RACHELLE and MEGAN COME TO VISIT

 The girls braved the cold to visit Pioneer Courage Park in downtown Omaha.

Members of Louis and Clark's exploration party on the Missouri River,

discovering the land we got in the Louisiana Purchase.

 Wearing our cool 3-D glasses for the IMAX film at the Omaha Zoo.

 Megan, locating St.Petersburg, Russia on the rotating globe at the Omaha Zoo.

Soon she'll be serving as a missionary there, entrenched in the Russian culture 

and speaking the language like a native!

 

 Making friends with the Gorilla family at the Omaha Zoo.

 We enjoyed going on a session at the Winter Quarters Temple

Saturday morning, then taking a tour of the Mormon Trail Center.

 Out in front of the Mormon Trail Center...blue skies and sunshine, but very cold!

 Going on a tour of the Kanesville Tabernacle and Visitor Center,

learning all about the Mormon Battalion.

At the airport saying good-bye....what a fun four days we had with them!

Our apartment will seem VERY QUIET when we get back home!

OUR KANSAS KIDS COME TO OMAHA

 We loved having Jeff, Jean and all the kiddlings come to see us in Omaha 

the first weekend in January. Here we are at Pioneer Courage Park

in downtown Omaha.

 We all loved spending time at the Omaha Zoo....especially in the 

Rain Forrest where the temp. was a balmy 80 degrees!

 Taking a tour of the Trail Center and doing baptisms at the Temple

were highlights of the weekend.

 Watching the sloth eat his lunch upside down was fascinating!

Connor thinks he might like to try that.

Visiting the Kanesville Tabernacle in Council Bluffs.

 Starting a puzzle at 10 p.m. is risky....you can't go to bed until it's finished.

We are lucky these guys live only 4 hrs. away so we can see them often...

they're coming back in March!

Saying good-by to some of our favorites...

 A bitter-sweet gathering to say good-bye to five of the best

sister missionaries we have serving at the Trail Center.  Jan. 4th is departure day...

Sister Arnold and Sister Proctor making up funny songs about the sisters. 

 Elder and Sister Watson are leaving Jan. 17th

after serving for two years as the Trail Center directors.

 Our Christmas Eve party got a little somber as everyone realized it would be

the last gathering for the ones going home.  

 

One last parting picture of the young Sisters and a few

of the "older sisters"

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

 Walking from the visitor center to the Tabernacle is a chilly trek early in the a.m.

 Looking out the visitor center window towards the Tabernacle.

Seventeen degrees outside...nice and cozy inside!

Our little Christmas tree watched over the presents and 

made it seem like any other Christmas morning....it was just 

a lot more quiet this year!

 We took all the time we wanted to open each package, card or letter

finishing about noon....it was great!

 

We partied with the senior couples on New Year's Eve

going to the movie, Lincoln, then back to the apartment for a "mid-night buffet".

We even got to watch fireworks off the back deck....just like at home!