DeSoto, KS

After our visit to Kill Creek Park, we drove around DeSoto, KS, and revisted the old Sunflower Ammunition Plant. It has really become more rundown since we saw it 8 years ago.  It's so creepy and I would love to go inside. Nathan told me he heard a story that when the kids (of the workers) would be in school (across from the plant) they never put desks near the window because at least once a year there was an explosion big enough to break out the windows.

Kill Creek Park

Nathan found a new park called Kill Creek Park for us to visit.

It was an overcast day with a slight breeze and it was the perfect day for a hike. We followed trails, saw spiders and dragonflies, found a turtle shell and a mushroom large enough to be an umbrella.

 

 

 

 

 

Back to School

Allison is enjoying school so far. Right now it's a lot of review and although she fought me all summer about practicing math, science, and handwriting, she now doesn't feel behind. Today we broke out the science kit we got at a yard sale last month. Allison loved to mix the primary colors to make new colors.

First Grade

Allison has been very excited to start first grade. Yesterday was meet the teacher day and I allowed her to take her crutches with her. She loved telling all her classmates how she stepped on a garden rake in Canada and had to go to the hospital. She's been babying her foot for nearly a week - but Allison has always walked on her tippy toes so it hasn't been too difficult of a week for her.

Her foot still has a lot of healing to do (the doctor recommended not getting stitches because feet are so dirty and stitching the wound would only trap the bacteria), but she is able to hobble without a crutch now.

Still, Allison insisted I take at least one back to school photo of her with her crutches.

 

 

 

Last Night

On our last night in Boxall my mom took Allison on a drive back to the lake and around the farm. Allison wanted to pick flowers, and we decided that we would take them to the cemetery.

 

 This has been the first year that we have discussed having other children with Allison. For us, we never wanted Allison to feel like she was missing something, she is our only kid. And we didn't want her identity to be as a "little sister" because we would be putting an identity on her that she is too young understand and has never experienced.

Last night, when Allison hut her foot and we had to take her to the emergency room, and they nurse was cleaning the would she started to ask Allison questions to take her mind off what she was doing. "What grade are you going into?" " What's your favorite sanck?" "Do you have brothers or sisters?"

Allison said no.
But then she turned to me and said, "does it make you sad when I say that?"

On top of the things I don't want to put on her, it worrying about making me feel sad about the boys. It's just too big for her. I just smiled and said no, but it made me see that she was growing up that she could put some many things together that fast. 

Grandparents Photo

Each year we take a picture of my parents with the grand kids. This year started out a little rough as Allison decided to have an emotional breakdown. She pulled it together and we managed to get a some nice pictures.