the nursing home (by request of the patrons therein) adding an additional .5 miles.  But then if you're Cody & Tyson and you don't listen to the route instructions, it's even longer. You see, they didn't turn onto Main Street from 4th Street and ended up running an additional .3 miles off course for almost 4 miles total. Tyson did great though for his first run ... he ran 98% of the way and found an extra ounce of energy at the very end with a surprising burst of speed. It'll be interesting to see if he does another one ...

Frisbee Golf

Paige and Cody took advantage of a BEA-U-TIFUL Friday evening and played 9 holes of Frisbee Golf.  There's a great little course along the Kansas River (or the Kaw River as it's known by the locals) near Lawrence, KS. It was Paige's first time playing but she was a natural at it. 

Ginormous Turkey Legs

We made our 2nd trip in as many years to the Kansas City Renaissance Festival - only this year we brought the boy along. The theme for this weekend was an Irish and Scottish flare but we just couldn't talk Tyson into wearing a kilt. Something about it later appearing on Facebook. 

We enjoyed some classical jousting, traditional music, ginormous turkey legs, fire eating sideshows, and more! It was fun being medieval for the day. If anything, people watching takes on a whole new meaning when attending your local renaissance festival!

Soccer Half Over

Soccer season hit its half-way mark with a rare Saturday game this weekend (and a wet and cold one at that). The Tonganoxie HS soccer teams finished the week with an away game at Turner and a couple of home games against Piper and Eudora. Their biggest game of the season comes Monday at Mill Valley. It's incredible to see how far Tyson has come in the short time he's been playing ... and it keeps him busy too! Every day he has either a practice or game after school along with early morning seminary to start the day off. Good thing he's been making better decisions to get to bed earlier.  It's amazing what life lessons will teach you. Now we'll see what lessons his current grades will teach him ...

Mutual Bath Time

Girls as Motivators

On a whim at high school registration, Tyson decided to do something he's never done before - participate in competitive athletics. Truth be told, the last time he played any sport was youth soccer at age 9. But in his eyes, high school was a new beginning and chance to do something new. Besides, what better way to get the attention of the girls? Ironically, at the end of his first practice he said to us, "Well ... I was wrong. There are no girls on the team." No ... that is why they call it 'boys soccer.' But on his first game day he was required to dress nice for school by wearing a shirt and tie. One of the girls then asked why he was dressed up. "Cause I'm on the soccer team" he responded. "Oh!" and she came a little closer and helped him straighten up his tie. Yes, girls can be a powerful source of motivation. As for his first game on the JV team? They lost 2 to 1 but he looked great out there on the field. We couldn't be more proud of him.

A Garden After All

For awhile there, it seemed pointless to plant a garden since we were going to be moving. After all, what's the point of going through all the work just to move? But we couldn't stand the thought of NOT having a garden either. So as summer started to pass by, Paige got to work and planted most of our garden. If we sold the house, then someone else would benefit from all the hard work - and we were okay with that. After all, isn't that what the Mormon pioneers did along the Mormon Trail? Plant a garden and let someone else harvest behind you.

As things have turned out, our house hasn't sold and we're still here ... and thus, we get to harvest. We've brought in more raspberries than ever before, squash, tomatoes, and more. And this year, it's the watermelon's turn to grow up the ladder. Take that Mr. Cantaloupe!

At the end of the season, we'll clean things out and ... perhaps spend the winter months planning next year's garden too.

Leavenworth County Fair

 

 

We never miss a county fair ... and so this weekend we made our pilgrimage to the Leavenworth County Fair to take in the aroma of cattle, sheep, pigs, and anything deep fried.  Truth be told, our county fair is pretty small with little to see and do. You can walk the "Midway" in a matter of a couple of minutes. There's a few quilts on display and a picture or two adorned with a blue ribbon.  But that's about it.  Oh ... and you can buy those yummy honey sticks (see picture above)!

