July 17, 2025-25th at Degray

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The last day of a trip is never really that exciting. Robby and I woke up and went to work. He cleaned the tanks while I worked inside. The more I can gather and put in baskets, the easier unloading is. It didn't take long for us to be ready to go.

I pulled out and waited on Robby to pull out, and then I followed him back. I stopped at Panda Express on the way home, and Robby had another errand. When I walked in the door on the house, Graham was pretty happy to see me, or he was pretty happy to see the food in my hand.

Keaton and Whitman slept a little bit on the way home, but it is pretty hard to sleep in the camper. They were both quick to offer to help carry things out. It didn't take long to get everything out of the camper. On unloading day, it is quite a bit of work inside and outside the camper-the camper has to be emptied, cleaned, and reloaded with what we will need next trip and with the things that I have washed. Plus, I have to straighten the house and put things away inside.

It is a lot of work, but it didn't take too horribly long today. Robby and I did leave to run to the grocery store to pick up a few things for tomorrow's trip. When we came home we put things away, and then Anderson left to go to church tonight and then to play volleyball.

Campbell had two friends come over tonight to spend the night. Robby made quesadillas for supper while Keaton opted for a rice bowl. After we ate, Robby and I finished with the camper so it is ready for the next trip. Then Graham left to meet Anderson and some others to play volleyball. 

I'm not sitting on the couch, and I really don't plan on getting up for the rest of the evening!

July 16, 2025-25th at Degray

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We slept a bit late this morning, and I didn't really stir until Robby was a on a work call. When we did leave the camper to walk Bentley, it was pretty hot outside so she only got a short walk. 

This morning was the first time that we had actually cooked anything outside. We made chocolate chip pancakes for our breakfast. This is one of Keaton's favorite camping meals. After eating, we did a few things around the camper (mainly searched to make sure there were no ants), and then we loaded up to go to the lake for a bit.

Whitman asked how far away we were going and briefly thought that we were going to a real beach. Robby and I had been calling in there, but we meant the lake swimming area. I guess he thought we were loading up to head to the Gulf. 

From our campsite, it took longer to back the car out than it did to get to the swimming area. Keaton and Whitman swam for a little bit before walking back to where Robby and I were sitting in the shade. They had a bit of a snack and then decided that they were finished with the lake for now.

Whitman opted to walk back to the campground while we drove. We did beat him but just by a bit. Keaton walked to the shower, and Whitman took a shower. Robby and I would set outside some and then move back inside for most of the afternoon. Every once in a while, the weather would get pretty pleasant, and then the sun would come out, and it would get hot again. 

This evening we made quesadillas for our supper. It is pretty easy camping with just Whitman and Keaton-they are happy with non elaborate meals for sure. Robby and I have been munching on the mango lime salsa that we bought in Murfreesboro and have finished half of the jar.

After supper we cleaned up before driving to Caddo for snow cones. They are good, but most everyone agreed that they are not the best ever. I'm not a big snow cone fan, so I did get one with ice cream in the middle-and I'm still stuffed from it. Would you like to know who enjoyed their snow cone the most? Bentley! She loved it, and I do think that she remembered it from the last time that we were there.

When we came back, Robby and I picked up the few things that we had outside and then walked Bentley for the evening. There was more to pick up after our walk. I sat down to start working on the blog and forgot about our nightly games. I reminded Keaton so she made Whitman play with us.

Afterwards, Whitman put on his pajamas, and now I'm finishing the blog before I take my shower. 

July 15, 2025-25th at Degray

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This was a slow morning in the camper. Robby had a few work things to do, so while he worked I read a little bit and slept some more. Robby and I took Bentley around the loop, and then when we came back we started on breakfast. Last night we said that we would make pancakes, but I think that we forgot because no one ever mentioned it.

We loaded up and headed to Mid America museum. Robby and I know that we have been there at some point, but I have searched the blog and can't find when it was. Nonna and Pops took the three big kids in 2019, but that is the only record of it that I have, so we have to assume that Keaton and Whitman had not been there. [Update: Robby found the post - last visit with the family was 8/4/2012 so Whitman had not been here and Keaton wasn’t quite one!]

