Feb 15, 2012

Fall Travels: Kansas - Manhattan, KS. - October 2011

El and I ventured west this fall for a long weekend to visit my little sister who is stationed at Fort Riley.  She is scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan later this year.  She's come to visit us several times since we've been in Baltimore and I really wanted to make a point to get out there to see her and the life she's set up for herself.  
First off she found two fantastic room mates and a beautiful house to rent so it was super easy to feel right at home.  Also, she's a total "foodie" so we ate like queens the entire time we were there.

I didn't take nearly the number of pictures I wanted to but did manage to remember to play paparazzi when we went to the Kansas Children's Discovery Center in Topeka.
 I was a little worried about there being enough areas that were good for a 15 month old to really make it worth going  and was happy to discover that there was more than enough to keep us all busy.

The rice bin was our first stop.  El might have stayed there the entire time if I'd let her dump all the rice on the floor and then pick it up one grain at a time... 
but really, we could do that at home. =)

 Next stop, instruments!
 Sheer curtains... Interesting.


She still does this with the one hanging in the bathroom and can't get enough.
 "Look at this cool puzzle ball Aunt Zanna!"
 Hmmm... 
 Not sure who like the puzzle ball more? =)
One of Suze's room mates Jenna joined us at the museum and helped El discover the wonders of air.

  The foam balls get sucked IN...
 but with the flip of a switch, the air blows OUT!  SO FUN!!!
 Now we've got it!
 El tried several times to say Jenna's name and each time it came out "Bubba", so El now has an "Aunt Bubba".


 Again not sure who had more fun here, the kids or the grown-ups.

El was also pretty interested in this contraption that moved grain around using shoots and moving ladders.
You use the big wheel to her left to make the grain move.  
(It's funny for me to look back at these pictures because I'd forgotten that at the time of this trip she wasn't a completely stable walker on ramps, so she was very cautious when moving around on uneven terrain.  What a difference a few months have made!)

At the end of the day we found the "under two" section.  It was completely padded and a great place to kick back and let her roam.
 She LOVED this block!

Doesn't it look like an awesome block!

Good for napping...

 And bouncing!
We had so much fun on our visit to Kansas and hope we get to see Aunt Zanna and Aunt Bubba again soon!
(Me, Aunt Zanna, Aunt Bubba, and El)


Till next time,
Bon Voyage!

2 comments:

Amy E said...

How fun! What a seasoned traveller! Looks like a lot of fun was had by all.

Anonymous said...

It's always a blessing to have family visit. I know your sister loved having and seeing you!!!