Favorites at Fort Leavenworth

Every place we move there are favorites. Those places you will never forget. The ones you only go to once, but made memories that'll last forever. The ones you go to over and over.

Here are my favorite places! (In no particular order)

Food:
1. Okie Joe's.
LOVE this place. Best BBQ we had while in Kansas. It is part of a gas station. The line will be out the door.
2. All Slabbed Up.
Best burnt ends, bottle caps(fried jalapenos), and sweet tea.
3. Retro Diner.
Super cheap, little hole in the wall. Get the pancakes.
4. The Depot.
They give you little complimentary donuts.
5. Bassa Prua.
They have AMAZING donuts and the brunch is delish...especially with a mimosa.
6. Pullman Place.
Cheap food, but good. There is a table in the front of the restaurant with a train IN the table. So cool for the kids to see.
7. El Porto Mexican Cafe.
Queso dip, chips, and salsa are given right away for the table.
8. DFAC.
The dining facility on post. It is cafeteria style, so many options, and delish dessert options for VERY cheap.
9. Baan Thai.
Pad Se Eew and the thai iced tea is on point.
10. Tacos El Gallo 
Legit. Street tacos. Jamaica. Tamales. Pan Dulce. Mexican market attached to it.

Coffee:
1. Harbor Lights.
Caramel blast latte. Egg, sausage, and pepperjack on a bagel. Homemade cheescake. O.M.G.
2. Meriwether's.
Lavender Moon latte. They also have local art displayed for purchase and antiques.

Kid Places:
1. Monkey Bizness.
Indoor small zipline, bounce house slide, swing set, toddler area and cafe all inside.
2. Karnes playground.
Amazing zipline and climbling stuff for kids. Not for the paranoid parent. Made for older kids or adults if they want a good unconventional workout.
3. Landing 4 theater.
Cheap movies. .50 cents on certain days.
4. Wonderscope.
Children's interactive museum. It was an old school turned museum and each old "classroom" is a different theme/activity.
5. On post activities.
So many awesome parks here. Plus a skate park, horse stables, a pool, bowling alley and gymnastics room.
6. T-Rex Cafe.
Restaurant, but definitely for the kids.
7. Wheel Thing.
Indoor roller rink. Like, old school roller skating.
8. Missouri River.
Just to walk around, skip rocks, enjoy the bridge view, small playground.
9. Kansas City Zoo.
Not huge, not small. Gorgeous scenery.

Shopping:
1. Zona Rosa.
2. Olathe.
3. Ikea.
4. Legends.
5. Bonner Springs Dollar Tree.

Jason just named this list the 4 Pillars of my life. I think that is pretty accurate.

Chronicles of a Kappes PCS: Day 10

All of us in our coordinating outfits. 

We are out of South Dakota! Man, that state was BORING! This is what we have been seeing for the past 2 days. Cows and grass. Grass and cows.

We are now in Montana! It started out similar to South Dakota, but now we are in a really pretty area. Trees, water, and the mountains are added!

We ate at 2 really good restaurants today. I don't know you can tell, but we have planned our trip around food. We have scheduled the days to drive after breakfast, meet up at lunch, then drive until dinner. After dinner, we are done for the day. It has been working out for the most part for food, breaks, and Morgan's naps. I'm pretty sure I've gained about 5 pounds already though. 

For lunch, we went to Custer's Battlefield Tading Post. It had a restaurant on one side and a store on the other. There were also Tee-pees outside you could go in. Nate's favorite part. Surprise, surprise.

Inside the tee-pee

Nate wanted to "battle".

Jason's food.

My mom and I split this. Indian fry bread stuffed with chili and cheese. SO. GOOD.

Back on the road after lunch. We arrived at another house we found through AirBnB. It's a cute little farmhouse in Montana. It has 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, full kitchen, and a fireplace. Pretty adorable. 

We checked in with our "host", got our stuff situated, then went out to dinner to Pickle Barrel. It is a little sandwich place in Livingston. 

The kids are both asleep and I am ready for bed, too. Tomorrow is our longest driving day. Two more driving days left until we get to our home! This has been quite the journey already, but I am ready to be settled. 

