Arkansas Adventure!

A few weeks ago I took the kids to Arkansas for a visit. Richard was out of town on business for almost two weeks, so I decided to head home! When we arrived to Kara's house, Molly was running a fever and was super fussy! Thank goodness for Tylenol. The next morning she was still running a fever, so I took her to a local pediatrician...someone I went to college with! Crazy how old that made me feel. He was wonderful and said her ear infections had not cleared up and gave her a new antibiotic and numbing drops. By the next day, she was back to her old self and fever free! We spent two nights with my sister and her family at their home on the river. Matthew had the greatest time! He got to ride bikes (and learn how to skid, thanks to Nate!), swim in the swimming hole, roast marshmallows, put out a deer feeder with Uncle Tim, go on tractor rides and play in the kayak. What more can a little boy ask for? Well, he got to go with Uncle Tim on a two hour canoe ride! Brave Uncle Tim took Nate, Zac, Matthew and Bailey (friend) in a kayak by himself. Matthew had a blast and said that was his favorite thing he did while at their house. That was closely followed by the fact that he got to sleep on the top bunk with Nate. All of the boys have such a great time together. Molly had a great time hanging out with Ben. Most of the time she was the "object" he used to push off of to stand up, but she didn't seem to mind. They were cute together and seemed to enjoy having someone their own size to chase after! Thanks you guys for letting us stay and for all the "adventures" Matthew got to go on!

We also made a trip to see Mamaw Shelia and Papaw Guy, which was great. When we got to Mamaw's house, she had dinner ready (yummy!) and several toys for the kids to play with! Madisson was also there and kept Matthew entertained the whole time. He loved playing with her and he even slept in the living room beside her that night. Matthew enjoyed picking vegetables and eating grapes with Papaw, walking down the street to see Aunt Karan's house, and playing on the floor with Mamaw. Molly enjoyed playing on the floor once she warmed up...remember, she was a little grumpy from her ear infections! She entertained us a dinner enjoyed walking around with Papaw when we were done. Of course, she loved Mamaw's "bling" and tried desperately to take a few pieces for herself. She already has an eye for jewelry! We were also able to see Mamaw Ball and Papaw Swarner. They are always so sweet and seem to enjoy seeing the kids. The three of us really enjoyed the time we got to spend there...thank you!

Yes, this was a busy trip...one that kept us traveling most days! We got to spend some time at Nana and Papa Doc's house, which is always a treat because "going home" is always special. The kids played, Matthew enjoyed a trip to Atwoods with Papa Doc, we swam in the pool, Nana cooked delicious meals, Matthew rode on the toys outside, and we all ended each day watching the Olympics. I think I even managed to fit a nap in while I was there one day! Again, we had a wonderful time here as well and feel so blessed to have such wonderful family to come home to! I also got to see my best friend's mom, which was great. Her daughter, Melissa, was best friends with both my sister and me growing up. Between the three of us we have 7 boys and 1 girl...I still can't believe that!

On our final travel day, we went to see Matthew and Molly's great grandparents. Mamaw and Papaw Williams were waiting for us when we arrived and had fun watching Molly crawl all around their living room. She was happy and enjoyed crawling up in both of their laps to sit for a while. Matthew, of course, didn't stay still. He likes exploring around their house and checking out all of the things they have collected over the years. He also always goes for their walking canes. It never fails, each time he wispers in my ear and asks if he can take them home. Funny kiddo. We had a wonderful time catching up, but had to head out to see the next set of great grandparents after a while. Memaw and Papa Harrington were excited to see the kids and Molly just loved Memaw! She kept going up to her and standing between her legs and just smiling and laughing at her. It was sweet seeing them together. Those are the moments that I hope stay with me forever...and I hope the kids remember how wonderful all of their great grandparents are. Papa surprised Matthew with an ice cream bar and had a short talk with him about God. Recently Matthew had asked me what God looked like...so, I let Papa handle that one! It was sweet, but his attention didn't last too long!

All in all, we had a wonderful trip to Arkansas and loved seeing everyone. We can't thank everyone enough for everything they did for us and the time they spent with the kids! The trip was topped off by a tummy bug that hit Molly about an hour away from home...poor baby. Luckily, it didn't last long and no one else in our household got it!