More from Sacramento

While we were in Sacramento we saw Brooke, Aaron, Keontay, and Daysha every day. It was awesome.

On day one Nate took on these two. For the rest of the trip Keontay made sure Nate didn't forget who won the game.

Beckett and Daysha stuck their tongues out at each other.

We just happened to be in Old Town on National Doughnut Day. So we had to get some doughnuts.

Beckett loves doughnuts, just like his dad.

More from Old Town: a metal door and a picture with the pony express tribute. Sacramento was the end of the line for the Pony Express. Where was the beginning, you ask? St. Joseph, Missouri, right up the road.

We took a trip to Danville to see Nate's grandparents, cousins, and aunt Debbie. Beckett liked their huge stuffed lion. (Notice he is holding a Thomas train)

Here's Nate and B with Grandma and Grandpa J (and little Opal).

Beckett loved Grandma Dorothy's and Papa's house. It gave him lots of room to run.

On our last day in town the weather finally warmed up, and Nate and I hit the lake with Brooke and Aaron. (Grandma had Beckett) We kayaked and then tried out balancing on a large surfboard and steering with one paddle. (Maybe this had a real name?) Anyway, it was really fun and a good core workout.

Feeding the Obsession

Beckett is a serious train enthusiast, and so, like good parents, we have been encouraging rather than tempering this obsession.

First we went to Fritz's Railroad Restaurant. The food is pretty lackluster, but it gets delivered to your table by a train. When Beckett saw the first train he was so excited he was literally shaking. He started saying "choo choo" in earnest.

Next we took Beckett to the California State Railroad Museum. Serious Toddler Heaven.

Beckett gave us the fastest train museum tour ever. He was so excited to see the trains he ran from train to train.

This train was definitely Beckett's favorite. He returned to it again and again.

He also enjoyed watching the model trains and learning about trains on the telephone.

As if those two excursions weren't enough, we also took Beckett to ride Thomas the Tank Engine.

As you can see, he was very excited to see a large-as-life Thomas. As the train pulled out of the station he ran after it.

 Here's the whole family riding Thomas.

 

Gillespie Family Reunion

My entire immediate family came to my graduation. This was no small measure. My brother Taggart's graduation ceremony took place the day before mine. Here he is looking toward the future.

The next morning all of my siblings, their spouses and children, and my parents left home before the crack of dawn, boarded an airplane, and landed with plenty of time to freshen up and then make their way to Lawrence for the main event.

It was absolutely fabulous to have everyone here. Over the next couple of days we ate tasty food, had a graduation party with all of my friends, and watched the cousins play. Nate and I were quite pleased that we could fit everyone into our house, that we had a enough bedding for everyone, and that we figured out a way to get all the children doors (Beckett slept in our closet). We would have everyone back in a heartbeat. (DF, I hope it was that comfortable for you too.)

Beckett warmed right up to Grandpa.

The cousins with Uncle Taggart.

The beyond adorable Funk boys.

Some posed photos:

The whole clan

The Stephens

The Gillespies

The Funks

Grandparents and Grandkids

Taggart and I don* our robes one final time. (Taggart it was your final time right? I'm assuming you don't hang out at home wearing your robe.)

We are looking toward the future. It's a humorous future.

* Yes, I did just use one of Kurt Anderson's verboten words. Graduation calls for lofty, tongue-in-check, highfalutin vocabulary.

Kansas City Zoo (Take 5)

We recently took another trip to the Kansas City Zoo. This trip was really geared around Beckett (surprising, I know). If you are planning to take a visit to the zoo, here's what Beckett recommends you do not miss.

Beckett's top five:

5. The Australian Sheep

The KC Zoo has a fabulous Australian exhibit complete with dingos, wombats, tree kangaroos, and grey kangaroos.

Beckett preferred the sheep. They were soft and friendly, and he has a lot of experience with farm animals.

4. The Train

With Beckett's great love of trains you might think that riding the train would have been his favorite part of our zoo trip. That it wasn't is proof of the awesomeness of the KC Zoo. This was Beckett's first time actually riding a train. He liked it best when he could see the engine.

3. The Lion

We had a great view of the lionesses this trip. A few of them were lounging right next to the observation deck. Beckett got as close as possible.

2. The Polar Bear

The polar bear exhibit is pretty new. It's right at the front of the zoo. Nate had never seen it before, and it was the first thing we went to see. The polar bear is very active. He swims around the enclosure and then pushes off the glass like a backstroker. Beckett came face to face with the great white bear.

And Beckett's top pick for the Kansas City Zoo (drum roll please) ...

1. The Asian River Otters

The Asian river otters live in the rain forest building. They were quite active, running around, swimming, sniffing their monkey housemate. 

Beckett watched the river otter for a long time. Then he did a loop around the rain forest and came back to watch the otters some more. He thought they looked like cats and kept saying "eeeee."  ("Eeeee" is apparently what our cat sounds like.)

Cousins

These two are well on their way to becoming best buds. Beckett and his cousin get along so well. And everyone says they look alike too.

We went to Utah to visit my sister earlier this month. The entire time we were there we couldn't get over how much the boys enjoyed one another.

These slides were a huge hit. The two ran around laughing and chasing each other.

Nate got to see some of his cousins while we were in Utah too. Here's Isaac, Nate, Cameron, and Ben.

Beckett's behind in the this picture, but he ended up beating all the big cousins home.

Beckett's Current Obsession

Beckett has a deep and abiding love for trains. Consequently, we are learning a lot about Thomas the Tank Engine and being a Really Useful Engine. We found Beckett this train table on Craig's List. He is very focused and serious about those trains.

PhD

KU graduated 400 doctoral candidates last weekend including JoLee and three of her classmates. The hooding ceremony was a proud moment, concluding seven years of research and writing. Her committee chair, Dr Eldridge, presented the hood. Afterward, we went to his house for a party, where he said, "If it takes a village to raise a child then it takes a universe to graduate a scholar." We know that JoLee's success was made possible by all the friends and family who supported her through these years in Kansas. I want to say to all, in whole-hearted sincerity, thank you!