Since we had to buy a pass for the Space museum in Huntsville, the museum was free today. We ate a picnic once we arrived. Actually, Robby stopped and picked up Panda Express for Keaton and I to share on the way there (it was a mystery shop). Whitman had cheese and crackers, and Robby had a ham roll up. 

We enjoyed the museum. Keaton said that she liked it better than the Museum of Discovery, but Whitman felt that the Museum of Discovery was more interactive. However, the both enjoyed the cave that you crawl thing. I think that the overall favorite was the exhibit where you could make a circuit and shock yourself or others. Whitman said that his arms were still tingling.

We saw everything there and then drove to see Friday's house. We also stopped at a gas station for drinks on the way home. And since we were right next to a Dollar General, Robby ran in there. 

The section of the campground that we are staying at is notorious for ants, and it is living up to it this week. Robby had sprayed everything well and used Borax around the camper. However, he does keep seeing a few ants outside on or too near the camper. Since he has used up his ant spray, we needed to pick up some more. Last time we were here, we were a little un worried about the ants, and we woke up to them crawling all over everywhere in the camper. It was bad enough that some of the kids now are scarred when it comes to ants!

When we were close to the camp ground, we took another little side trip, and went to see where we will be staying in August. We are coming down here to be cooks for Reagan and her friends. Back at the camper, we sat outside some-the weather is not beautiful like it was the first day. It is hot and humid.

Keaton, Whitman, and I played Phase 10 tonight, and I won. Afterwards, we heated up leftovers for supper-manicotti, pizza, and Panda. Robby and I took a walk, and while we were walking Keaton and Whitman did their school work for the day, and they also hid from us. 

I thought they were hiding in the cab like they did last night, but then I saw one of their heads going by the window. They eventually did come in, but they were enjoying running from us. Now, it is pajama and dessert time here. 

July 14, 2025-25th at Degray

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I think that the rain was softly falling when we went to bed-well, actually we were up late again tonight watching a few documentaries. These were about hostile church takeovers, and honestly, they were probably more scary than a murder mystery documentary. 

We all slept well, but I did wake up super early this morning. Robby eventually had to do some work, and afterwards he went to check us in since we didn't do that yesterday. By that time I was ready, and we took a walk around this loop. If you walk to both sides of this road it is a little bit over a mile walk so that's not too bad. The weather was really nice this morning just like last night. Tonight though it was a little bit warmer, but still fairly pleasant.

We came back in and started eating breakfast and waking up Whitman. Then we headed out for today's adventure. We went to Crater of Diamonds State Park. It was just about an hour from here so it was a pleasant drive. On the way, I did see my grandfather's sister's hardware shop that I remember going into one time, and I also saw the funeral home that my grandparents briefly lived in when I was a kid. (I actually spent a few days there playing the organ for fun and playing hide and seek with Jason around the caskets that were for sale.)

Soon we were at the diamond mine. We drove around the campground first, and then we stopped at the visitor's center. We looked around there, and then went to eat our picnic lunch. Afterwards, we bought our tickets for the diamond mine.

Now Robby and I could have probably passed on this part of the trip, but we are making memories so it was digging for diamonds we went. Thankfully, it was partly cloudy so we were not miserable. We rented a bucket, shovel, a square sifter that was two parts, and a circle sifter that probably had a real name. 

We entered into the mud field, and really I was ready to turn right around. We did all have on old shoes, but there was mud and dirt everywhere. It took us a while to figure out what to do, but we eventually figured it out-well, we didn't really figure it out because we didn't walk away with a diamond though.

Keaton was done a good bit before Whitman. He had walked to another area that had flowing water and was having the time of his life. As he walked back to us, he did have to dig his shoe out of the mud and probably thought briefly that he was in quicksand. 

We did have a few keeper rocks, so when we left we had to park person tell us about them. Mostly they were jasper, an agate, something that is toothpaste, something that he called "nature's asphalt," something that was used in xrays...the kid (he was probably 16) knew his stuff, but he just zoomed through everything. If I had been prepared, I would have labeled and bagged everything so we could know what we found. 

