....Random Pictures....

On one of our first "hikes", we discovered a plant called "Lamb's Ear". I'm sure it has many names, but I call it "Nature's Toilet Paper"...she thought that was really funny.





One of the coolest and creepiest things we've done since we got to Missouri was going to this maze in a huge corn field. I thought this was going to be like waist high, easy to get through....Nooooo...we're talking over 10-feet tall, miles and miles of mazes....we actually got lost in there. Laura and I managed to keep our composure, but we were secretly kind of freaking out. Finally, we cheated and went through the "walls" to get up onto a bridge (yeah, they had bridges that would go up over the stalks of corn)...From there we were finally able to figure out how to get out. The kids didn't want to go back...EVER! But it sure got a lot of their energy out....



One of our favorite things about Missouri is the change of the seasons. Vegas didn't really have that. The leaves turned the most awesome colors! This was one of our favorite trees we saw as we were walking along the Missouri River in Parkville, Missouri...a very cool little town.

Choosing our Christmas tree. We had a great time, although, it was FREEZING! I don't know if we're ever gonna get used to the drastic temperature difference between Missouri and Las Vegas...maybe we didn't hate everything (like the winter weather).

Taylor and Andrew with their Best Friends from Smithville Montessori Academy. In January, they'll be moving schools...AGAIN. They're gonna miss these guys (Taylor H. and Liam).

Taylor's Christmas Dance Recital...Why is it that they are NEVER in synch...oh, wait, I guess its because they range in ages from 3 to 5 years old....hmmm!

Just a funny picture of Andrew...he loved this "hat"...

The Move

Many people ask us when we tell them where we're from (Las Vegas) why we would choose Kansas City to move to...here's the story! We HATED Las Vegas. We hated the heat, the casinos, the traffic, the lack of things to do without having to enter a casino, and most of all we hated that our daughter would learn (probably sooner than later) that she can earn pretty good money for dancing without clothes on...Besides, we have great family in Missouri...We moved to Smithville, which is about 25 miles north of KC, in August of 2008. It was a tough move for all of us. We had to say goodbye to wonderful friends, coworkers, and worst of all...our better Frayer Family halves (Jason, Jaimee, Alex, Tristan, and Kaleb)... not to mention Grandma Becky and my sister Courtney and her boyfriend Ed!...The anticipation of getting on the road early that morning was quickly dashed as we struggled to say the final goodbye and give the final hug...lots of tears! The kids and I left (Grandma tagged along to help, thank god!), and Scott stayed behind as he was not starting his job in KC as soon as I had to report. The trip was long and painful, but we were excited once we started thinking about new beginnings. When we arrived in Smithville we were greeted by anxious family members Aunt Laura, Angela, Grandpa Neil, Daniel, and Uncle Kenny...We moved in with Aunt Laura (poor 13-year old Angela got an insta-family with two noisy, crazy little cousins)and we stayed there as things began to steadily unravel...I hated my job, the kids hated their school, and we missed Scott immensely! The time difference made it hard to stay in touch as I attempted to keep the kids on a routine with meal and bed time...The small house we stayed in made it hard for us to get settled since we didn't have a space of our own. The kids were trashing Laura's house and screaming at all hours! Yikes! About a long, horrible month later, Scott arrived! Whew! He had already scouted out houses in the neighborhood we liked and we were ready to buy! We bought! From that point on it has been smooth sailing. Well, almost. We bought our house, but had nothing to put inside. All of our furniture and things were still in Vegas in a storage unit. After about a month of going to bed early (no tv, and running out of things to talk about) Grandpa and Scott flew to Vegas, loaded up the Penske truck and returned with the "guts" of our new home. Much to my chagrin, I had denied the opportunity to go along so that I could supervise the packing, and many things came back to me chipped, broken, or scratched...oh well, it was better than nothing...We have been steadily unpacking, but we got that tv and couch in quick! We have began to settle in, and now we're looking forward to Christmas in our first home! Update on my job and the kids' school: I changed positions, and the kids have changed schools and things are MUCH better now!...That's the story...Jaimee, pics are on their way. I promise!