Friday, July 31

Oh no! It's the last day -- already!

Nancy had a couple of meetings in the morning, and then after that, the three of us went out and ran some errands in the neighborhood.

Later, Nancy and Beth went shopping, looking for some new clothes for Bethie, but no luck. Many of the stores have changed here, so I guess I will have to find some new places for us to shop for her.

After that, Beth went home and got ready for another round at Curves. Everybody greeted her when she came in! She had a good exercise session.

For dinner, we decided to go out, as a special treat. We went to Cantina Del Ray, a Mexican restaurant in the neighborhood. Beth had a chicken burrito with rice and beans and she LOVED it! It was a nice neighborhood restaurant.

Back at home now, it's time to start getting everything packed. We'll have to be up before the sun tomorrow!

One last update: Here's a video of Beth from yesterday, she's working on an email to Scott. You can hear her talking to herself, thinking out loud, about what she wants to say to Scott. She really loves writing on the computer.

Thursday, July 30

This is a big day! We've been waiting for this, because this is the day we go on a train ride!

It's kind of complicated: First Patsy picked up Lily, Graham and Poppy. Then she drove to our house. Next we followed Patsy downtown to Crown Center, where we parked our car.

Then, we got in the car with Patsy and the kids and we drove out to Lee's Summit, which is a suburb east of Kansas City. That's where we waited for the train, which was coming from St. Louis. We walked around the downtown area with it's little shops while we waited for the train. The kids all got a piece of candy there -- Beth chose chocolate with peanuts!

We went back to the benches to wait for the train, and it wasn't very long before it pulled into the station with lots of noise!

It was a big train, and full of people. The train attendants were really nice and asked if this was our first ride. Oh yes!

We got settled in our seats and then after a little while, we walked back to the Dining Car. It was kind of funny walking on the train as it was swaying along. In the Dining Car, we got some cookies and sat at two tables all together. It was really nice, with big windows so we could see everything outside rushing by.

Then, before we knew it, we were in Kansas City! We got off outside and walked up the stairs near the Freighthouse, and walked into Union Station. It was great!

Then it was time for lunch, so we went to the Harvey House where we all had a great meal. It was lots of fun, and we were playing Arm Wrestling and Thumb Wars while we waited for our food.

After we ate, we walked on the overhead Link from Union Station to Crown Center. We went to the waterfall and then walked through the shopping center a little bit. Erin and Margo came to meet us and take Patsy back to her car out in Lee's Summit. For us, it was time to go home.



Later, we had Quesadillas at home, with two kinds of hot sauce. It was just right -- a light dinner snack.

After dinner, Beth wrote an email to Scott and then it was time for bed! What a fun day we had, with lots and lots of laughs!

Wednesday, July 29

Beth had lots of time outside today, it was just a gorgeous day, but not too hot. She was outside for hours before she worked up the courage to stick her feet in the pool.

She had a great workout at Curves, and then we had a light dinner early, because we were invited to a party at one of our favorite places -- Browne's Irish Deli. It was really casual, a nice little party, and Beth met a lot more people. She had a bit more dinner there, and then we went to visit Brian and Pam.

Next stop was Aixois -- we sat on the patio and Beth had a lovely dessert of profiteroles au chocolat! Yummy! She got to tell the chef, Pascal, how much she liked it and he was very sweet to her.

Another day gone in a flash!

Tuesday, July 28

Another full day!

It started out with Beth's breakfast -- waffles! Plus coffee and I think yogurt, too.

She started on another art project, this time drawing around the outline of a tree that Nancy drew on the page. (No, not Nancy Drew!)

Then, more errands to get the computer and printer and all set up at the bookstore. It took a couple of trips around the area, but on the third stop, we found the right kinds of cables to make the old printer work with the laptop. All set up!

Back at home, Beth changed for a Curves session. It was a long one today, about an hour, and she didn't want to stop! She was having loads of fun.

Next up, a video conference with Scott. This time it worked perfectly. What fun!

Dinner was tacos, followed by a nice fresh Missouri peach (with a little ice cream for Bethie). Then she went straight to the computer, to write an email to Scott.

Now bedtime!

Monday, July 27

Where did this day go?

I don't know!

Beth had a nice breakfast, cereal & coffee, yogurt & banana, while Nancy was working. When Nancy got back, there were errands to run because the computer at the bookstore broke. Completely unfixable, and unrecoverable.

So, setting up Nancy's old laptop in the shop took some time and some figuring -- how to connect the old printer?

It seemed to take a while! Beth had a snack while we were at Aixois so that helped.

Before long, it was time to head home for dinner. Nancy made one of her special veggie dishes with leftovers -- chicken, italian sausage, pasta, broccoli, mushrooms, asparagus, celery, peppers, tomatoes...what else? I'm probably forgetting something, but it was really quite tasty. Beth really loved the mushrooms.

