Meet The Kirks

That’s right.  It’s really stinking hot out there.  We spent this morning with the useful run to the Farmer’s Market, Recycling Center, and our monthly, marathon of grocery shopping before retreating to the air conditioning.  We’re off to the park tonight for a friend’s birthday party and some intense sweating.  Welcome to August.

Yesterday, we took Ester and Justice to the first “Babes and Books” playgroup of the new school year.  Ester, of course, really loves the songs, and Justice loves to watch all the other people.  On the way out, Ester and Jena (her cousin) had to hold hands on the way to the cars.  It was super cute.

Finally, in one week we’ll be celebrating Ester’s second birthday.  I can’t believe it has been another year.  This week, I’ve been digitizing videos from our trip to Ethiopia and our early days back in Wichita last summer.  It’s amazing to see how fast our little girl is growing up and to compare her actions in Ethiopia to Justice now, as they are about the same age.   What a wonderful journey it has been, and we’re just getting started!

Make a Smilebox free ecard

Vacation videos are up on Facebook.  Check it out.

We sang Lee Greenwood and waved our flag as we exited the USCIS office in downtown Wichita. Ester is now an official citizen of the United States of America. A year after we applied we were able to pick up her certificate today. It was a nice moment as the others in the waiting room clapped to welcome our child into the realm of US citizenry. Ester wasn’t sure what to think.

Since returning from vacation, we’ve been busy organizing the house and getting prepared for the upcoming year. Natasha has been busy getting kids stuff ready for a consignment sale, and Chris has been running from room to room, filing thing, moving furniture, and preaching about the importance of organization for a family to run effectively. Justice’s top two teeth are inching their way into space and Ester learned how to use her clock radio yesterday. Kinley is just glad to be home once again.

After immigration, Chris and Ester visited the bank to open up savings accounts. Ester was proud to unload her piggy bank, which surprisingly contained $42.13. She wanted an ATM card, but we decided not to allow that quite yet.

Speaking of cards, it’s official. Chris starts school in less than two weeks and now has the ID card to prove it. This one can double as an ATM card, which just goes to show you how much things have changed since Chris was last a college student. An adventure it will be….

All good things must come to an end, and such is true for our vacation this year.  We arrived home late this evening after the long drive.  We battled a grumpy child half of the way and a stubborn storm the  last couple hours, but arrived safe and ready to relax at last.

Our morning began with a trip to Colorado Spring’s Best Breakfast Spot, The Omlette Parlor.  We dined on pancakes, potatoes, and a concoction named after the illustrious Mount Elbert.  It was nice to go out for breakfast, which we seldom do these days.  Afterwards we intended to visit Helen Hunt Falls on our way out of town, but our weary children konked out before we arrived.  Knowing that they needed the sleep (and us the peace), we decided to turn our ship toward home.

The ride was uneventful save endless crying and nasty lightning.  We ate lunch at a Sonic in Lamar, Colorado.  Actually, we brought our veggie tray and hummus and just ordered drinks.  The carhop said,  “That looks healthy.”  I guess she hadn’t seen broccoli in awhile.

Just before crossing the Kansas border, we happened upon the Amache Japenese Detention Camp.  This was one of the interment camps during World War II where approximately 10,000 Japanese-Americans were housed.  It was an eerie sight in the middle of nowhere.

Before heading into the storm, we picked a grassy spot in Dodge City where we dove into our veggies and hummus once again.  It was somewhat subversive to eat a delicious vegetarian meal across from meat packing plants.  In fact, we learned that the train depot across the street shipped approximately 850,000 buffalo hides out in two years.  All in all it took Kansas hunters only 7 years to wipe out most of the buffalo in the Great Plains.  Red peppers never tasted so good.

So, now we’re back, looking forward to Sabbath tomorrow and retrieving Kinley from her vacation home.  It was a wonderful trip, full of new experiences and the challenges of traveling with two young children.  We were blessed to have a wonderful place to stay in Colorado Springs and to have the opportunity to go exploring.

Natasha went 3-0 today, winning two games of skeeball and a game of World Cup Soccer.   We spent the afternoon in Manitou Springs, where we happened upon an old arcade.  Not only does this arcade have the normal, modern games, but they had penny, nickel, and quarter games circa the 1920’s.  We had a blast trying out the baseball, pinball, and even the flip-page animation peep show.  Ester and Justice got to ride on a helicopter, sports car, and truck.  It was an incredibly fun place to visit.

All in all, we loved Manitou.  There were many nice shops along with the arcade and an eclectic atmosphere.  But, our favorite spot was where we ate lunch, at a little place called Adam’s Mountain Cafe.  This restaurant practices the slow-food method, preparing each meal without microwaves or extensive prep work.  Their vegetarian menu was great, and they had a Community Table where diners can choose to sit with random people who come and sit there.  Adam’s gets our vote for the best food of this trip, and will definitely be someplace we return to.  Hopefully, next time Chris can actually win something.

Our time in Manitou Springs followed a morning jaunt in the Garden of the Gods.  I (Chris) have wonderful memories of this place when as a kid we would visit and scramble on the rocks.  Ester was a bit too young and moody to fully appreciate the natural beauty, but we had a good time anyway. 

Tomorrow our grand adventure draws to a close.  We’re praying for good weather and happy children for the drive home.