Summer!!

This.....

is what summer.....

is all about!!!

Fun in the sun, friends, and smiling faces!



We ♥ summer!

Kendra's Weekend

Almost 3 weeks ago (time flies when you're having fun!) Justin, Kendra and I had a whirlwind trip to Wichita. We left bright and early Saturday morning, while AJ spent the day with Papa and Grandma.

Did I mention that Justin and I got up REALLY early? I think at this point in the trip Justin had run out of coffee. :)

Kendra handled the drive a little better...but of course she slept in a little more than mommy and daddy. She was even a good traveler after her DVD player quit working.

There was so much excitement waiting for us in Wichita! Let me tell you, it's a good thing we left as early as we did! After finding our seats and refreshing ourselves, we didn't have much time to wait!

We spent the short wait letting our excitement build. We talked endlessly about dinosaurs and all things related. How could we not? We knew that this was going to be AWESOME! (We also spent some time begging daddy for cotton candy, and of course, we won!)

We marveled at our proximity of our seats to the stage. We theorized on what was about to take place. We had prepared ourselves and we thought we knew what to expect. However, all of the YouTube videos and conversations with those who had previously attended didn't come close to preparing us for the spectacular show we were about to see. The announcer blared over the loud speaker..."Five minutes to show time. Please turn of all cell phones, and turn off the flashes on your cameras. Dinosaurs are not fans of modern technology. If you don't abide, the results could be....catastrophic."

The crowd was buzzing. Kids were chattering and jittery, and parents were smiling. Grandmas rushed little ones for one last restroom break, while grandpas filled their arms with goodies for the show. Daddy finally gave in and grabbed the cotton candy vendor on her last trip down the aisle before the show. You could feel the excitement building. Then finally, the lights dimmed. The curtains opened, and out came the....paleontologist. He immediately captured every one's attention by describing the lands dinosaurs inhabited and the job duties he had. It wasn't long before the curtains opened again, and the things everyone had been waiting to see began making their way on stage.

The stage was barren, just as the Earth would have been at the time these creatures roamed freely. Soon, however, beautiful plants and trees began to pop up all around us as we entered the next phase in the days of the dinosaurs.

It didn't take long for the dinosaurs to become larger and the action to pick up as species fought for food and survival in front of our very eyes.

We also got to see mommy dinosaurs nurture, protect, and love their young. There were lots of mommas kissing and cuddling their young ones in the audience also.

We continued to travel through time, and soon beautiful, bright flowers were popping up everywhere! Of course, we were also introduced to new species of dinosaurs.

This brought Kendra's absolute favorite dinosaur on stage, Triceratops. She was a chattering and excited the entire time this one was on stage! We were even lucky enough to get a close up view as she feasted away on flowers right in front of us!

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. We again warped through time and came to the last era of dinosaurs.

They definitely saved the best for last! The cutest little dinosaur of all took stage...baby T. Rex! Of course, children, by nature, always find trouble. Let me tell you, baby T. Rex was no different! Soon, mama T. Rex had to come protect her child, and this was the grand finale to the show.

Mama T. Rex ran around the stage, warning all predators around that she meant business. Baby T. Rex ran behind, attempting to echo her roars. The audience roared with laughter at the young dinosaur's attempt.

We were fortunate enough to get a close up of Mama T. Rex as she came by for a photograph. After the picture was taken, she let out a fierce growl, and Kendra and I both landed in Daddy's lap! The show couldn't go on forever, so a meteorite was simulated and the curtains closed.

Let me tell you...there was constant chatter as we made our way through town for a quick lunch. We were all pretty tired, and planned on a quick nap before an afternoon and evening of swimming. Kendra, however, could not wait and fell asleep in the car. Just as we were settling into our room, we realized that there was no pool for us to swim in! It took as a while to figure out what were going to do. Fortunately, there was another hotel in the same chain a short drive away, so after changing, we all headed that way. We ended our evening with Snoballs and pizza in our room. It was early to bed for the tired Ryan family! Our trip ended the next morning with a short visit to the mall. We did a little shopping, and Kendra surprised us by asking to "bungee jump".

Once she was strapped in, all courage she had was immediately forgotten, and understandably so. She could have jumped nearly to the open skylight! She did get a few feet off the ground, but only with the assistance of the worker. :) (Notice the Dillard's behind Kendra...this is the very Dillards I was in when my water broke with Kendra!)

With that, we ended our trip and headed home. Wichita is a fun place to visit, but there is no place like home!