Over the weekend we...

Went out for coffee and a light breakfast at Sparrow Specialty Coffee. It was raining a little, nothing heavy, but rain coats were required. We caught the bus to the other side of town and chatted to the bus driver (it was her birthday and Jimmy, one of her favourite passengers, was suitably charming), discussing the rain and baseball - apparently baseball is one of the very few sports, in the USA, that will stop for the rain, something to do with slipping and sliding and breaking ankles.

We had upsidedown snickerdoodle muffins and really, really lovely lattes. Part of me wishes we lived closer to Sparrow Specialty Coffee, simply because their coffees are so good, but perhaps we wouldn't enjoy them as much. It's hard to say, but it is great that there are two coffee shops in Manhattan that we can go to and always, always, always get a lovely cup of coffee. It's even better when both places smell like Melbourne (Sparrow smells of raw wood and coffee, while Arrow smells of coffee and food). And just to clarify, for anyone who was wondering what a 'snickerdoodle' was, it's usually a cinnamon and raw sugar biscuit.

After coffee we headed to the Flint Hills Discovery Center. Jimmy started up the stairs to the children's area before Michael and I had finished at the front desk. Clearly, Jimmy missed the stairs. And then Jimmy found the train set...

Well, there was someone else playing with the trains, but she was happy to share - because it is a public space, everyone is very good about sharing and taking turns. Jimmy was engrossed by the trains and I think he was there for nearly an hour.

Meanwhile, Michael and I took it in turns to check out the Wild Weather exhibit, which explains spring weather - storms and tornadoes. It was a bit of fun. The thought of tornadoes still scares me...

After over an hour or so at the Discovery Center, we went home to pick up some sausages and snacks before heading to the 'baseball grill'. Between the bus stop and home we noticed a funny growth on the cedars that we walk past regularly. We'd never seen these growths before, so we investigated, and Michael found out what they are... Keep your eyes peeled for them in a future post.

The sun was out and we had a nice walk past the baseball stadium on our way to the barbeque. In fact, it was lovely weather for a grill/barbeque: not too hot and not too cold or windy. We had lots of fun exploring our friends' backyard - it was a novel concept for Jimmy; a home with grass right outside the door, no stairs in sight.

And after lunch, we went to the game! We arrived some time after the start of the 5th innings, and stayed until the end of the 9th, when the game was over. As we were arriving, K-State fans were already leaving, suggesting that the result was a forgone conclusion... We still went in, found seats, Jimmy seemed engrossed by the activity and was happy to sit on Daddy's lap for a bit, and then Jimmy was off, because little boys don't sit still for very long.

Between taking turns running around with Jimmy, Michael and I both saw some of the game, learned the rules and ins-and-outs of what was going on, and narrowly missed being hit by a foul ball (the young boys behind us scrambled to get it, once it landed). Thanks A and B for the 'baseball grill'!

Our Sunday was very quiet, as it was cold, wet, and windy. We stayed in, relaxed, and did laundry, which felt funny, but we have a dryer, so loads of washing can be done, even on the wettest of days.