Great Weekend with Great Friends

I have to admit...I've been pretty homesick since we moved.  I miss all the familiarity of LR, I miss having an Arkansas address, AR driver's license & license plate on my car...I miss our church, many restaurants, shops, parks and even "my" grocery store there...but most of all I MISS OUR FRIENDS!  We were so excited that Emily, Russ & the kids were coming up to stay with us the weekend after VBS!  It was nice to have that to look forward to, and we loved having them here with us for a few days.  They arrived Friday afternoon, we hung out at the house for a little while then went out for dinner.  I'm so thankful that the Lord brought this family into our lives!

Saturday morning we had a quick breakfast and left early to get to Silver Dollar City when it opened.  

Ready for a day of fun!

6/21/14

These pretty flowers were in bloom all over the park.  I'd like to get some to plant in our yard, along the fence.

train ride

C & C had a blast!

R waiting for the water fountain

The girls on Tom & Huck's RiverBlast--somehow I ended up being the adult that rode with them...and we got soaked! :)  (The kids didn't seem to mind at all!)

Rhett, Lane and Alexee on the giant swings.

Our last stop of the day was the Marvel Cave tour.  Alexee wasn't sure about it...at all.  Before the tour began the guide cautioned us (over and over again) about how this was NOT the adventure for you if you were a) scared of heights b) scared of the dark c) unable to walk long distances or climb thousands of stairs d) scared of bats attacking you...You get the picture...and Alexee was getting more unsure with each warning.  So by the time the tour began she was crying and saying she didn't want to go.  We were at the front of the group, right behind the guide, with 60 people behind us.  The first 10 minutes were not pleasant, and I really thought I should just turn back with her and let everyone else enjoy the beautiful cave without the drama.  But we stayed, and I'm so glad we did.  The guide invited her to stand on the platform with him and be his helper as he talked.  And a nice couple loaned her a small flashlight that they had, and this made all the difference in the world.  I think just knowing that she had access to a light source gave her the confidence she needed to move forward.  A valuable life lesson, right there in SDC's Marvel Cave.  :)  By the end of the hour, she was saying that this was her favorite part of Silver Dollar City and wanted to know if we could do the tour again next week--but noted she would bring her own flashlight.  ;)  We were proud of her for doing it and talked about trusting God with our fears, trusting that He is our Light and knows our every step and how trying new things can be really rewarding!

So I didn't take many pictures, but it really was amazing.  The waterfall room was my favorite.  The lighting colors changed as we walked through, making the waterfall look so neat!

Love this pic--group shot on the tram that took us from the cave back to ground-level.  We made it--it felt like an accomplishment!  :)

Sunday was another fun day!  That morning we cooked breakfast at home then we all went to the pool for a few hours. 

Rhett on the rock-climbing wall

Crosby has really gained confidence in the water this summer.  He is swimming all over the place with his life jacket on.  He starts swim lessons next week, and I think he will do great and be able to swim without the jacket after a few lessons.

We were sad to see them go, but we're already looking forward to our next visit!

VBS Week: Agency D3

June 16th-20th

Agency D3:  Discover Decide Defend

1 Peter 3:15

"But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord.  Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have..."  

This is always such a special week for the kids--I'm so glad they enjoy it and look forward to it.  The themes are super fun every year, but Rhett has decided that this was his favorite one so far.  They have all been singing the songs, and I have had More Than Just a Good Man stuck in my head for three weeks now!  :)

Monday morning they were all excited (but maybe a little bit sleepy).  Mo made biscuits and chocolate gravy for breakfast to get the week started off right:

Day 1, ready to go:

Jaiden & Rhett-age 10; Jeryn & Alexee-age 7; Crosby-age 5

Love them!!

Mo & the kids arriving for check-in:

While the kids were at VBS, I went to the hayfield with Mom for a while.  It was such a pretty summer day.

When Dad got home that night he grilled burgers for us then they played basketball.  

Day 2!

Tuesday afternoon we went swimming at my aunt's  house.  They had a great time!

I was so happy to receive these cute photos of the kids during their activities:

They are growing up way too fast.

Friday at the closing program:

Such a wonderful week--we were sad for it to end.

Missouri Residents, Weeks 1-2

Catching up...I'm a month behind:

June 7--we officially moved, and Crosby's Kindergarten backpack was waiting on the front steps when we arrived.  He chose the Spider-Man version from Pottery Barn, and he was so excited to try it on.  Can't believe he's starting to school.

We also got more fun mail that very first day!  My sweet friend Lianne sent the kids a popcorn bucket full of three kinds of yummy movie-night popcorn, and she sent me these cute Arkansas and Missouri tea towels (they even match my AR pillow from the Pokeeno girls!).  Thank you, Lianne!!

The kids played outside a lot.  The weather was unusually cool that first week we were here, which made it even more pleasant to be outside enjoying the new yard.  Crosby drew the Olaf, the snowman from Frozen, and Alexee drew a self-portrait.  :)

We ate out a lot at first because things were so unsettled and I had not been to the grocery store.  

We've made many many trips to Home Depot.  We planted a tomato plant and a bell pepper plant, as well as some lettuce seeds and flowers.

My parents came up to visit and took us to dinner!  Loved getting to see them!

Our first family photo as Missouri residents:

We took a break from unpacking to go to Silver Dollar City.  It was a fun day.

I think this is C's favorite part.

Lane and Rhett are much better at riding rides than the rest of us.  Crosby, Alexee and I do a lot of walking around, eating, and taking pictures of things.  

They enjoyed their giant tubs of cotton candy.  I had them brush their teeth for a LONG time that night!

Thanks to Lane's internet research, we discovered a good local pizza place.  (Their pizza reminds us of Mellow Mushroom.)

The kids have spent a lot of time together since the move.  I'm really proud of them for getting along so well.  One night they did a talent show for us which included singing, dancing, joke telling and magic tricks.  Rhett even printed programs for us.  :)  It was really sweet (and funny!).

They had a picnic lunch one day.

Rhett was in a cooking mood, so he made a grocery list for me, then he baked chocolate chip pumpkin bread for breakfast and a pasta dish for dinner!

Alexee was so happy to receive a letter from her friend Addison!

We joined a pool and have been swimming a few times.  They have a great shallow area and fun water slides and a rock climbing wall for bigger kids.

While the kids were at VBS at Mo & Grandad's church (separate post), Lane and I made a day-trip to Little Rock for him to turn in his UAMS badge/parking card, and we also picked up the mudroom lockers that we had built.

Bye, UAMS! 

Departure check-list officially completed.

We are really pleased with how the lockers turned out.  We'd been shopping for something like this but never could find anything that would fit in the space we had available so we decided to have them built.  I'm in the process of painting them (it has taken more time and paint than I anticipated.  I'll post pictures if I ever finish them.  I love Annie Sloan chalk paint, but I should have used something different {cheaper} for this project!)

Residency Graduation

Friday, June 6th was Lane's UAMS Residency Graduation banquet at the Little Rock Marriott.  It was a three year residency program, so June 2014 was a date we had been looking forward to for a long time!

Congratulations, Lane!

We are SO VERY PROUD OF YOU.

It was great to have his parents with us for the special evening.

We are thankful for a great new job opportunity, and we are excited about this new chapter!