And then time for bed already!

I guess that's what happens on a busy day!

Sunday, July 26

The bluest sky you would ever want was here today.

We started out with a nice breakfast -- Beth had an omelet, hash browns, yogurt and a banana. And coffee, of course. She ate every scrap, so I think she liked it all!

We called Mike and Ken, and got to talk to both of them. Mike was getting ready to take a week off -- good for him! And Ken was starting to talk about making plans for coming out for Thanksgiving. Yay!

The rest of the afternoon was outside in the beautiful sunny weather and in the wonderful cool pool. Beth did a lot of swimming, and when she got tired, she also lounged on the floats.

Here's a shot of her:

From 2009-07 Beth's summer Holida

After swimming, we got ready for the weekly family dinner at Erin and Drew's house. It was really great, Beth loved the turkey & bean tacos and fresh corn salad. After dinner, we all went down to the playroom to play on the Wii. Nancy and Graham played tennis -- I don't know why everybody was laughing at me.

And then Beth and the kids played bowling. It was a little tricky, but Beth really got into it. Lots of laughs!

Now, it's already getting late and Beth is getting ready for bed. Another long day, full of fun!

More photos from today are added to the slideshow. Here's one more:

From 2009-07 Beth's summer Holida

Saturday, July 25

Wow, it's another lovely day in KC!

Beth has a leisurely breakfast and spends a little time outside with her art.

We run a few errands in the afternoon, but I don't think there is a store in KC that is still selling swimwear! We struck out again. I'm thinking of other places we can check -- we've been to Target, two department stores, and a sporting goods store, and a couple of fashionable clothing shops so far.

We went to the bank and the grocery, successfully. In the afternoon, more swimming! Beth really, really enjoys the pool.

For dinner, it was Fancy Nancy's kitchen. We had chicken fingers, green beans with fresh tomatoes, and rice. And a lovely Peach Cobbler with vanilla ice cream for dessert.

It doesn't quite sound like it, but it was a busy day!

Here's one of Beth's emails

Beth just LOVES working on the computer.

She likes typing and thinking of what she wants to say to Scott.

Here's an example of one of her messages, this one is from yesterday, done entirely by her:

dear scoot hi how are you today how is the wheather out there in caliaf ornina is there anything going on out in cal a fornia would you say hi to every one to how they are doing out thing tout there how is every onoe doing out there i thereand to say hi how how i say love you all always and i will write you some time soone and i will write you to marow

Friday, July 24

This was a lazy Friday for Beth! She moved in slow motion all day -- a leisurely breakfast with cereal and yogurt. She took a long time selecting her music and took a long time to change into the swimming suit and then she took a long time to move outside to work on her art. She also took her time getting into the pool, even thought it was hot and sunny and the pool felt great!

In the afternoon, we went to Andrea's -- there was a swing band and folks were having a good time dancing. Oh, and there was a buffet of snacks, which Beth liked.

After that, we still had errands to run at the computer store. We got a little microphone, hoping it would help for the video conferences with Scott. We tried it out later, and it worked but there was some interference and we couldn't get our speakers to play loudly enough. We'll keep working on it -- it's so fun to be able to see each other!

We had a nice dinner -- baked tilapia with green chili sauce, rice and roasted corn. Yummy!

After dinner, Beth got to work on a long email to Scott. By the time she was done, her eyes were droopy and it was time for bed. (Working on a computer will do that!)

Thursday, July 23

Another wonderful day in Kansas City -- absolutely perfect! Bright blue skies, sunny, hot but not too hot because of a nice breeze.

Bethie had cereal, banana and yogurt for breakfast (with Simply Red in the background, after much deliberation) and then she headed outside to work on a new drawing. It was such a pretty day, she changed into the swimming suit with a sarong. She worked outside for a while, and then we had our daily video conference with Scott!

It's such fun to talk on the video! Beth always laughs and Scott laughs and we're all laughing at something silly. And she loves to see Scott & Jeff's little kitten.



After the video call, it was back outside for Beth -- she went swimming.

She practiced all her swimming strokes -- I saw freestyle, backstroke, sidestroke and breaststroke. It was good that she got that exercise, because we ran out of time to go to Curves!

In the afternoon, Brian and Pam came over with baby Simon. They swam in the pool while Nancy held Simon. He was comfy, sleeping and cooing.

Then a quick dinner -- grilled chicken tacos, with roasted onions and peppers and guacamole sauce, and rice. It was a quick dinner, because we immediately headed off to the library for a nice chamber music concert.

The concert was in two acts: first the strings, and then the winds. It was a nice event.

Afterward, on the way home, we stopped for a quick treat at Foo's, our local frozen custard joint. We were lucky because the line was only to the door! This place is so popular you often have to stand in line just to get in! Beth chose a mint-oreo cookie mixture, which, I have to say, was delicious. She was very quiet and ate it all very quickly, not wasting a drop!

