Missouri in Photos: Days 1-3

Our Missouri trip started out with a full day of travel, with a flight out of John Wayne Airport and a short layover in Denver. We landed in Kansas City around 8pm. I'm sure most of you could take a guess at where the family went first. Yup. Cracker Barrel. We sat in Cracker Barrel and ordered what we could of what they had left. They were out of meatloaf, roast beef, pot roast, hash brown casserole, and a few other items. Never the less, I ordered the "wholesome" breakfast meal, although I wasn't so sure it how "wholesome" it really was! We ate and watched the most amazing lightning storm I had ever seen. Day two was a nice day of relaxing and swimming in Terry and Jan's pool. In the evening, we headed over to Liberty, Missouri's old town and ate Mexican Food. It wasn't bad for Mexican food in Missouri. On Day three, I woke up to the news that Robyn's water broke. We were so bummed that miss Ivy was deciding to come early, when all the family was away!!!! With Robyn heading to the hospital in California, we headed to Kansas City for a day out. I got my first look at the Missouri river. Very muddy and murky. We went to Union Station and walked around. Word has it that there was a shoot out there to free a mob criminal that was being transported to a prison. The mob guy was killed on accident during the shoot out. Bummer. Next, we headed over to the Hallmark Center and walked around there. (This is when we found out that Ivy was born!) Jackson and Madelyn got to play in a Clifford exhibit they had there. We finished off the day with BBQ that was just okay and a walk around the shops in the heart of Kansas City. Stay tuned for the next few days in Missouri...

Jackson, our little traveler! This was his 5 time flying and he did great! He even carried his own luggage!

Firsts: Madelyn's first Cracker Barrel buttermilk biscuit and her first time in a bathing suit!

Liberty, Missouri....the bank where Jesse James and his gang robbed a bank in broad daylight for the first time.

Our sweet set-up in Terry and Jan's basement, complete with beds for our family of four!

Union Station, Kansas City, MO (Where's Jackson?)

The clock @ Union Station

Jackson's interview w/ Daddy.

The fam @ Union Station

Clifford, The Big Red Dog, with Big Jackson and Little Madelyn

Jackson's first "Build-a-Dino"...he named him "Roar." :)

Madelyn sporting Build-a-Bear sunglasses, which fit her perfectly.


Kansas City, AKA, the City of Fountains

Dinner and Shopping...



Me and my guy. :)

Jackson's 2nd Birthday

Saturday was a big day for our little boy. He turned two. And, as excited as a little boy could be, his parents were even more so because this was the first birthday that Jackson understood what was going on!
We had a full day of celebration. Most of the family went up to Oak Glen to the Hawk's Head Public House, a restaurant on Riley's Farms (the ORIGNIAL Riley's---not the one next to it that split off to get business on Sundays). Jackson had so much fun playing with his cousins on the grounds of Riley's. There was a bridge to cross, which provided a really good photo spot, and also a little pond with a dock. There were a bunch of walking sticks that the boys used as pretend riffles, and a whole lot of grass to roll in. We bought a big pumpkin for a dollar there and a bad batch of apples for 5 dollars. Of course, we wouldn't have bought them if we knew they were bad (more on that later...).
Next, we headed back to our house for some pizza, presents, and cake. It was great fun to watch Jackson's expressions as he opened all his gifts. By the way, I seriously don't think I could fit anymore toys in my house! He is truly a blessed little boy and has no shortage of toys and books! Jackson looked forward to blowing out his candles on his "Happy Cake" (as he called birthday cake....isn't that adorable?), and when it came time to do it, he was so excited! When he blew, though, he couldn't quite get enough air out to actually blow out the candles. It somehow took the help of his daddy and all his cousins to get the job done!
At the end of the day, we had a living room full of new toys and other gifts, a 1/2 eaten Costco cake, cold pizza in the oven, and a very tired, but extremely happy 2-year-old boy!

The Hawk's Head had really good apple cider. We ordered Jackson a child size and it came in this cute mug with the ABC's on it!
Jackson wasn't too sure about a man wearing knickers singing happy birthday to him. I can't say I blame him.
Troy and I with the birthday boy!
Jackson and his cousins!
Jackson was very impressed with all the leaves on the ground.
How do all boys like pretending that sticks are guns?
Our Family @ Oak Glen
The Family @ Oak Glen
...and again in front of the Hawk's Head Public House/ Chesterfield Colonial House.
Jackson opens David and Robyn's gift...a blow up Lightning McQueen bed, which he slept in that night!
Jackson opens a gift from Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncle Tim...a Mega Bloks fire truck. He is all about fire trucks right now!
Jackson gets some assistance with blowing out his candles.
The End.

