Hot Springs Trip

Our family left last Saturday morning for a trip to Hot Springs, AR. Every year Kevin's employer has a planning meeting toward the end of July and family members are welcome on the trip. In the past it's been in Branson, Memphis, St. Louis and this year was Hot Springs.

Saturday afternoon, after many stops, we finally arrived in Hot Springs. We found our hotel and set out to have some fun. We drove to the lake and looked around for a while. Then we rode bumper boats. This was Mason's first bumper boat ride. He rode with Kevin, and Anna and I rode together. Anna and I ended up more soaked than the guys.

Wet after the bumper boats.

After bumper boats we played games in the arcade room. After many dollars we won enough tickets for Anna to get a plastic bracelet, fake dollar bills and a fake coin. (It would have been much cheaper to go to Walmart and buy these items but where is the fun in that?)

Next we rode Go-Karts. This too was a first for Mason. I was actually surprised that they let him ride. I told Kevin that Mason could ride with me because I would go slower. After the ride Anna said "I thought you said you were going to go slow!" I couldn't help it. Mason and I had a fast car and we had to take advantage of it. He seemed to really enjoy the ride. Anna enjoyed it too. Everytime I slowed down, so Kevin and Anna could catch up with us, she was grinning from ear to ear. We ate dinner at our favorite place, Olive Garden. (Can't wait to get our new Olive Garden locally.)

The fast car.

After dinner we headed back to the hotel for some swimming. That was what Anna and Mason both wanted to do. (Kevin and I reminisced about our childhoods and swimming at the hotel being our favorite activity. Apparently we passed this trait on to our children. Now my favorite activity is eating!)

Sunday morning started by attending worship service at the Church of Christ at Airport Road in Hot Springs. It reminded us a lot of our home congregation. They even gave out loaves of bread to visitors just like at home. (I always remember as a child that if my family was on vacation that we found a church to attend. I think that was a great lesson by example that my parents instilled into me. I can't say that I've always followed that rule but it should be followed 100% of the time. Having Anna and Mason has really made me think about that. I want them to see that a vacation from home doesn't mean a vacation from God.) After worship service we offered a few choices of restaurants to Anna, and she chose Crackies (a.k.a. Cracker Barrell). After lunch we set out to ride The Ducks. (These are vehicles that go on land and water. It took us on a tour of Hot Springs and provided intersting history and facts about the area. We also got to try out the water ability by riding on Lake Hamilton. I must say I was a little nervous and was glad to make it back to shore. I couldn't stop thinking about the Duck that sank and killed people several years ago.) We bought a Duck Quacker for the ride.

Quack, Quack, Quack!

I can do it too!

Sunday evening dinner was provided by Kevin's employer. Anna met up with her friend, Rylee, another employee's daughter. Soon after dinner they were down in the pool having a blast.

Swimming fun!

Monday Kevin had meetings most of the day so the kids and I had time to play. We went with Rylee and her mother, Melissa, to the Arkansas Alligator Farm. It was really neat (and creepy with all the alligators). They also had other animals like a mountain lion, wolves, turkeys, turtles, ducks, lemurs, deer, donkeys, and a petting zoo with goats and sheep. We were able to feed bread to the goats, sheep, deer and donkey.

Feeding a baby goat.

Creepy!

After the Alligator Farm the kids and I went to the mall and drove around town. Then we went back to the hotel for Mason to take a nap. While he napped, Anna watched TV and I finished reading another book. Once Kevin finished his meetings for the day we set out for more fun.

A mountain outlook point.

We drove up to the Mountain Tower and went up to the top.

Riding up the glass elevator.

At the top of the tower. The wind was blowing and it was much cooler at that elevation.

Then we took a drive through the West Mountain. It was a beautiful drive.

We walked downtown along all the shops and bathhouse row. We stuck our hands and feet (quickly) into a hot spring that was 143 degrees!

Talk about a Hot Spring...143 degrees!!

