Late Nights

Hey, ya'll!  Did you miss me?  I've been to another planet and back!  heehee What fun traveling is. (and shopping!)
*Ok, go get a drink-this is a long one!*
Mary Claire and I went to Branson on Friday, and we went to White Water with Angie and Andalynn until after 10pm!

It is surprising that when you are having fun, you don't get sleepy.  We thought the girls would get tired...but No!  This picture was at about 9:35pm, and they were still going strong.  We'd been to the wave pool, the Water Works:

Lazy River, the rides down in the tubes (Ohana Falls and Raging River Rapids), and to the play area (Raintree Island), then they chose to go back to the Raging River at 9:45!  We let them go down it by themselves-we took turns walking the double raft up the concrete walk and stairs, then helped them get it, hold on, and push it slowly to the starting line, then the other mom would wait at the bottom to help them out.  We figured out that we couldn't do both, and beat them down the chute!  They were so light they just skimmed the little pool at the bottom, and glided right over to the stairs.  By then, it was really dark and getting cooler.  I didn't want to get wet anymore, so it worked for us.  Our last stop was the gift shop-they had the best shells-and some were less expensive than Hobby Lobby!  I got the most beautiful flat-ended shiny conch shells:

Then, our girls have learned: they get some fun, then WE get some fun!  We shop till we drop (or our feet hurt really bad, and we have to change shoes..am I getting old when I take cushy shoes to change into around 6pm?  Don't answer that.)!  We got around late, since we went to bed so late (and had baths and ordered Pizza Hut at 11pm..), so it was a late start shopping.  We met our favorite friends at Gymboree,

(this is Dina hugging a crying-not anymore-baby while the momma shopped!  Isn't she sweet?) we ordered lunch and ate in the back room (while shopping the shelves-the girls shopped the cake-purses!), and then we were back on our way again. Thank you, Dina, Sara, and Dawn, for your hospitality!  We love you guys! (and thanks for letting us park behind you!!)
Then we had to speed-shop to get the girls to Justice (the new fave).  Mary Claire had a little melt-down over the dolls, Zhu-Zhu pets, and eraser sets.  I mean, Really!  She said no to all the clothes I picked (what?), since I'd said no to her toys.  We'd already had a talk (to prevent all this drama).  She had a pad of paper and a pen.  She was supposed to write down her favorite thing in each store, and at the end of the day, we'd go back to get the REAL favorite.  Thing is..she couldn't wait!  It was driving her mad!
We got back on track, and we did go back to Justice (after some Krispy Kreme *and they were Hot Now!*to clear our heads) to get a baby Zhu-Zhu.  So, don't feel sorry for her.  : )  Not that it was likely.


Ok, so in the next missing post...
We had a great July fourth!  We had church, went to Tim's for pizza, swam,

and got ready to have company.  We had mom and dad, and John (my brother), and some friends Angie and Tony(a different Angie!) and their kids over.  We had fajitas and dessert with fruit, and then drove to see fireworks at the Naturals ball park.

But-so did the rest of Northwest Arkansas!  It was so packed with cars everywhere!  We made it for the last couple minutes, but then drove around to see lots of fireworks, even a great show at a house by JB Hunt park!  We got to bed late, so we skipped baths.  Don't smell my kids! : )


Today we played with friends, sewed a tiny bit (didn't finish anything!), and then took naps. I'm absolutely wiped out!  I haven't even put away the stuff I bought in Branson!  Sad.  I just piled it in the laundry room, and it'll have to wait.  I still have Bible study tomorrow, and MUST do the homework tonight!  then more to come (playdates on Thursday and Friday! woo-hoo!). I have the trip to Little Rock to see her doctor on Wednesday, and I am not sure when I'll catch up.  I think I have a house-full of company coming on Saturday, so I have to figure out how to fit in some cleaning (or hiding stuff?  ..maybe that's faster!).


I am making this (ultra-long post, huh!) book I already told you about, and I was looking up stuff on prayer for others and compassion.  It is suffering with, or bearing the burden with.  It just touched my heart.  I feel for all you moms in the thick of it.  I mean, I am in the thick too, but I'm feeling for you with smaller children.  It is REALLY hard to have a baby and older kids.  It's a hard balancing act, and I know all about it.  So, I have compassion for you.  I understand all that monotony of doing those selfless acts (over and over and over again) for your husband and kids, and many times we are alone in the day when we have lots of work that goes unnoticed (for the most part).  Just know you aren't really alone-I'm doing laundry at my house too, thinking of you!
As God's chosen ones (this is us!), holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.  Colossians 3:12

Shopping, Dams, and Caves

Maybe all the yucky stuff is behind me? Bad-ness travels in threes, so maybe it's over?