Fingers crossed the next 2 days go smooth! 

Not a very exciting day. Just driving and eating. Not great for a blog post, but having a calm, mellow day is what I like when taking a 5 day road trip with 2 littles. 

Until tomorrow! Sweet dreams!

Chronicles of a Kappes PCS: Day 8

Day 8 is the day we find out the outcome of the car situation. Dun Dun Dunnnn....

Day 8 is also the day Jason had to finish up stuff on base, we had our housing inspection, and start our drive.

The car dealership didn't open until 9 so Jason did what he needed to do and had the housing inspection at 8:45am. We passed with flying colors. I expected to because we lived in one of the worst housing sub divisions. Even after deep cleaning it still looked dirty and ugly. So yeah, that stuff was done.

When the dealership opened, they said they could get the part we needed, but not until around noon. Our original depart time was 10...so that wasn't happening. They said my engine was ok and I stopped before any serious damage. It cost us around $600 to get the car fixed, but it was going to be fixed that day, on a Monday no less, and in a few hours. Not expecting that. Good news.

The kids, my mom, and I packed up our stuff and needed to check out of the hotel that morning. We have a lot of stuff.

We checked out and tried to figure out how to fit all this stuff in Jason's car. He has a Toyota Matrix. Somehow I got it all in. Us included! Score!

We had time to kill so we went to McDonald's so the kids could play inside. And my mom and I wanted an iced coffee.

The kids played for almost 2 hours. It was lunch so we got some food for Jason and went to the dealership thinking it wouldn't be that long until the car was done. Nope.

We got there and the part hadn't shown up yet. We just hung out outside the dealership then this nice lady came up to us. She was a receptionist at the dentist in the same shopping center and asked us if we wanted to come inside their lobby so we didn't have to wait in the heat. We must have looked that run down.

We gladly accepted. We were in this random dentist lobby for 2 hours. How sweet were they!? They let Nate have all his toys out and gave us bottled water. It was really nice and we definitely appreciated that.

My car was FINALLY fixed and we were ready to start our road trip. We had to get the moving truck and my car weighed so we headed off to the weigh station to do that.

The road trip began. We drove for a few hours then stopped at Apple Barrel for a break and early dinner. It was the most random store/gas station/restaurant.

After we ate, we were back on the road on our way to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. We stayed at a house Jason found through AirBnB. It was a lower level of someone's house that had a living area, 2 rooms, bathroom, kitchenette, and laundry. The bed was horrible, but we were only there to sleep 1 night.

It was another long day, but we made it.

Chronicles of a Kappes PCS: Day 7

Catch up time on the blog since my stupid car broke! I'm pretty sure you already know day 7 SUCKED.

Let's back track three days...

Morgan and Nate both were up a lot that night. Morgan I think is just off and Nate fell off the bed, then needed water.

We woke up, went to Old Navy and then met up with Jason at Subway for lunch. Fancy Father's day stuff right there.

After lunch picture with the best daddy!

After lunch, went to the house to clean for the inspection the following day. Jason took the kids to the gym to play while my mom and I deep cleaned the house for 2 hours.

We smelt horrible.

We were all going to go to dinner for Father's Day, but the kids were super grumpy and tired and hot. We decided against dinner because it would've been a bad situation. Jason was going to eat by himself and we were going to take the kids back to the hotel to eat, have baths, then bed. Great Father's day. Not.

They both fell asleep in the car. Awesome...we thought.

All of a sudden my car starting making this loud beeping sound over and over.

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

Then my water light came on. Then my engine light came on. Then a light with a lightening bolt in parenthesis came on (ETC?.

We had to pull over on the freeway, in 100 degree weather, with 2 sleeping grumpy kids. The day before we are supposed to drive 5 days half way across the United States.

My WTF face.

I called Jason and he came to see what the problem was. The radiator hose was cracked and the car was overheated. It wouldn't start so we called to have it towed.

