Bowling!

This is Kyler watching Evan bowl.  This is the only picture that I took.  Melissa, Kyler and Evan went out to eat with us and bowling while Kerry and Jayden joined some friends for a Hogs basketball game.  The Rogers bowling alley is a nice facility, and the boys like to bowls.  Since I'm still on crutches I didn't get to bowl, but it was fun watching.  Evan walks up there and really just drops the ball and it takes forever to get down to the pins.  However, he always does good and has bowled several strikes.  Whatever works!  I don't even remember who won the game, we just had fun.

Smocking for Avery

 I love to smock and I am so happy to have a granddaughter on the way so I can smock for her.  I look forward to making Christmas outfits, Easter outfits, etc.

Miranda has been a little nervous that I wasn't going to get Avery's dress finished before she is born, but I will have it finished in plenty of time.  Besides, it is tradition that I be up until midnight the night before any big event, hemming a dress. 

Christmas in NWA

Thanksgiving

It started out to be a good day.....

I

I had been for my walk and was heading to the dock to sit and enjoy the water for a while.  It was a hickory nut that brought me down.  We have been talking about how dangerous that hill is....in fact, we have hired someone to put in steps from the deck to the bottom of the hill....he is supposed to start this week!   I had to crawl on my hands and knees up the hill and my neighbors helped me get up the stairs so I was driveway level, then Miranda and Adam took me to the hospital, Melissa is staying with me tonight and Kerry is covering home base for Melissa. Whew! I am a lot of trouble. Looks like a bad sprain but will hear from Ortho doc tomorrow.  ER doc said it looks like I have broken the ankle before but I thought it was just a sprain last time.  Thankful for neighbors and family that comes running!

Follow-up:  We stayed in Rogers for a week and I stayed in bed, not able to put any weight on the ankle.  My regular doctor in LR was on vacation, so I just make an appointment to see him on Monday.  He took another x-ray and said that the ankle is clearly BROKEN.  I knew this felt much different than the last time I sprained my ankle.  This is going to take awhile to heal......

Cardinals football

Bentonville Square.

Strawn's in Shreveport

Mim, Mike and I had lunch here today...but lunch was just an excuse to have their famous strawberry pie....mmmmm it was good!

Hiking at Lake Catherine State Park

What a beautiful day for hiking ! Sonya and I had a good day and didn't get lost :)

FALL!

End of summer

Place saver for end of summer post

Dickson Street

 

I worked for a Fayetteville CPA firm for a week this summer.  I so enjoyed being on Dickson Street everyday!  I ate lunch everyday with a couple of young ladies that knew all the great places to eat and shop in the downtown area which made it even more fun! 

Time flies.....

Where has the summer gone?  I think I ask this same question every year  as the new school year approaches.  I have one week before classes begin and I will be doing an internship with an accounting firm in Fayetteville all next week.  However, since I am at the lake, I plan to squeeze in some summer fun....

Melissa and Kerry jumped at the chance for a little time alone in Vegas this week.  Jayden is at Camp Ozark and Kyler and Evan stayed with me and Phillip.  I didn't take pictures this week.  Sometimes you just want to enjoy the moment and not worry about capturing it in pics.....

We met Melissa and Kerry in Mt. Ida on Sunday to pick up the boys.  We stopped in Glenwood and played in the Caddo River for a while before heading to Arkadelphia.  Pop worked Monday morning while the boys and I did crafts.  After lunch we headed to Wal Mart to buy toys and it started raining while we were in the store.  It has not rained enough to get the deck wet since March and it rained three days while the boys were here!  We played a little pool and watched a movie during the rainy afternoon - Independence Day - which they loved.

Tuesday we decided to ride our bikes to the tennis courts.  The humidity was 100% and it was 98 degrees by 10 am.  We were almost to the end of the driveway and here comes BLU!  He had escaped his pen and was ready to go with us.  By the time we caught him and got him back in the pen it was lunch, and we were hot and tired.  We did work in a little tennis after lunch (and it was 104 by then) and then headed to the Arkadelphia Aquatic Center.  Kyler loved the slides.  Evan was not tall enough for the slides, so he spent all of his time on the diving board.  He was so cute and not scared at all.  In fact, a couple of high school girls were flirting with him :)

Wednesday was a work day for me and Kyler.  I had to give finals and Kyler went with me.  We were there from 9:30 am until 8:30 pm!  Kyler was so good and so helpful.  He helped distribute exams, stapled exams and answer sheets together, posted the time on the board every 15 minutes, etc.  He brought a lego set and put that together part of the day, and watched a movie during the afternoon.  He was a big help to me and it made the day less boring to have him with me.

Thursday morning - crafts, hot tub and packing before heading to the airport to meet with Melissa and Kerry.