We did have to hose off ourselves when it was time to leave. Whitman suggested that we just throw his socks away, and Robby agreed-that is how muddy he was. This place is kind of a little boy's dream. Sonic is also a little boy's dream because as soon as we did get back in the car, Whitman was reminding us about the Sonic we passed.

We did get drinks, but first we helped the local economy-we bought some salsa at one general store and fudge at another. Then it was back to Arkadelphia. While tonight's pizza was cooking at Pizza Hut, we walked through Walmart for a few minutes, and then it was back to the campground and Bentley.

Back at home, Graham took Reagan to church so she could head to camp-this is her last week of work, and she is spending it at Praiseworks. We thought about driving by and looking for her tonight, but we might another day.

We ate our supper and sat outside for a while tonight. Robby and I walked while Keaton and Whitman did their school and took showers. When I came in from the walk, I played a few rounds of Uno with Keaton and Whitman. Robby even joined for our last few rounds. 

Now we are all in our spots-Robby has turned the news on so I will read for a bit before my shower. 

July 13, 2025-25th at Degray

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This morning was church, and we left a bit later than usual maybe because we were leaving this afternoon or maybe because everyone in the house was awake and going strong after 1 last night (I'm raising a family of night owls.) 

We still made it in plenty of time before the service started. Anderson, Keaton, and Robby all had the offering so maybe we should have tried to be a bit earlier, but it all was just fine. We took two cars because after eating lunch at Grannymom's house, Robby and I took one car to the store to pick up a few more things.

Yes, we did take the white van today-Robby drove it to church, but I rode in it to the grocery store. I even had to drive it to Degray this afternoon. I did very good and didn't freak out once. However. I did look around and even check near my feet a few times on the ride. There are a lot of places where a snake could climb inside of my car (or at least my imagination thinks so) so I made sure to check those places often.

When we did make it home with our groceries, we unloaded and got ready to leave. Keaton, Graham, and Reagan were all asleep. Anderson even fell asleep later in the day. Campbell was awake working on her nails, and Whitman never naps. 

I had to wake Keaton up, and by the time that she hopped in the camper, Whitman and Bentley were already inside it waiting to go. Robby pulled out in front of me, and I followed him most of the way here. I did stop off to do a gas station mystery shop on the way to Lake Degray State Park.

When I arrived, Robby was already here and backed in. We are in the nice, full hook up section. However, we are not right on the water, but we do have a really good trail going down to the water. The first question Keaton asked was about the kayaks-which we left at home. Reagan might bring them tomorrow on her way to camp. 

We are in a really good spot, and once we were set up, we walked around for a little bit. Keaton and Whitman are in a good mood this evening. We heated up manicotti for supper, and while we were eating the rain came. 

It was a quiet pitter patter of rain while Keaton, Whitman, and I played a card game. When we were finished, we all had a snack-popcorn for the kids and blueberry cobbler for us. Now Robby and I are watching a tv show before we all head to bed. 

July 12, 2025

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  • Our first activity this morning was waking up Campbell so Robby could get her to a friend's house. She had a big day at the lake with some friends. It was this evening that Shannon and I went to pick her up-she was mighty red when she climbed into the car. 
  • Robby ran some errands after dropping Campbell off. I was at home and started to work on a few things at home-packing, school prep, and even some baking (I made cookie dough for tonight but then burned half of the batch.)
  • When Robby came home, the house started hopping with everyone getting ready for the Franklin wedding. And you know, we sure didn't take a single picture. Reagan, Keaton, and I spent the majority of the reception in the kitchen cutting and plating the cake. Reagan was so impressed with her cake cutting skills that she wondered if she should pursue it as a career.
  • The boys left the reception as soon as they could, but Keaton and Reagan got to ride home to us with a stop to the grocery store. We were able to do our shopping quickly though. Once at home, we did a few things, and then the Wilson's came over for Sunday night supper on Saturday.
  • When Shannon and I returned from picking up Campbell, I saw a huge black snack crawling up the brick outside of the garage. I had to fuss at Campbell because that girl was going to pick the thing up. I now wish that she did, because when they got the snake down, it crawled under the white van. Then the snake CRAWLED UP UNDER THE WHITE VAN. Robby moved the van in hopes that it will crawl on it.
  • However, here's the deal-I have to drive that car tomorrow to Degray. I could just cry. I have googled it, and a snake really shouldn't be able to enter into a car, but there are so many pictures and stories of that happening. 
  • It's probably not a good time for me to tell Robby that I'm never driving that car again...if I do though, I'll be wearing long pants and gloves!