I got back from Branson last night. We shopped till we dropped, and we were tired! We stopped before dark, and that is not normal! We usually shop till 9pm, then eat dinner after all the stores are closed! But by Sunday, our third day, we were done.

When I met Angie there on Friday, we went into Gymboree first to see our friends Dina and Sara. Dina was there, in the back room, and not so happy. She's got a lot going on like the rest of us, but we got to cheer her up. I gave her a monogrammed cup since she liked mine the last time we were there, and she wanted one. We got to talk for a little while, and Sara called. Dina told her we had a surprise for her, and she came in. She had her baby and Dina's daughter, Ellie Mae. We talked and shopped, and then Angie and I shopped till the stores closed. At 9, we went to Olive Garden, had a wonderful dinner and got to catch up, then when we were leaving, we saw Dina and Sara and the kids again! : )

Saturday, more shopping, late meals, and we swung by to take Dina to lunch with us at Panera (and she gave us all the short cuts and back roads to help us make it faster)! She's so sweet, and sometimes we all need to reach out to others. We got to eat outside, and it was perfect. We also met Jordan, Sara's husband (who'd checked us out earlier!), who ran into Panera for lunch. He's the manager at Banana Republic at the same outlet mall as Dina and Sara. Such a small world! : )

Sunday went just as fast, and we forgot to tell Dina and Sara bye, but I'll email them. I'm monogramming Ellie Mae's Halloween costume and mailing it. She' going to be a vet, and she got a doctor's costume with a white jacket and greenish scrubs. She'll be so cute!

I got home last night before the kids went to bed, and we partied in the new clothes. Ethan got a new costume for Halloween (a monkey!) and ran around in it all night, until we persuaded him with something cooler (literally): some new dinosaur jammies. They were so cute running around in new shoes and jammies. : )

Today we went to Devil's Den near West Fork, Arkansas. Ches had left earlier to ride his bike down (and get in some long rides before the Tour de Cure), and we packed a lunch and headed south. We passed him on Highway 170, and he said he wanted to ride back up the road (yes, uphill), and then he'd ride back down and meet us near the playground. We went on, and I worried about him, it took forever! I gave him the keys, and told him to meet us at the dam. We walked halfway across, took some pictures, walked to the bottom side, and the kids saw tadpoles, fish, and threw rocks in the water. Mary Claire was feeling low, so we headed back up the hill towards the van to find Ches (and the van keys!) to check her. We met him near the van, and he took the boys back to the playground, got the meter (as Mary Claire could go NO farther). She was low, so we ate lunch. Amazingly, we ran into two families from church! It was great. The kids got to eat and play, then we headed towards the trails. Ethan had started losing it, so we knew we'd only have time for one cave. We chose the Devil's Den since it was only a half mile down the nearest trail. Ethan somehow got hurt near the entrance, and cried like crazy. I'm still not sure what happened, and I'm hoping he's okay. The kids and I went in only about 15 or 20 feet, as we forgot our flashlight. Ethan went into the opening, then wanted out. He wanted a light, and we just didn't have one! We hiked back up to the van, and went home. I had some snacks for them, but we stopped by McDonald's on the way home anyway. Some things can be made better with some french fries.

Now Ches and I are cooling off, catching up, and we're headed out tonight. We have a date! After all the chaos, we need some time. The kids go back to school tomorrow, and it's Ethan's first day of Mother's Day Out for this year! He can't wait! : ) And I guess I can't either! I have to get the rest of his supplies tonight and get him ready.

I have Bible Study tomorrow morning, but I don't know if I'll make it. I want to be there for his first day, so I'll probably miss it. And I haven't picked up my book or done my homework! And it's going to be rough. They are all so sweet, but they all either have babies or are pregnant, so it may take me some time.

We're also supposed to get our shirts printed tomorrow as long as we get the shirts in on time-some weren't ordered until Friday, so they have to be in by noon to print on tomorrow. Clay has his (boy scout) pack meeting tomorrow and Mary Claire has gymnastics. I'll have to hit the ground running!

I'm posting a few pictures of Devil's Den (yeah, bad name), and our past few days. They are just cuties. : )