Midwestern hues

We made it to Kansas City on Tuesday afternoon and what a fall welcome we got. The leaves are still clinging on here with an amazing range of colors. It's really beautiful. We've been staying with our friends Jill and Dave in their home in the Waldo area of the city and the streets are so picturesque with the bursts of color. Of course, we're not staying around to rake the leaves up, so we can tell them how pretty it is with none of the hassle! Our first night here we managed to get Nacho some barbecue at Oklahoma Joe's which was really tasty--and yes, in a gas station. I had heard this comment many times, but only when we were pulling into the parking lot did I fully comprehend that it's not a converted gas station-cum-restaurant but an actual, functioning gas station. Riiiiight. So, anyway, it was good food and we had a great time catching up with Jill and Dave. Yesterday we woke up, grabbed breakfast at First Watch in Fairway, KS and then hit the Nelson-Atkins art museum on the plaza. Since it's free, we hit the highlights and managed to run around the grounds for a bit before Elisa tired out.

Since we didn't have big plans for the afternoon, we opted to come back to the house and let Elisa take a decent nap. And she did. We all got some afternoon shut eye which made dinner at Blanc on the plaza all that much more enjoyable. Elisa ate like a champ and we had wonderful burgers with some inspired beer choices. My kind of night. Coming back to watch a little Yo Gabba Gabba before bedtime was the perfect night cap. Elisa did really well all day yesterday, but for the first time I think we made it through a walk, dinner, bedtime without a single tantrum. It was effortless and I could see how much fun she was having with all the attention. With Jill and Dave expecting their first (a boy!) in January, the talk was frequently about the ups and downs of parenting. It's hard to offer anything resembling advice when you know it's territory best chartered independently, but I really think they'll be great parents. They have done their homework, have a great home to welcome the baby and are lucky to have family nearby. I'm so excited for them. And while I completely admit I'm a Kansas City novice at times having left here at 18, I have been rediscovering the city on this trip and it's been a lot of fun.