KU vs. Richmond

Rock chalk, Jayhawk!  I just couldn't let basketball season pass without seeing a KU game in person since we're only about 45 minutes from Lawrence.  Tickets are very hard to come by (186 straight home sell-outs) so pretty much the only hope of getting tickets is for a non-conference game after finals are over and the students are gone.  The KU vs. Richmond game fit the bill and we had a great time.

Originally, Zach was going to stay home with Ben while I took Dan and met up with my sisters and parents.  Unfortunately, Zach's flight home from Germany got delayed by a day so we had to drag Ben with us.  He wasn't too interested in the game, but the cheerleaders and dance team did hold his attention.  Dan wanted to keep an eye on the mascots, Jay and Baby Jay, but he did pay a little attention to the game itself.  I forgot that everyone stands the whole game (at least where we were, in the cheap seats), making it hard for the four-feet-and-under crowd to see.  The game certainly wasn't a nail-biter (KU won, 87-59), but hopefully this is just the beginning of a lifelong obsession with the 'Hawks!

This was right before he put on his Jayhawk yarmulke.  Pairing an ugly Christmas sweater with ugly Hanukkah headgear is a bold move.

Carriage Ride

Country Club Plaza in Kansas City was designed in 1922 as the nation's first outdoor shopping center.  Bet you didn't know that!  The Plaza has great shops, restaurants, and lots of fountains and artwork.  During the holidays, all the buildings have Christmas lights and beautiful decorations, so we decided to take a slow, leisurely carriage ride to take in all the sights.  Lauren's been staying with us and my parents drove up from Wichita, making it a family affair.  Too bad Zach's had to miss all this fun while he's in Germany for work!

The boys loved riding in the carriage and looking at all the lights.  Our horse's name was Bob, but they didn't seem to pay too much attention to him.  Dan was too busy hanging over the edge and Ben just wanted to stay warm and cozy.  It was actually not too cold out, maybe about 45 degrees or so.  After the ride, we had dinner and then my parents brought the boys home and Lauren and I walked around and window-shopped (and picked up dessert from The Cheesecake Factory, of course).

Dan's Christmas Concert

On Monday, Dan's class (and the other morning preschool class) performed a selection of Christmas songs for parents and friends.  They all did a great job!  Dan had been singing all the songs non-stop for a few weeks, but the day of the concert, he decided to let the other kids have a chance to shine and he just did the hand motions.  I kept mouthing to him, "Sing! Sing!" but he ignored me, as usual.  Oh, well--he was still the cutest one there, in my humble opinion.  (I was also glad that I got to reuse part of his adorable ring bearer outfit from last summer.)

 

Pics with Santa

After all the fun of cutting down the Christmas tree, I had to do some serious bribing (cookies were involved) to get Dan and Ben to sit with Santa.  Luckily, no one else was waiting in line or even the best bribes would have been unsuccessful.  They both sat nicely and told Santa just what they wanted (Hiro the train for Dan and Scruff the train for Ben).  I'm just glad that Ben got near him because he usually has an intense hatred of men with beards.  I guess he could tell that this beard was fake and, therefore, nothing to be scared of.

Proof of a successful visit with St. Nick:

Cutting down the Christmas tree

Since Zach's out of the country for work, the boys and I high-tailed it to Wichita for the weekend.  We all needed a change of scenery (and two extra pairs of hands were a nice bonus because Dan and Ben are wearing me out!).  As an added bonus, we went to Prairie Pines to cut down the Christmas tree for my parents' house.  The weather was really nice--chilly but sunny and not windy at all.  Pretty much a perfect Kansas winter day.  

Dan insisted on carrying the saw the whole time but he was closely supervised, so please, don't call CPS on us.  It was fun to walk around checking out all the different kinds of trees.  Ben was in a grumpy mood but we mostly just ignored him when he was at his whiniest.  Dan had a great time and I'm sure Grandpa appreciated all the help when it came to actually cutting down the tree!  

(I'll put the Santa pictures on tomorrow.  Stand by for cuteness overload!)

Leavenworth Christmas Parade

Last Friday, Dan and Ben experienced their first parade!  We drove the four blocks or so to downtown Leavenworth for the annual Christmas parade.  It was probably only 10 or 15 floats/bands/horses long but the boys absolutely loved it.  Dan said his favorite part was the old-fashioned police car with its funny horn and I think Ben really liked the carriage with Santa (despite his aversion to men with beards).  The next day, Dan would just randomly say, "You know, Mommy, I really loved that parade."  Mission accomplished!