a sunday family tradition

one of our very favorite things to do on sunday is share a meal as a family somewhere in the city.  whether it be at one of our favorite bistros or at the park, we enjoy slowing down for a bit together over something yummy.  this past weekend after church we swung by the mixx and grabbed food to go.  we took to the nelson museum lawn which is full of teepees right now and shared fries and chicken and salad and one of the gooiest chocolate cookies i think i've ever had.  after filling our bellies we walked around the museum outside and gave the glass labyrinth a go.  it was hilarious.  i had to keep stella right in front of me the whole time to keep from smashing into the glass, poor thing!  she was rather disoriented.  and as for theodore, well he loved his lofty view perched atop his daddy's shoulders and grinned the whole time.  it was one of those simple but memorable afternoons that i think i'll remember forever.  sunday is now perhaps all of our favorite day of the week.

blackwells

the wind was rather petulant that day and the weathered red door behind me needed an extra shove with the heel of my moccasin to close tightly.  it was mere seconds after i heard the hinge make a significant "click" that the seventy something year old lady behind the glass counter called me "honey pie" under her breath.  she said it in a nonchalant yet hospitable way, welcoming me to her store as if i was an old friend she was expecting.  it was in that moment that my heart had found a new love here in kansas city.  they call it, blackwells.  

i mean, let's just forget about (which by the way is by no means possible) all the beautifully tattered vintage kitchenware hanging from the ceiling whereupon it also managed to be stacked upon stacks of colored crystal.  the owner called me honey pie!  for that alone deserves recognition.  but you cannot ignore nor show any sort of indifference to the sheer magnitude of lovely kitcheny things adorning the walls of this thrift store on sixty third street boarding what my slightly naive and positively vulnerable self refers to as "thee hood".  

but i digress. 

this store is magical.  after dropping my babies off at my mother in law's i found myself staring at more pyrex and milky vases than i thought could exist in one storefront location.  a treasure trove of all things good, blackwells was a delight.  a real gem.  a place i know if i find myself sans little ones for an hour or two will be my secret retreat if i feel the need for a new white enamel tray, or the like.  

golden hour over the city

as the sun made its graceful decent, we soaked it in on top of the memorial building overlooking the city.  this was our last little outing as a trio before baby theodore was born.  drenched in the most beautiful shades of gold, we kicked around a soccer ball and talked about the impending arrival of our sweet baby boy.  we decided it was one of the best ways to spend a friday night.  it was an evening for the books. 

a westport afternoon

good lord this past saturday was a hot one.  like, holy-i-need-to-ring-out-my-bra-now hot.  but given that on saturdays we usually wind up out and about in our darling city, we ventured across the way to westport to check out the local happenings.  they had their annual art fair going on which is always a good bit of fun.  we enjoyed perusing the tents, popping in shops, people watching, and eating good food before heading home to relax the rest of the day away.  

now i must say, if you ever find yourself in sweet ol' kansas city, please do yourself a favor and go to port fonda.  their chips and salsa are bangin' and their brunch is where it's at.  i had some rabbit tacquitos that i know would make a drunk anthony bourdain mumble inappropriate nothings under his breath and perhaps even weep for joy, and andrew had a chimichanga that was cheesy and bacony and oh so good.  i snuck several bites.  and him ordering it let us say "chimichaaaanga" about forty-two times for fun.  we are that couple.   

with full bellies we attempted to take a mama/daughter picture in an alley on our way back to the car.  stella thought the ant hills were far more interesting, and i really don't blame her because ants are fascinating creatures to watch.  that being said, i graciously bribed her with a lemon sucker to pose quick and what do ya know?  she smiled like it was nobodies business and said "cheese" in about .5 seconds flat.  silly girl.  all in all, 'twas a grand afternoon in westport, a grand afternoon indeed.