Jason and I switched cars so he could wait for the tow truck and my mom and I could get the kids back to the hotel as planned. We had to switch the car seats and get everything out of my car and into Jason's.

It took the tow truck about an hour to get there and they ended up taking it to a Dodge dealership because they thought the engine was a goner. My mom and I took the kids, fed them, bathed them, and got them in bed. Then I had to go back to Jason.

It was a Sunday night so no auto stores were open and the dealership was closed. We had to drive back to the dealership to leave my keys so we could call in the morning to see if they would be able to fix my car.

After we dropped off the keys, I had to take Jason back to the house, then I went back to the hotel. It was a VERY long day. And a very stressful one. I was preparing myself for the worst which was getting rid of my car and driving Jason's car which doesn't have AC.

Off to bed I went not knowing what the next day would bring...

Chronicles of a Kappes PCS: Day 3

Today was a fairly mellow. We have a lot done and without a truck to put our stuff in, we are at a point where we just do little random things.. Nothing major besides loading the truck and cleaning.

With all the boxes everywhere, I feel very restricted in the house with the kids. There is no room. And it was 100 degrees outside so taking them to a park wasn't happening.

A local movie theater, Landing 4, has .50 cent kid shows on certain days. I thought it was the perfect time to see if Nate could handle watching a whole movie in the theater without spending $20 on tickets and an ounce of popcorn. I could swing .50 cents easy. They were playing Home this week. It was SO cute! I think I liked it more than Nate. If you are stationed at Fort Leavenworth or are close, I would definitely recommend kid movie days. Even regular movie prices weren't outrageous.

After the movie, we all went to our favorite discount store, Morefield's. It has the most random stuff. Food, baby items, clothes, housewares, etc. I like to go there for cheap snacks or to see if they have any good baby items on sale. My deal of the century is baby food pouches that were 10 for $1. In a normal store pouches are around $1.20-$1.75 EACH. I bought 60 for $6!!! They are good brands, too, such as, Earth's Best and Happy Baby. SCORE!

As far as actually PCS stuff, Jason did what needed to be done. Weighing my car was on top of the priority list. Since we are moving ourselves, you have to weigh your car completely empty, then weigh it with everything packed inside. Same goes with the moving truck. The weigh station gives you a ticket and that is how they determine your weight and can pay you based on the weight difference. He also deep cleaned the large trash cans, took a car load of donations, packed a few boxes, cleaned the basement, and moved the washer and dryer upstairs.

For dinner, we tried to eat the rest of the remaining food. We have had our meals planned so it wasn't horrible. Chicken wraps. We did flip a laundry basket over to make a table for us though. Classy stuff right here.

Bath time was hectic. Morgan slipped and got scared because water went in her eyes. Then, as she stood up again, she slipped and hit her chin on the side on the bathtub. Good times. Nate has an infected blister on his thumb and was screaming because it was stinging him. So he didn't want to take a bath and get it wet. Also good times.

It's now not even 7pm and both kids are asleep. This whole heat and moving is exhausting. I'm exhausted too. I'm taking the night off. Tomorrow will be busy enough.

Nate Got Beat Up By A Girl.

Tonight we had an Easter get together with our neighbors. Potluck style. Pulled pork, mac and cheese, pasta salad, fruit, hot dogs, rice, taquitos, empanadas, cake pops, s'mores...basically a huge table full of deliciousness. Be jealous.

The kids had an Easter egg hunt, glow bracelets, egg sunglasses (they wore them for all of 1 minute because you can't see out of them well). They all had their little bikes, scooters, tricycles, etc.

Backstory: Nate is sometimes a bully. Like a 3 year old jerk who doesn't want to share and wants what he wants when he wants it. Even if it is a bigger kid. He doesn't care. Hopefully it is just his age and this will lead to future greatness with his stubborn personality and motivation to get shit done. Fingers crossed!

Anyway, back to tonight. Nate and his little friend, who is a girl, started fighting over a bike. He wanted to ride it, she wanted to ride it, blah, blah, typical 3 year old drama. Usually, Nate will win and the other kid backs off. Usually.

