Kansas City

Last weekend we went to Kansas city and had an amazing time.  We planned the trip because of the Kansas City temple Open House and we were joined by our dear friends the Thomas' and the Owens- which made it much much more fun.

The Hotel:
We stayed at the Fairfield Inn by the airport.  It was on the outskirts of town which may not have made it the best location but it was great for our needs.  The hotel staff was amazingly kind and patient with our 11 rambunctious, super excited kids who were at times a bit out of control.  They were thrilled to be together and in a hotel and they loved the pool and the rooms and the lobby and the breakfast and all of that hotel stuff.

The Temple:

Our whole Crew (not necessarily organized by family).

waiting in line

 

 The Temple experience was Marvelous!  It is a beautiful temple in its very visible location close to the freeway and set in such a way that like many temples it almost looks like its raised above ground level.  When we arrived we waited outside the nearby church building for just a short time, before being ushered into a room to see a short video about the temple.  Then we met our tour guides and began our walk to the temple grounds.  Before entering, some youth put shoe covers on our feet to keep the temple clean.  Inside the temple was beautiful and peaceful and rich with the presence of the Spirit.  To be able to show it to our children and be there together was just such a blessing.  It was very meaningful to us and we both fought the tears back the whole time.

 Afterwards there was cookies and punch in the churches gymnasium.  The were the best snicker-doodles we ever had and definitely Emmit's favorite part :)

Kansas City:

Unfortunately my pictures from the afternoon were taken on my phone because I forgot my camera.  They are not good at all.  Anyways, we drove downtown Kansas City to the Crown Center where we ate at a fun restaurant called Fritz's where trains line the ceilings and deliver your food.  The kids loved it, as you can imagine.  We then went to a fun place called Kaleidoscope where they kids can go crazy with some great art projects.  Then on to the Hallmark museum and then for dinner some yummy Kansas City BBQ!  What a day!

Liberty Jail:
On Sunday morning we had just enough time before leaving to see Liberty Jail.  It was really neat to see and a great experience.  I learned a lot and think the kids did too.

Its hard to see with the bad lighting but the Jail has been recreated and then a dome built around it.  The dimensions are almost exact and even some of the original stone was used.  The prisoners were kept in the basement.  Seeing it made the circumstances much more real feeling.

A replica of the gold plates.

Inside the visitors center and chatting with the Sister Missionaries.

The weekend was a blast.  We had such a great time as a family and with our wonderful friends.