Bernards Family Blog

Kindergarten here we come!

Sherman started school today. It's hard to believe he is big enough. He was excited and anxious as I am sure most kids are. The Searle's met at our house this morning and we went together. Sherman is very excited that Dustin is back. They are not in the same class, but will see each other at lunch and recess.

Backpacks

After returning home from Utah we had the opportunity to take a trip to Kansas City in December. Mark had a conference - so the kids and I tagged along and had a great time. It snowed a lot while we were there, so it was nice that we had nice walkways connected to our hotel that took us to the places we wanted to go. In the mall, Crayola Land was set up for the Christmas Season - and Santa Claus was available for pictures there. It was free so the kids and I went back several times. They had a blast!

We did venture out the first evening we were there to visit a cousin, Moira. We had a nice dinner and visit with her. The kids enjoyed her marbles and two fluffy bear cubs that they could sit on.

Another fun spot was Hallmark's Kaleidoscope. The kids enjoyed doing all kinds of art projects - painting, drawing, making puzzles, making Christmas ornaments and more. And it was all free. We went back a second time because the kids had so much fun.

Yes we did see Santa Claus at Crayola Land. This is the first year that they were both happy about seeing him. And of course we played at Crayola Land again.

At the exit from Crayola Land there was this laughing Santa Claus that the kids thought was so funny.

We met Dad for dinner one night at Fritz's. You order your food from a phone and then the food is delivered by train. The trains are up high and then the food is stopped on a platform above your table and lowered down to you. It was pretty fun. The kids also enjoyed playing on the train out front.

We also walked over to Union Station one day. I can't remember the name of the kids area but it was fun. Sherman and Eliza were a bit too young for most of it, but they enjoyed the things they could do.

We also found this little train to ride and of course it was the highlight of the day for Sherman.

Watching a movie back at the hotel room. We had a lot of fun, but were all worn out by the time we went home.

Our next trip to Utah was in November for the Bernards' Family Reunion. We all had a great time. The first unofficial day of the reunion was spent making applesauce. All the kids enjoyed helping. I can't remember how many total quarts we made, but it was a lot. Below are a few pictures highlighting some of the reunion.

Helping Grandpa pick out a Christmas Tree.

Claire!

Kate found the only mud hole on the lot. She was not too happy!

Sizing up the trees!

A shoulder ride home.

We spent most of a day in Nephi at the Old Mill - owned by Uncle Tracy and Aunt Margie. A big "hit" of course was the pinata.

The loot!

After our visit to Boise, we headed back to Utah. We stopped in Logan to see Anna and Kevin's new place and the kids got a great surprise. Mark had flown to Utah for a few days. He came up to Logan to meet us there. Sherman and Eliza were so surprised to see him and we were all excited of course. (From this part of the trip on I did a horrible job of taking pictures - so I don't have too many.) After a yummy dinner and feeding ducks we headed to Spanish Fork. Mark stayed for a few more days before flying back home. The kids and I stayed almost two weeks. Sherman was so excited about working in the garden with Grandpa which he did every chance he got. We also had the chance to watch fireworks in Salem and went to the Spanish Fork pool with Aunt Sarah.

At the Salem Days Fireworks show.

Finally, on August 12th we headed back to Nebraska. This time we had Aunt Amy travelling with us and sharing in the driving. We had a great time having her stay with us in Nebraska. We went to the Capitol Building, the Children's Zoo, shredded and chopped lots of Zucchini, learned about harvesting parsley, and just enjoyed having her here. Below are a few pictures.

And that is the end of our adventures for the Summer of 2009.