Cambria Mini-Vacation Day 2

Sorry this is a bit late, but better late than never, right? :)

Here is a photo-summary of what we did on day 2:
Jackson got the king-size bed all to himself during his morning nap!We ate lunch at an English tea room called The Tea Cozy. This was probably one of the best eating experiences I have ever had! The little sandwiches were wonderful, the deserts were amazing and they had PG Tips and Scottish Blend tea...yum! We also had a chicken pasty and that was delicious. The service was wonderful. The atmosphere was calm and quaint. For any of you who are going to Cambria sometime in the future, I definitely recommend this place!The inside of The Tea Cozy.Scottish Blend with a wee bit of milk and sugar is the best! Notice the "tea cozy" on the pot? Hence, the name of the restaurant!The Sticky Toffee Pudding was a close second to the Sticky Toffee Pudding I had in Bushmills, Northern Ireland (and that is pretty good!).Troy enjoyed his spot of tea!After lunch at The Tea Cozy, we headed up the coast to The Ragged Point. The Ragged Point is just that...a really ragged point high above the ocean. It is breathtaking there! See for yourself!Jackson and I enjoy the view.
Yea! A family photo!Jackson and I feed the squirrels. There were very friendly!Jackson watches the Elephant Seals. They like to sunbathe all along the coast.After our afternoon excursion, Troy's parents offered to watch Jackson while Troy and I went into town for dinner. We ate at a restaurant called The Sow's Ear.The food was pricey, but really, really tastey! I ordered the pot roast and Troy ordered the macadamia nut-crusted halibut. Both meals were delicious. They serve what they called "flower pot bread" there. The bread is actually baked and served in a little flower pot! Very creative!
After a wonderful dinner, Troy and I drove back to Moonstone beach and took a stroll. We also took this awesome picture of us and the sunset!On day three, we got up for one last stroll on the beach. We had a great time and want to go back at least once a year! Perhaps I will paint this picture...

Cambria Mini Vacation - Day 1

I have come to the conclusion that Cambria is one of my favorite places to visit. Troy, Jackson and I joined Troy's parents in Cambria last week for a little and much needed get-away. This was Troy and I's second time visiting Cambria, which is located just below San Simeon (Hearst Castle). Cambria is a great combination of a little mountain town with pines and an old down town and an little ocean town with great little inns right on the water. We took advantage of the White Water Inn's Elmer Dill's Getaway Special, which was an AMAZING deal! We got the hotel room (w/ breakfast) for $125 a night, along with two gift certificates (one $15 and one $50) for restaurants in town. The normal hotel room price for the inn is around $200, just to give you an idea of how good of a deal this is. The inn basically does this to entice visitors to stay during the week, so the deal is only good for week nights.

Cambria has beautiful shops and restaurants with gorgeous gardens.Jackson wore a special vacation outfit!Jackson observed the Pacific Ocean's waves for the second time in his life.Ahh....it is so beautiful! The sound of the waves rhythmically crashing on the rocks is such a relaxing sound!Jackson and TroyTroy, Me, Gary, Carolyn, and Jackson enjoying the sunset on Moonstone Beach.

Cambria has some really good restaurants, but the Main Street Grill isn't one of them. When I walked in the cafeteria-style restaurant, it was somewhat musty and a bit on the dirty side (the tables were not clean). I ordered the grilled chicken sandwich, which was actually really good. Troy and Carolyn had the Tri-tip sandwich, and that wasn't bad, either. It was nothing to write home about. However, when Troy was in the bathroom, he noticed that one of the employees walked out of the a bathroom stall, right past the sinks, and out the door. When he asked for the manager, the employees claimed he wasn't there. Ewww. That is all I have to say!

For dinner, we ate at The Old Station. Troy and I ate at this restaurant on our first visit. The service was amazing then, and still is great! The food is good as well. They also have great desserts. We wanted to try their very popular cobbler, but every time we tried to get some, they were out! This is a good place to eat with the family!

That concludes Day 1 of our trip....visit tomorrow to see Day 2!