Tonight, his friend stepped it up and stood up for herself. And she bitch slapped him in the face. Hard. Like, so hard when she hit him, her nail made a huge scratch on his cheek. She wasn't going to take the high road this time.

So, the question is...how do you handle it? Part of me is thinking, "FINALLY! Someone stood up for themselves and didn't let him get his way!" Another part of me is thinking, "Did he deserve it in that particular incident?"  The little girl has been yelled at and had taken toys from him for the past several months. I bet that hit was bottled up inside and she snapped. I don't blame her either way. She is a super sweet girl that takes a lot from Nate.

Nate was crying because he was hurt from a scratch and he didn't get the bike. Tough luck? In this particular case...yep. He needs to learn to take turns. He needs to learn to let others go before him sometimes, especially friends. He needs to learn to use words to communicate. He needs to learn if he yells and hits, someone is going to hit him back. And harder. Hitting is not cool, kid.

Think he learned his lesson? Probably not completely. But you know what? I will for sure remind me of getting hit. How it made him feel and how he should treat others.

This wasn't a huge issue. small three year old tiff, no biggie. But, it can be a big lesson. A small fight over a bike can be teaching moment for him. And that is what parenting and life and being a kid is about sometimes. Getting slapped in the face by a girl over a bike.

Yes, they are still friends. Because I know you were just dying to know. There are no hard feelings. Both kids had a little moment to settle down, say "sorry" and move on. And the Easter party continued.

Happy Spring!

Well, since we had so many visitors my blogging every day has not happened. I'm okay with that because I was trying to spend quality time with them.

 A few days ago the kids and I were outside. It was a gorgeous day! Sunny and the kids were playing so nice. We got some chalk out and just enjoyed the weather and time together.

I decided it was the perfect little photo shoot time. I wrote Happy Spring in chalk and just laid the kids down and took a few shots. Nothing special.

Here is their "Happy Spring" pictures. Looking so cute in their little sunglasses. Target dollar spot has them and I couldn't resist.

I hope you are having better weather than us here in Kansas. Kansas is pretty much drunk right now. Beautiful one moment, then raining, and now snowing. In late March. Figure it out, Kansas. We want sunshine!!

Monkey Bizness.

Since my family is in town, we were trying to decide what to do with their days here in Kansas. It obviously needed to be kid Nate friendly. A friend told me about Monkey Bizness and it seemed different and fun.

This place was awesome! There was a huge blow up slides, air-hockey(Nate's favorite), swing sets, climbing toys, a zip line (best part, in my opinion) and a baby area. It also had food and coffee. Like...good coffee. Bonus for parents. 

We ordered pizzas and drinks. Decent prices for food and we went during a "power hour" which had discounted admission. Another bonus of parents...you only pay admission for the kids. 

I would definitely go again. It was clean and the kids had a blast! There are a few locations, 4 in Colorado, 1 in Texas, and 1 in Kansas. If you need a play to play and stay indoors, I would recommend it. We will for sure be going again.

**I did not get paid to write this post. This is my personal experience and not affliated with Monkey Bizness. **

Photography.

I love pictures. I take them with my phone all day long, mostly of food and kids.

Today I took pictures of a friend's kids. Easter pictures.

I've taken pictures for friends before, but I am always nervous. I am FAR from a professional. And taking pictures for someone else is WAY different and harder than taking them of my own kids.

There is a ton of pressure. I want them to be good; they want them to be good. The hard part is the kids. They could care less about looking cute, staying still, and posing with some damn fake flowers and Easter eggs. Can you blame them? Not really.

So the 2 boys I photographed today are 3 and almost 1. Talk about hard ages! Oh, and I had Morgan screaming. It was a challenge to say the least. And I was sweating.

I managed to get a few decent ones, but I am still no where near comfortable charging what the majority of photographers charge. I charged a whole $15. I do have my own facebook page, but since I only take pictures for friends as of now, there is only a few sessions to see.

Here are some of my favorites...
And yes, I had permission for Mama to post these.

I give props to all the pro photographers. You guys make it look easy. 

Do you take your own pictures or do you hire a professional?