While not all of our field trips from August until now have been in KC, I do think that there are a lot of very neat opportunities for field trips here and I didn't realize just how much I'd done with Audrey until looking back on these photos and more. There are even some that are not on here because my phone was not available or it was an unexpected field trip.
1. Disney: It was Audrey's fifth birthday and my mom's fiftieth (did I just rat out my mom's age??). We weren't planning on doing Disney for Audrey's fifth, but we had a few offers we couldn't refuse and ended up in Orlando, my mom, Audrey, Cesar and I. While there we went to the Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Downtown Disney and the beach.
2. Farms and Fruit
We have gone at least twice (though I'm thinking more) to pick fruit (blueberries, grapes and rasberries this year, though we missed picking apples and peaches like we did last year). We also have gone to several farms that have animals to pet and feed. Our favorites are Happy Valley Farm (where we picked blueberries, grapes and rasberries), Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead (lots of animals and a great active farmstead that teaches children about the times of local stores, one-room schoolhouses and native american culture) and Cider Hill Family Orchard (apple picking).
3. When it was fall festival and pumpkin time, our church had an event (and I'm sorry I can't remember the name of the place where it was held) that included barrel rides, a hayride to the pumpkin patch, dinner and a corn maze!
4. A homeschool group on Facebook invites us to quite a few events and one of Audrey's most exciting moments was seeing the Alvin Ailey ballet at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.
5. And we got super excited to find out that Union Station was celebrating its 100th anniversary and that Science City had discounted tickets! Now THIS is a science class!
And as if all of that weren't enough, I went to pick up some things I had ordered from a friend in direct sales, and her husband works at a fire station and invited us to take a tour. She keeps asking to go back!
The lesson in all of this? There were many lessons. But as I reflect and look over my pictures from the last year (keep in mind, these pictures are just of the past 3 months), I realize even more how important it is to cherish the moments we have together and to take the time to spend with our children. How blessed are we to have done all of this (except for Disney and the prices of the fruit we took home with us) for free! Free memories that last a lifetime! And great conversations have come as Audrey has asked me what things are, how they operate, what they mean and of course, WHY!?