That evening we ate dinner at Red Lobster. The kids were fascinated by the live lobsters in a tank in the waiting area.

Tuesday Kevin had meetings that morning. After breakfast Anna went with Rylee and Melissa to play while Mason and I returned to our room. I started packing everything back into the suitcases, and Mason played in the room. Later Melissa and the girls came to our room to visit. Anna and Rylee had so much fun together. Melissa said that four people asked if Anna and Rylee were twins. From behind they do look a lot alike. Their hair is the same color, texture and style. She said everyone was shocked when she told them that the girls weren't even related.

Twins? Sisters? Nope!

Kevin's meeting ended a little early, and we got an early start for home. We stopped in North Little Rock for a late lunch at Applebee's and a little shopping for me. Seems everyone drunk too much Dr. Pepper at lunch...we had to make several restroom stops on the way home. But we arrived home around 4:30 which left time to unpack and start some laundry before bedtime.

We had a great trip but it is good to be home. There is no place like home and no bed like your own bed!

Breaking News!

Monday after naptime, Grammy and Aun'tee picked Mason up from daycare and brought him by the house. They picked up his overnight bag and he went to spend the night with Papaw and Grammy. Kevin, Anna and I went to see the new Harry Potter movie. Anna has seen all the other Harry Potter movies on TV and liked them. We knew Mason wouldn't like Harry Potter so we decided to go while he was visiting family. The movie was okay but it didn't end well. It left you hanging and wanting to know more. I don't like those kind of endings.

Tuesday afternoon Anna and I headed to mom and dad's house to visit and pick up Mason. On the way we played Corn Field. (Bet you are wondering what Corn Field is, right?! This is a game that Anna made up. Whoever spots a corn field first has to yell out "corn field" before anyone else. The person who spots the most corn fields first is the winner. Or whenever Anna is ahead the game just might end! That's what happened Tuesday. She was up 3 to 1 and determined "the game is over" when I spotted another corn field. While playing games, she tends to make up the rules as we go. For some reason I don't mind...yet.)

Wednesday was story time at the library. They read Punk Farm to the children. (It's about farm animals playing in a band.) Afterward we ate at our regular Wednesday lunch place, Taco Rio. Then it was off to Walmart. This week Anna picked out her backpack for school (at least for now until she finds another one she likes better.)

Thursday we went to the mall to do a little shopping to get ready for an upcoming trip. We met my mom (Grammy) for lunch. After lunch Anna went with Grammy while I ran some errands. It sounds like Anna kept Grammy busy once they got home...playing Candyland, school and whatever else Anna came up with.

Today (Friday) our family has some exciting news. Or rather, Mason has some exciting news. During bathtime he informed me that he needed to poo-poo. I didn't get excited because I've heard this several times with no results. But today he surprised me! He pooped in the potty for the first time! Of course I was doing congratulations and making a big deal of it. Anna, being the great big sister that she is, jumped right into the celebration. She wanted to have a PARTY for him. She got out several stuffed animals and had a party announcing Mason's big news. Then later I overheard her saying "I'm down here with Mason who just poo-poo'd in the potty!" as if she were a reporter on the scene of breaking news. I'm certain his new development is because I read him the book Once Upon a Potty before he left for daycare this morning. (Yeah, I know that's not the real reason but how ironic is that?)

I guess that sums up our week. Who would ever have thought that one day I would be on the world wide web proudly announcing my son poo-poo'd in the potty? Being a parent has some of the strangest (but exciting) joys! I love my kiddos!

Potty Time!

Last week Mason's teacher wrote a note on his daily sheet regarding potty training. She thinks Mason is ready to seriously start training. So last Friday they started putting him on the potty at diaper changing time. He went potty twice on Friday! Yay, Mason! I confess that I didn't work with him over the weekend (bad mommy!). I resolve to do better this week.

A Beautiful Week

Last week was a beautiful week. We got some much needed rain (along with some storms) and some sunny days with great temperatures for July.