Major League Soccer

 

 

Ever heard of a coupon site called "Groupon?"  Our first Groupon purchase was a discounted night out at Livestrong Park to watch our Sporting KC soccer team take on the Seattle Sounders in some professional soccer action Saturday night.  It was hotter than blazes last night but it was well worth it for a great night of soccer!  We saw everything from a an early goal by KC ("Goooooooaaalll!), a red-card ejection, and then 2 goals by Seattle in the last 2 minutes to win the game.  Regardless of the outcome, we had a great time.  Don't tell anyone, but it was the first time that Paige ever "boo'ed" someone at a sporting event! She was NOT happy with a call the refs made on the field!  :)

Bowling for Paige

Before the month of July escapes us, we should probably note that Paige, shown here

as the "World's Coolest Mother," contrary to what Tyson may say, celebrated her birthday this past week. In fact, we did our best to celebrate it all weekend.  But her true birthday was on Monday and to celebrate, we went out to dinner at Rudy's Pizza in Lawrence followed by a couple of games of bowling.  We had a great time knocking down pins and cheering each other on.  Tyson started off pretty rusty - but it was amazing how much better he did when a family with four girls in it started playing along side us ...

 

High Adventure in Missouri

It's amazing how much busier Ty's summer schedule has been since he's 14 this year.  Having entered into the "14 and older" age group has enabled him to attend Youth Conference as well as going on this year's High Adventure trip with the Boy Scouts.  He and about six other Boy Scouts headed down to south-central Missouri for 4 days of canoeing, fishing, spelunking (caving), and more.  He had a great time ... but probably not as much fun as Paige.  Why?  Because Cody spent that same time on a business trip to Alabama.  That meant she had some much needed (and deserved) quiet time alone at home.

7th Inning Stretch

Friday night baseball in Kansas City, KS

What it might have looked like if Tyson really was on the scoreboard.

Enjoying the game ...

Cody and Tyson took in some TBones baseball out at Community America Ballpark on Friday night.  It was a great night for baseball ... although some freshly squeezed lemonade was in order to keep the heat at bay.  General Admission tickets were what Tyson wanted so he could sit out beyond right-field on the grass berm.  Was it so we could catch a well hit ball ... or more for the "sightseeing" of the other "younger fans"? ;)

Backyard Pool Party

We had to endure a couple of days of sweltering heat as a mini heat wave hit our area with temperatures soaring into the 110° range. How grateful we are for air-conditioning both in the house and in our vehicles. But it's not just about enduring the heat but enduring it with a positive attitude. It hasn't interrupted our evening walks (although they are often accompanied with popcycles though!) and on Friday night ... we decided to have our own backyard pool party! It was a great way to kick-off the holiday weekend, complete with hot dogs, music, and our own swimming pool. Ah ... refreshing.

Sarah - the Outside Cat

Thought we should take a moment and present our adopted foster cat ... Sarah!  She followed Cody and Paige home from a walk one night and has been an outdoor resident ever since.  We originally named her Oliver-Hoo (there's a story behind each of those names) but Tyson quickly renamed her Sarah when he got back from Scout Camp and that name has stuck ever since.  We leave the garage door open slightly to give her a place to escape the thunderstorms and brutal heat of summer, but she comes and goes otherwise.  Not sure who she belongs to, but tomorrow Paige and Tyson are going to go around to some nearby houses and see if anyone's missing a cute little calico cat.  Our cat Tommy is in love with her and would be sad to see her go though ... as would the rest of us.

 

Anniversary Get Away

While the boy was away at Scout Camp for 6 days, Cody and Paige escaped to a bed-and-breakfast for an anniversary get away. We stayed in the beautiful "Garden of Eden" room at the Mulberry Hill B&B in Pleasant Hill, MO ... about an hour and a half away. A quaint place and a great time celebrating 17 years of marital bliss and harmony.

Another Midwest Scout Camp

We thought going into summer that Tyson would be attending a Scout Camp in Colorado but as it turned out, he got to spend one more camp here in Kansas ... which meant he got to enjoy another year of fireflies, suffocating humidity, and more severe weather. That's "life in the Midwest."