The boys have loved playing in the hot tub....we took a dip 2 or 3 times a day.  We especially enjoyed the evenings in the tub - after dark.  We love listening to the crickets and frogs - with the blue light on in the tub.  One day in the tub, Evan and I were visiting about names.  I asked him if he knew Uncle G's name (nope), Auntie M's name (he was trying to remember...), Cici's name (nope).  He was feeling a little bad because he couldn't remember any of the names and then he brightened up and said "But I know what Pop's name is!"  ME: "Oh really, what is it?"  Evan:  "HARLEY DAVIDSON!"

Summer fun at the Beach

This is just a few preview pictures.  I will post more later....I need to wash some clothes, water plants, buy groceries, etc., etc.  Thinking back over the past several months, we have been gone a lot!  Costa Rica in late March, Yellowstone in June and Florida in July.  I need to stay home......

I don't have any pictures of Miranda since our trips only overlapped one evening :(  Oh well, guess we better all go back and redo that "family" picture!

Home Again

After all of the pictures that I took throughout the trip, I did not take any pictures on the trip home.  We got up early on Friday since there was a slight chance that Jayden's baseball team would have a game on Saturday and he wanted to get back in time to make the game.  Friday was a very long day of driving.  We made it all the way to Hays, Kansas, but it was about 10 pm before we stopped.  Thank goodness we were able to find a room at a Best Western Premium Hotel - good beds for the weary travelers.

We made it back to Fayetteville around 3pm on Saturday.  I think the family was excited to see Jayden....

Phillip and I so enjoyed this trip and I think that Jayden did too -he enjoys EVERYTHING!  Our activities were so varied during this trip, yet Jayden loved it all.  The drive was long, but Jayden didn't fuss.  Most of the time he was talking with us.  I thought that he would rely on his electronics to keep him occupied on the trip, but instead he talked to us.  It was great to have this time with Jayden!  It has been so much fun seeing Yellowstone through his eyes....

Thursday, June 21

We are scheduled to spend the night in Canyon Campground tonight which is not far from where we are so there is no need to leave early.  The ranger told us that for the past week they have been seeing a bear just a couple of miles down the main road, but in the opposite direction of where we are headed.  Sounded worth the detour and it was!  The bear was just off the road.  Although she is often seen with her cubs, we did not see them.

That Jayden is a wildlife photographer in the making!

As Phillip and I say all of the time....its not the destination, its the journey!  And the journey is always beautiful when you are in Yellowstone....

We arrived in Canyon a little after eleven.  Although this area has showers and flush toilets, all of the camping spots are small and packed in tight.  We made some deviled eggs and sandwiches for lunch, and after a little discussion, we decide to head over to Cody and stay in a hotel tonight.

There were a few stops that I wanted to make along the way....some pretty scenery to be seen....

As we were heading into Cody, Jayden was talking up a storm...running on and on and talking that kind of "nonsense" talk that Phillip and Larry do so well.  All of a sudden....quiet.....

We've been staying up late - after all it doesn't get dark until almost 10 pm here.  Plus we get up early.  A nap was what he needed since we still have a lot to do in what is left of this day.

First stop in Cody is the Cowboy Museum.  They have  expanded and improved the museum since the last time we were here.

Then on to the Irma Hotel to see the nightly gunfight.  It is actually a little skit put on every evening during the summer.

They include a little picture taking opportunity for the kids with the actors.

 There is one scene when the sheriff comes out of the outhouse with toilet paper hanging out of the back of his pants.  The sheriff gave Jayden the toilet paper.

We checked into the Cody Hotel, which just happened to be right across the street from the Rodeo.  This was not a chain, but was a new, very nice hotel.  Given that the Motel 6 has rooms for $149/night, the $159/night price tag was great!  We will stay here again.  After checking in (and Jayden taking a quick dip in the hot tub) we headed to the Rodeo.

We ate dinner at the Rodeo - they had the BEST hot dogs and corn dogs ever!

You might notice Pop grinning in the background of the picture Jayden....we are both grinning because Jayden is loving this rodeo SO MUCH - Love it!

There was even a little time for the kids to go onto the arena floor and chase down a calf to get a red flag. (Jayden has on black pants with a red stripe down the side, a white t-shirt and cap)

We were also treated to a beautiful sunset over the Rodeo.....

The very last event was the bull riding.  At the finish of the last ride, the bull got loose and WENT OVER the FENCE!  Cowboys were running around and jumping on horses and grabbing their lassos!!  It was wild!  The bull headed into the parking lot and the announcer was telling everyone to stay in their seats.  SO EXCITING and what a great end to an exciting day!  BTW: They caught the bull :)

Back at the hotel, we had more fun....the hotel had a big fire outside and they provided marshmellows, big forks, graham crackers and chocolate for S'Mores....the perfect bedtime snack.