Monday morning DARK clouds rolled into our area. While it was eerie, it was also pretty. I went outside and snapped a few photos but they don't do the natural scene justice. The winds picked up but we only got a few sprinkles out of it. That was okay since we got 2 1/2 inches of rain early Sunday morning when a huge storm blew through. I always get scared in our house when it storms but it doesn't usually bother Kevin. He told me Sunday that he had gotten concerned with the storm that morning. We could feel our house swaying with the wind!

Monday Morning Clouds

Monday afternoon after a spontaneous decision, we went to see Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. It was an excellent movie. Anna and Mason really enjoyed it, as did Kevin and I. There were a few parts that were scary to Mason. One time I put my hand in front of his eyes so he couldn't see. Apparently he thought that was a great idea because the next time he got scared he reached down, grabbed my hand and placed it over his eyes. It was precious!

The week was similar to the past few weeks. Anna and I went swimming, to story time at the library, shopping and just hung out at home some too. Monday Grammy came to visit and watched Anna and Mason while I went to town. The kids love spending time with Grammy. Friday was an absolutely beautiful day. The temperature was wonderful for July. So Anna and I went to a local playground. We took her bike so she could ride it too. We had such a good time that we ended up staying over two hours.

Friday afternoon we finally got to swim in our neighbors' pool. They were on vacation and told us to use their pool but this was our first opportunity. Anna had a blast jumping off the diving board. Mason even jumped off it too! (Actually it was more of a hand-off from me to Kevin but Mason thinks he jumped off the diving board.) Then there was a lot of jumping in from the side of the pool too. Anna is becoming part fish with her water skills. Mason actually jumped in on his own. Of course we caught him before he went under water. But he thought he was so big doing what Sissy was doing.

I guess we enjoyed the playground so much on Friday, that when Saturday turned out so nice and beautiful, we went back and took Mason. We hadn't been there for 10 minutes when Anna started screaming, yelling and crying. At first I didn't know what had happened. A snake was my first thought because she had just walked into a toy bus (similar to a doll house only a bus). But she had actually just received her first wasp sting...OUCH! (Not one of the good firsts.) I had taken a small cooler with drinks and lunch so I grabbed a cold water bottle and held it on her swelling foot. (It got her right on top of her foot. She was wearing flip-flops.) I asked if she wanted to go home but of course she didn't. She sat around for a few minutes and was then up playing again. We ate lunch on the picnic tables and then played some more. I finally had to drag the kids back to the truck so we could go home for Mason's naptime.

(They loved this little bike-like ride. Anna pointed out that there were just enough seats for Katelyn, Macie and Nathan to ride too.)

Later Saturday afternoon, the kids and I played outside. Anna made her first mud pie. I can't believe she is 5 1/2 and just made her first mud pie. (I loved making mud pies as a little girl.) Anna enjoyed it and can't wait to make some more mud food.

While the kids and I have been playing and having fun, poor Kevin has been working so hard. He is still trying to get all the holes dug and posts in the ground for our fence. He is doing a great job but it is a large project. I feel bad that he is doing all the hard work. Saturday morning he was already out working when the kids and I finally rolled out of bed. We got on Anna's 4-wheeler and rode across the pasture to check on him. I asked how things were coming and he said "slow without any help". I felt bad so I suggested that we could put the Pack-n-Play on the back of his utility trailer and Mason could play in it while I helped him. Of course I was kidding, but I felt bad that I wasn't helping him. I guess not too bad since we left him and went to the playground...
Kevin is a great guy!

If You're Happy & You Know It...

have some FUN! Oh yes, we love FUN! Here's some fun from the past week.

Mason's daycare class started water play on Monday. He went to daycare in his Nemo swim trunks ready to hit the sprinklers. I felt sorry for the kids because it was a cloudy and cooler morning. I imagine they got cold. I noticed Mason's t-shirt came home wet so at least he got to wear it during water play.