His troop spent 6-days at Camp Naish in nearby Bonner Springs. While he didn't get to shoot rifles or other activities that he hoped for, he did knock out some important Eagle required merit badges. That should be enough to move him to the rank of Star. Hooray!

We had a severe thunderstorm come barreling into the area on Friday night (read: 1am "late" Friday night) ... and while Mom and Dad enjoyed the fascinating light show from the safe, comfortable confines of the living room, they couldn't help but think about their boy out camping in the storm. Luckily they had good Priesthood leaders with them ... that, and a 3-foot thick storm shelter to protect them in the wee hours of the morning.

Family (History) Vacation

Our family's original vacation plans had called for some time up in the mountains of Colorado ... but with our house in Kansas still on the market, we had to come up with an alternative plan. That plan included a tour through some Mormon church history sites along with some family history along the way. We left Kansas City on Wednesday and headed to Nauvoo, IL (about 5 1/2 hours). After we spent a couple of days there, we followed the Mormon Trail across Southern Iowa to Council Bluffs and Winter Quarters outside of Omaha, NE ... then returned home on Saturday afternoon. Here's some highlights of our trip:

• Saw 3 temples in 3 states
• Participated in temple work as a family in the Nauvoo Temple
• Watched 2 plays: "High Hopes and Riverboats" and "Rendezvous in Nauvoo" ... the latter ending at 9:30 pm at the same time that a strong electrical storm ripped through the area.
• Took a 45 minute carriage ride through the area, during the time of the day when it rained the hardest.
• Visited the Carthage Jail where the Prophet Joseph Smith was martyred.
• Visited the Old Nauvoo Burial Grounds where Cody has an ancestor buried.
• Learned how the early Pioneers made bricks, bread, rope, and other 1840 necessities.
• Visited the Nauvoo homes of early church leaders.
• Stopped at countless Mormon Pioneer sites along the Mormon Trail of Southern Iowa including Garden Grove and the Kanesville Tabernacle.
• Looked and searched for more ancestors in other cemeteries ... didn't find their headstones but felt the peacefulness and serenity in the cemeteries.

We were grateful for the time spent together and what we were able to learn and experience as a family. Our pioneer heritage is part of who we are and their experiences have had an influence of each of us. It was a trip we were glad that we were able to take ... even if it meant staying in a Hampton Inn rather than a tent in the mountains.

Multiplying Like Rabbits

These little fellows have been ... well ... multiplying like rabbits this year!  We've always had a healthy crop of squirrels in the yard but this year has been a bumper crop as far as rabbits go.  The dog loves to chase them and the cats wish they could chase them.  Even Ty chases one or two from time to time.  

But the best part is when they're left alone.  They will sometimes experience a state of total euphoria where their little bodies just can't contain all the joy and happiness they're feeling and they end up jumping straight up into the air!  It's the darnedest thing you've ever seen ... a known phenomenon called a "bunny binky."  

The Sound of a Siren

We may live in the heart of Tornado Alley but we haven't had a typical storm season in years ... so it was quite a surprise to hear the tornado sirens going off Saturday night. That sound can be so intriguing and yet creepy at the same time (watch the :30 second clip below). The storm that rolled through the area crossed the northern side of the county, which triggered the sirens, but stayed far enough to the north to keep us out of harm's way.

Washburn Graduation

Since 2006, Cody has been going back to school to get his bachelor's degree. He started out at Kansas City Kansas Community College where he got his Associates Degree and then moved on to Washburn University in Topeka, KS. All his classes were taken online where he was able to complete his homework at lunch, from an airplane, a hotel, and occasionally from home. Usually he only took a handful of credits at a time so as to not interrupt family life ... that is, until this last semester when he took 21 credits to wrap things up. Hooray! Oh ... and the degree? Technology Administration. He's still trying to figure out what that means.

6 Years in Kansas!

6 years in Kansas!

Time for the annual photo in front of our house ...

... this time with the for sale sign.