After all that, time to turn in. Tomorrow is another busy day, but we will try to work in time for Beth to write another email to Scott. Talk with you soon!

Wednesday, July 22

Wow, what a beautiful day! It's bright and sunny and hot today, just a perfect July day. Our mission today is to get Beth a new swimming suit so she can enjoy the pool.

Beth woke up early today and dressed very nicely. She came downstairs and said, well, when are we going to that airport?

She had read something on my calendar, and thought she had to go home today! She was happy to learn that she has the rest of the month here, all the way until Aug. 1. I showed her the calendar and we went over it several times. She checked the calendar all day, and kept telling herself "two whole weeks" and "not until that next month" with a little giggle.

We are running errands today -- a little shopping, making some copies, to the library and we plan to go to Curves too. We're stopping at home just for a minute, for a quick lunch, so I thought I'd add the photos that Ken sent along with Beth.

These are great!




































LATER: Well, no luck on the swimming suit. We'll keep at it tomorrow. We did make it to the errands scheduled, the library and to Curves. A visit to a friend's house in the evening, and then back home for dinner.

We had pasta with broccoli, peppers, tomatoes, celery and carrots, with a little feta cheese and fresh basil. For dessert, fresh raspberries with a little ice cream and a tiny brownie from the deli. Yummy!

Monday and Tuesday

Hello!

Today is Tom's birthday, and Beth made a nice sign that we hung up in the kitchen for him.

Yesterday was a quiet day, mostly just around the house. Beth worked on her art work and played music all day (please, no more ABBA!). We went to the grocery store and had a nice dinner at home.

We also talked with Scott, and even did a videoconference -- it was amazing! We got to see Freeway, the new kitty, and the doggies and talked with Paco, too.

Later, in the evening, we went for dinner at Aixois. We saw Emmanuel, who was happy to see Beth again. We had a great dinner -- it was skatewing, grilled with lemon, with rice, a baby carrot and some lovely green beans. After dinner, we had a chocolate mousse. They brought it out with a candle on top, for Tom's birthday, so we sang "Happy Birthday" to him again.

What a fun day!

Check out the Summer Party!

This will give you a little idea of our Saturday party, at least the afternoon with the kids:





(I fixed the video, removed the extra junk at the end. Sorry about that!)

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Another incredible day! To start out today, we had omelets and toast. Beth had spinach, asparagus and feta cheese in her omelet and she ate every bit. She saved her toast crust for the birdies, though.

She was outside all day -- working on her art and swimming and some lounging, too.

Every Sunday, we have a family dinner. This week, it was at Brian and Pam's home. Erin was there with Lily, Graham and Margo -- Poppy was at home with Drew because she wasn't feeling well. Patsy was there, too, and of course, Simon, Pam and Brian.



Brian cooked a shrimp chowder for dinner, with salad and good bread. Then there was cake and ice cream for dessert, and we sang Happy Birthday to Tom (even though it's a little early -- his birthday is Tuesday).

Beth wore her fancy white skirt and a pretty top. She really looked nice!

Saturday, July 18 -- Party day!

A gorgeous day in Kansas City -- I think it might have been a record -- morning temperatures about 60 and it never got above maybe 72! Crystal clear, bright blue skies, just lovely.

A great day for our annual summer party!

Beth helped us get ready in the morning. She did a good job sweeping and generally helping out. In the afternoon, the kids came over to swim and play. Beth met the two new members of the family: Erin & Drew's daughter Margo, and Brian & Pam's son Simon.

We had a cookout, cheeseburgers plus potato salad, beans, pasta salad, hummus, veggies, watermelon and ice cream for dessert.

In the early evening, our friends started to arrive for the outdoor movie. We set up the big frame in the backyard, on the stone wall, and our friend Steve projected the movie across the pool. We showed Mamma Mia and there was some singing along with the songs! When the sun went down, it was too cool to be in the pool. We even had to break out blankets for some of our guests!

But Beth loved it! She sang along and had a nice time talking with many of our friends.

Here's two pictures that Beth took in the afternoon: Pam and Simon, and Erin and Margo.

Summer Adventures! July 17, 2009

Beth traveled by herself (gulp) from Columbus, Ohio, to Chicago Midway and then to Kansas City. She had to stay on the plane in Midway, but still it's a little bit scary for us to think of tiny Beth all alone out there!

But she arrived safely on time Friday.

It was funny... I was waiting outside the gate, watching everyone come off the plane and walk through the lobby to the door into the unsecured area. I was right by the door, watching, watching, watching... and all of a sudden, I look aside and there's Beth! Through the door! She had walked out following a big person, and followed by a big person and I didn't see her at all until she was right in front of me!

It was great to see her! We hugged and she started chatting and before too long, we were in the convertible drving home, Beth singing a new song that had the words "Kan-sas-City" over and over...

I'll try to record it...