Where are the sprinklers?

Tuesday Anna and I met Katelyn and Holly at the water park. It was another cloudy and below average temp day. The water was freezing to me. But the girls jumped right in and played. Anna would complain of being cold from time to time and sit out to warm up. She would come out of the water shivering. During a break the sun did come out which made the girls have the sun squints in the picture.

We need sunglasses!

Tuesday evening we put up the tent (sheet) in the living room again. This time I let Anna get her sleeping bag and sleep in the tent for the night. She loved it! She can't wait to go real camping now. (This is my kind of camping though...having A/C!)

Conked out camper.

Wednesday Anna and I went to story time at the library. This was our first experience, and we really enjoyed it. Anna wants to go back this week. We actually saw a few people that we know plus Anna ran into another little girl that she met at the 4th of July party last Saturday. We were sitting waiting for it to start when Anna said "There's Jayden!" That got Anna out of her chair next to me and down front with the other kids. They sang songs, read a book, sang more songs and got a treat bag. It was a great experience. After story time Anna picked out new books and movies to check out with her very own library card. She is now an official library card holder! For lunch we went to one of her favorite places, Taco Rio. Then did our weekly Walmart shopping. A couple of weeks ago we started buying a few school supplies each shopping trip. This week we bought her mat for naptime and crayons. (I thought it would be easier to buy the long list of supplies a little at a time rather than in one big purchase. So far it's working well and keeping her excited about Kindergarten.)

Mimi picked Anna up after worship service on Wednesday night for a sleep over. Anna spent the day with her Thursday. It sounds like they had a great time together. Friday Mason stayed home from daycare so the kids and I went to the mall. We did a little shopping and then played on the playground. It was Happy Hour at Sonic when we left the mall so we had to stop for a Dr. Pepper and vanilla ice cream cone. Yummy!

Friday evening Kevin was working outside. He came in carrying something saying "Look what I found." Here it is...

A sweet baby bunny. He found several of them in the pasture and wanted the kids to see one. After showing us he took it back out to its family. You just never know what you'll find in the country!

Saturday we enjoyed playing at home, inside and outside. We played in the shop and listened to the light rain hitting the metal roof. I could have taken a nap if it wasn't for two kiddos keeping me busy! For dinner we BBQ'd some ribs. Unfortunately they turned out horrible! They were so tough that we ended up saving them for our friend's dog! (That bad!!) So if anyone has a good recipe and/or way of BBQing ribs, PLEASE share.

More 4th of July Pictures

Here are some pictures from our evening on the 4th of July. I didn't have my camera so my friend, Angela, emailed her pictures to me.

Anna swimming with Emily's help.

Anna & Allie

Mason considering a swim. He loved that orange noodle.

At the BBQ there were around 25 people. Out of the people there we had 2 Masons, 2 Allies, 2 Ethans and two Angelas. It seemed odd to have so many people with the same name in such a small group. Another ironic thing is how Kevin and several of his friends from Jonesboro have all ended up living so close together. There is Jason, Kevin C., Matt P., and Matt R. that all live within a few miles of us.

July Already?

Last week June finished speeding by and ran into July. Where is the summer going? It needs to slow down just a bit...August is around the corner...I'm not ready for that...

Monday night Anna spent the night with Papaw and Grammy. She had a great time visiting with them. I actually had most of Tuesday by myself since she was at my parents and Mason went to daycare. I cleaned the pool, cleaned some in the shop, did house work and then read a book. I have always loved reading but since the kids came along there just hasn't been time between them, the house and working outside the home. Since I've been at home this summer I've started reading again. To me it is so relaxing and enjoyable.

My mom has been going through all my things that I left at home when I moved out (in 1997!). She has started sending them to me. I don't blame her at all because I left pretty much everything other than clothes and necessities. Tuesday I went out into the shop and went through the stuff she has brought to determine keep or throw away. I ran across so many childhood pictures. It brought back some great memories of time spent with friends.

