Summer 14 Roadtrip: Day 7

Day 7: June 27 in Independence, MO

On Friday, Grandpa took the boys to the World War I Museum and the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City while Grandma took the girls to the Puppetry Arts Institute and to the ovies to see "Maleficent."

Here's the outside of the World War 1 Museum in downtown Kansas City

James loves guns!

James & Niles

So many cool vintage War Posters!

Downtown Kansas City from the Museum tower
(the building with the arches is Union Station which houses Science City--I'd spent the previous day there with Mom Melin and the girls; to the right of this picture is Crown Center and Hallmark Headquarters)

Authentic Soldier food...
Goulash and biscuits and cole slaw for Niles

Not-so-authentic Pizza for James

Niles & James at the FR Bank

Mad Stacks of Cash!
***

Later that evening after we were reunited, we went to dinner at a KC BBQ place called Bandanas then to the Visitor's Center for our own little tour. The mission president was leaving that day, so all the sisters gathered to say good bye that night.

Grandpa pushing Ammon in his pram

Addie and Heidi

Rich, James, Heidi, Me, Niles, Addie, Grandpa and Grandma

Niles in the Pioneer cabin

Ellie Brenchley (granddaughter of the Visitor Center Director), Niles and James in the covered wagon

James with the Joseph Smith statue

James watching "MormonAds" about family life

Niles helped Grandma make breakfast!

Heidi doing art on Grandma's couch with Ammon

Summer 14 Roadtrip: Day 6

Day 6: Thursday June 26

Grandma and Grandpa had two days off their missionary work to show us around the area. They had a zillion amazing activities planned for us! That first day, Grandpa took the boys to Lego Land at Crown Center and Grandma took us girls to Science City at Union Station, all in downtown Kansas City. It was fun to see Grandpa and Grandma navigating a big huge city!

Niles and James heading to Lego Land

Niles and James with a Lego guy (is that the guy from the movie?)

Niles spots a plethora of legos!

James watching the lego builders at work

James with Lego R2-D2 and C3PO

Niles with C3PO

Lego soccer stadium (it was World Cup time!)

James with Lego Batman

James on Lego Motorcycle

For lunch we came over from Science City and met the guys for lunch at Crown Center food court. The Brenchleys also joined us (The Visitors Center Director and his wife had a 13-yo granddaughter visiting from Springville, Utah, so she joined in most of our adventures). Addie and I had delicious turkey sandwiched from Einstein Bros, Rich and Heidi had Chinese food, and the little boys had brats. Then we walked over to Kaleidoscope, an Arts and Crafts place that Hallmark created for kids (a place where they recycle/reuse extra paper goods, too).

Addie at Kaleidoscope

Niles with Grandma at Kaleidoscope

Heidi at Kaleidoscope

James and Dad at Kaleidoscope

After Kaleidoscope and a visit to the Hallmark History museum (did you know Winston Churchill was a painter? He was also BFFs with the founder of Hallmark and gifted him with several paintings--I loved them!),  We headed back to Independence and had Hawaiian Haystacks for dinner at Grandma's apartment. Then we went to this fun waterpark near the apartment.

Addie & Heidi

Addie

James

Niles

Niles & James splashing

James kept trying to get Niles with the spray,
but Niles figured out how to do it really quick!

We had a great time there and we were EXHAUSTED that night! We slept well and got ready for another busy day on Friday.

Summer 14 Roadtrip: Day 5

Day 5: Wednesday July 25th

We woke up and packed up Wednesday morning, then went to take a family picture in front of the Nauvoo Temple. We said good bye to The City of Joseph and headed to Missouri to see Grandpa and Grandma (we were so excited!).

Rich took this picture of Niles and me early Wednesday morning.
(We had such a nice hotel, we all slept so well!)

Melin Family at the Nauvoo Temple
(the nice lady who took the picture didn't quite get the bell tower in the shot,
but you get the idea)

James and Niles on the temple steps

Cute brothers at the temple

I got a sun catcher that looks just like these pretty inverted star windows on the temple

Joseph Smith statue on Mullholland Street.

We drove south along the Mississippi River for a few minutes, then crossed it at Keokuk, Iowa, then drove south some more til we turned off on a highway in Missouri and headed West toward Independence.



We had a potty stop at a god-forsaken gas station in a tiny rural town full of some clearly-meth-addicted patrons. We survived. Then we had lunch at Taco Bell and headed south to Liberty Jail.

We had a great reunion with Grandpa and Grandma Melin in the foyer of the Visitor Center at Liberty Jail. Two buses arrived just after we did, so they put us in a room with a video and some drinks and snacks until the crowd had subsided. Then Grandpa led us through the regular tour. It starts in a chapel-like room where he gave us some history of the jail, then he took us into the rotunda with this replica of the jail, complete with mannequins of Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, Alexander McRae, Caleb Baldwin, and Lyman Wight (in this photo, you can only see Joseph on the left and Alexander on the right).

Grandpa told us many stories of things that happened while the men were imprisoned.

Addie, Heidi, and James looking down at the jail

Niles, Grandma, and Heidi on the lower level of the rotunda.

It was wonderful to see Grandpa and Grandma in action and to learn why Liberty Jail is such a holy place. It was a refiner's fire for the prisoners, and we all must pass through our own "Liberty Jail" periods in life. After our tour, Grandpa and Grandma took us to dinner at The T-Rex Café.

Ammon, James, Heidi, Addie, and Niles outside the restaurant.

James and Heidi climbing the stairs up to the balcony where our booth was situated.

Addie and James in our booth

Heidi, James, and Grandpa panning for gold in the geology section of the café.

Niles on a Dino-Dig

Heidi and James, paleontologists at work.

James on a Dino-Dig.

 

James, Niles, Grandpa ready for dinner.

Heidi, Grandma, Ammon and Addie waiting for food.

James and Niles met a dinosaur

Entrance to the T-Rex Café
 



We had such good food at the café and there were so many fun things to look at and do! It was such a wonderful treat from Grandma and Grandpa, the kids will be talking about it for years. We drove home, planned out our next day, and hit the hay!

 

[While we were leaving the restaurant, I got news that my stepdad's father, Grandpa Jack Drews had passed way early that morning. My kids and Rich never met him, but he was such a sweet man. I felt so sorry for Mark and for Grandma Drews.]