We've been in Arkansas for over four years now, and I'm pretty sure we've had four trips to Kansas City planned. And then canceled. But we FINALLY made it work! It was a very short trip, but it was fun-filled with tons of memories made. Not only did I get to cross off the 'Kansas City trip' from my 14 things to do this year, but I also go to cross off 'surprise the kids with a trip.' They had no idea we were going, which was pretty cool since I packed for all four of us and got the van ready on Thursday while Gavin was home from school. They woke up Friday morning and we told them that instead of family movie night, we were going to have 'family movie morning' in the van - which is a big deal since they're only allowed to watch the dvd player in the van on long drives.
We drove straight to the zoo (with a McDonald's breakfast pitstop) and the kids were amazing. Five and a half hours of walking around the zoo with no stroller!
Gavin was completely obsessed with reading the map and letting us know which was to go next and what animals we were getting close to.
One of my favorite things at the zoo was the ski lift. I've never seen such a thing before at a zoo, but we got to ride across the African habitats and see the zebras, giraffes, lions, etc. from above. It was pretty awesome!
We also saw a really fun sea lion show. I think all the animals that involve water are are always my favorite. We loved watching the penguins dive in (and push each other in) and seeing the polar bear do back flips right on the other side of the glass.
The kids really liked the swinging bridge. The sign said that it has a natural 'sway' and to just walk naturally - yeah....it swung back and forth like crazy! Jarrod had to hold Riley's hands so she wouldn't fall down. Haha!
After the zoo, we headed to our hotel to check in and took their free shuttle to Country Club Plaza to walk around. The front desk recommended a restaurant for dinner, which was really good. Gavin started to feel nauseous while we were there, so we hurried up and just headed back to the hotel. I think he was just tired and hot though... After resting and drinking some ginger ale, we headed down to swim for twenty minutes or so. Riley was just a little fish, showing off her swimming lesson tricks for Daddy and Gavin. When they were 'shaking like a leaf' (Riley's words...) we headed back upstairs to get ready for bed while Jarrod grabbed us another free drink from the bar. Gotta love Embassy Suites!
Then, another milestone occurred. Gavin and Riley went to sleep on the pull out sofa, and for the first time since becoming parents, Jarrod and I shared the bed in a hotel. He wasn't in one bed with Gavin while I was in the other with Riley. The kids slept in one bed. Do you realize what that means??? Yet another way I know our family is transitioning out of the baby phase. And yet another silly thing to make me cry... Why do they have to grow up so fast?!?!
The next morning, we packed up, headed down for the free breakfast (another Embassy Suites perk) and headed out to explore Union Station. There was a neat train display with an area for the kids to play. Riley loved the miniature carousel - which is funny because when she begged to ride the real carousel the day before at the zoo, she ended up clinging to me, pinching my arm from gripping so tightly, while crying 'I want to get off!' the whole time.
We visited one of the hotels that is connected to Union Station and checked out new things we can do on our next trip. There is SO much to do there!
On the skywalk, I asked the kids to turn around a 'strike a pose' (aka my attempt to get them to freeze for a picture!) and this is what I got...
Goofballs!
After a struggle in a public restroom with Riley that resulted in her having a timeout right there (gosh, that was fun!) we headed back to Union Station and took the kids to a planetarium show and then to Science City. They LOVED it and it got me really excited about the children's museum that is coming to Bentonville next year. I can't wait!
We left the museum and headed to lunch - blah! Jarrod loved it, I hated it. While there, Riley started having another meltdown and sweet as can be said, "I just want to take a nap!" She was exhausted from the trip. She actually laid down in the booth and fell asleep. That's when we knew it was time to head back home. We only planned to stay one night anyway, but just didn't know how long we'd hang around the city on Saturday. We left the restaurant, Gavin joined Riley in napping within five minutes, and we made it home in time for dinner.
I love these little road trips with my family, and wish we could budget for more of them. I definitely want to head back to Kansas City and I'd love to try out Little Rock, too. Memories that will last a lifetime!