I'm trying to pass my love of reading along to Anna. Wednesday I took her to the library and helped her check out some books and movies. We were planning to get her own library card but the library is remodeling and only had one computer working. Maybe we can get it next visit. She seemed to enjoy the experience and keeps asking when we can take back the current items and get new ones.

Wednesday evening after worship service we did our annual firework shopping. We don't buy much, just sparklers, snakes, bottle rockets and a few other kids items. We did a couple of fireworks that night. Mason did his first sparkler ever. At one point I seriously thought he was about to catch Anna or Kevin's hair on fire. Lesson learned: never turn loose of a two year old with a sparkler for even one second! Thankfully no one caught on fire.

Thursday Anna and I met Mimi at Dillards for a little shopping. Dillards was having a great sale on kids clothing. Of course Mimi bought Anna and Mason several outfits. Anna even picked out her 1st day of Kindergarten outfit. It is a Hannah Montana shirt and H.M. shorts (surprise!). She is so excited to wear them. After shopping Mimi took us out to lunch. We picked up Mason after nap time and took him for a much needed haircut. Then Mimi took him to her house to play while Anna and I did more shopping and ran errands. Anna ended up at the mall playground and played for about an hour. She amazes me at how fast she makes friends. (She gets that from Kevin. I'm the shy one.) She made two "friends" during the time we were at the playground. We had a great day Thursday.

Friday night we did more fireworks at our house. There were two large displays going off that we could see. So we sat on the tail gate of Kevin's truck and enjoyed other people's fireworks too. Anna said "I bet they are watching our fireworks like we are watching theirs." I didn't say it but I seriously doubt they saw our little bitty fireworks from their viewpoint! ;o)

Saturday was Independence Day. Our family attended two celebrations. We started the day in Piggott at the annual Parade and Picnic. (We originally thought about letting Anna ride her 4-wheeler in the parade but decided against it this year. We had some concerns that one more year of growing and maturing might help. So maybe next year.) We were close to the start of the parade and collected candy like crazy! Anna & Mason (along with the help of several adults nearby) left with a huge bag of candy. Both kids enjoyed the parade. Mason didn't even mind the screaming fire trucks.

Proud American!

A Popsicle to cool off!

After the parade we headed down to the picnic grounds. Anna rode several rides but Mason only rode one. There really weren't any for his size.

Waving at Anna as she rides by.

Anna & Kevin prepare to slide.

By the time the kids finished riding we were dripping with sweat. We headed to the food stands to pick up BBQs, hamburgers and funnel cakes and then headed to Grammy's house to eat in the air conditioning. We got to visit with Aun'tee and Unc too. Poor Papaw had to work. Maybe he will get the day off next year.

We got home mid-afternoon and let the kids take a nap before heading to our next destination. We went to our friends house, The Cooks. They invited several people over for a BBQ and swim. The pool was a little over Anna's head but she had help from Emily and Allie. Mason was soaked with sweat so another lady asked him to get in the pool with her (I didn't go dressed to swim although I later regretted it since the humidity was like 100). Mason said he wanted to swim but by the time I got him changed into his swim trunks he decided against it. He did finally get in briefly and spent some time on the edge dangling his feet into the water. It helped cool him down some.

Once it got dark the kids started doing fireworks (Snap Dragons, Sparklers, Smoke Bombs, etc). Then the good stuff got underway. The fireworks were beautiful, and I don't think Anna will ever forget Bad to the Bone. It was 9:30 by the time we got in our truck. Anna was tired and Mason was beyond tired. During the large fireworks he turned, layed on my shoulder, grabbed my arm and pulled it around him and said "I hold Momma." I think he was tired and scared. We considered heading to Jonesboro for the fireworks there but decided against it since the kids still needed baths and we had church service the next morning. We had an excellent day with family and friends. God Bless the USA!