 

 

In the Hoop

Few nights pass where Tyson isn't out shooting hoops in the driveway.  On most of those nights, Cody's out there with him too.  Nothing fancy, nothing formal ... just shooting hoops and attempting trick shots.  Here's hoping that our new home in Colorado will have a basketball hoop as well!

Banished!

We have a rule in the house that we as parents cannot "take" anything of Tyson's as part of a disciplinary action.  For example - his laptop is HIS laptop and we won't take that away from him.  However - we do reserve the right to banish them from the house.  Such was the case the other day.  Tyson had failed to turn in his electronics by 7pm and so they were banned from the house.  Leave it to his creativity to run an extension cord from the house to the edge of the property where he sat up shop and worked on his laptop, complete with WiFi, but NOT on our property.

Busy Squirrel

We love the animals that visit our yard and especially those that make our home part of their home ... not so much the opposums ... but we do like the squirrels. It must be nesting time for the little fellows. Here's a short 1:46 video of one busy at work. I thought about going out and taking a handful of leaves and shoving them down the tree for him ... but that plan might have backfired in a way that mother nature wouldn't be happy with.

Educated in Kansas City

Several years ago, Tyson's grade school class took a field trip to the American Jazz Museum and Negro League Baseball Museum in Kansas City, MO. Now the whole family can claim that they've been there. Hooray! Fascinating museums rich in history and fascination. After we were educated, we pretended to be more educated by visiting the downtown Kansas City museum. Actually, it was just fun to see the facade outside. That's what I call the large text version! Finally, we waited in line for 90 minutes for some of the best barbecue that Kansas City has to offer ... Oklahoma Joe's! Well worth the wait ... even when it was 90 minutes of waiting in 90° weather.

Waiting for Answers

The worst part of a test is not knowing the answers. Such is the test we find ourselves in ... not having the answers. Paige went in for her 2nd ultrasound (at the 18 week mark) on Monday ... where we were told that nothing was there. Nothing. Yet she continues to show all the signs of pregnancy ... the hidden soccer ball under her shirt, the need to purchase bigger bras, and a body temperatures that's still "up" ... yet they can't find anything. The good news is that she still feels "fine" physically ... but obviously the emotional part of it all is starting to take its toll. But there's another appointment on Friday (April Fools Day) with a new lady doctor to hopefully provide some answers to the test that we're tired of taking. We know that many are praying in our behalf ... and we thank-you for them. We couldn't go through this without the Lord's help and your prayers.

One Family, Two Temples

Our family spent Saturday attending our nearby temples. For some time, we had a family temple trip planned to Omaha, NE ... and then our local church leaders planned a trip for the youth to go to St. Louis, MO on the same day. Which would Ty choose? 7 hours in the car with Mom and Dad ... or ... 8+ hours in the car with friends? Needless to say, Paige and Cody had a WONDERFUL, enjoyable trip to the Winter Quarters temple together. :]

So what does that have to do with the above picture? Absolutely nothing. But Paige took this cool picture one day when the city was testing out our fire hydrant on a cold, sunny morning. The end result on our plants and trees was spectacular!

Entertainment for Animals

We love our animals ... both domesticated and otherwise. And of course, having a "big screen TV" for the cats and dog (otherwise known to us as a "sliding glass door") provides hours of entertainment to the outdoor world. Case in point was a recent visit from one of many squirrels in our yard - one that apparently has little fear towards the widening eyes of those on the other side of the glass.

A QR Code BDay Cake

We tried for weeks and weeks to have a (surprise) birthday party for Ty but it just never worked out. Since the surprise party didn't happen, we thought we'd still better give him his birthday cake. Originally he had wanted to have a cake that looked like a Dell laptop. But we told him that if he trusted us, we could come up with a better idea. Thus the QR Code Birthday Cake! For those that haven't seen a QR code before, it's a simple "code" that you take a picture of with your smartphone (iPhone or Android) and it will take you to a web page. In this case, the QR code takes you to Ty's own personal webpage. Yes - the creativity runs deep in this family. Cody created the code and of course, Paige made the cake.