July 11, 2025

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This morning I really felt like I had accomplished a lot. However, this afternoon and evening, we've done nothing except drive around and pick up my babies. 

I walked this morning in the heat. Then I did all of the chores that I could think of before going to the camper to clean it from our trip. It is tiny so it takes me max 15 minutes-20 if I were to shop vac in there too which I did not do this time. Really, there is no reason to stall that long. I did put clean sheets on the bed-the mattress is huge and really you can only get to it from half of one side of the bed so it makes things challenging. I got it done though.

Then I worked on making supper for tonight. When I had finished all my batches of manicotti, Robby and I took one to Grannymom before making some Amazon returns. On our way out of the driveway, we saw that the mail had delivered quite a few new school books for me. So I dug through them at Grannymom's house-like it was Christmas morning for me,

We left there and went to church to pick up Keaton and Whitman from their mission trip to Starkville. They both had a good time. Whitman said that he enjoyed it more than camp. Keaton said that the hardest thing she had to do was scrub the oven. And I think that overall their favorite was the water park.

We came home, through laundry in the wash and then turned around to go and get Campbell. She seemed to really enjoy her trip and told us about it on the way home. She was happy that they were able to stop at a Buccees on the way back though they only stopped twice the whole way home. 

I changed around some laundry at home before we left again. This time we didn't go to church but headed to the airport to pick up Anderson and Graham. They landed just as we arrived so it was perfect timing. They told us all about their trip-I think that they were both tired, and Graham is even a little bit sickly.

Keaton had stuck supper in the oven while we were gone, so everyone has eaten. Well, Reagan is out playing pickleball so she will eat her supper when she comes home. Two of the 5 loads of laundry have been folded, one is in the dryer, one in the wash, and one waiting to be washed. I don't think it will all happen tonight, but we shall see. 

July 10, 2025-July State Parks Trip

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Robby started to unhook things this morning before he had to sit down and do a little bit of work. I took Bentley on a walk around the loop and then came in to read for a bit. I had already started getting things ready for when we made it home (sheets of the bed, clothes in a basket, laundry by the door.)

We loaded the car and were soon on our way. I really enjoyed Millwood State Park-possibly even more than Queen Wilhelmina. The view was so nice-though I could hardly walk on the grass because I was always looking for alligator. 

We just zoomed right home with no problems at all. When we made it home, Robby worked while I began emptying the camper. It didn't take too long even though we are even washing our sheets this time. It also didn't take too long because I had a goal-I had some new school stuff delivered so when things were settled in the house and camper, then I could start opening the school boxes.

Soon I was going through school things and really I have done only that for the rest of the evening. Reagan came in after work for a little bit. This was her last day of work in the office-she has camp next week, and then she is free for the rest of the summer. She wasn't home long because she went to church and then to pickleball.

Robby and I heated up our leftover enchiladas, and now we are on the couch watching our show. I have quite a few pictures from the kids to go through today. This was their last day before they all head home. I haven't really talked to them much-Anderson did say that he tried to surf yesterday unsuccessfully. Whitman said that he had a lot of fun at the water park today-for Whitman to say he had fun, then he really did have fun. 


July 9, 2025-July State Parks Trip

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Let's start with the kid update: I don't really have anything. Reagan did give me a thumbs up when I asked for her to move my packaged off the front porch. Graham wrote a very short reply when I asked him and Anderson if they needed airpods. I have not heard from Campbell, Keaton, or Whitman today. I did get a picture from Keaton from a leader who said that she had scrubbed a kitchen for a very long time with the best attitude. Also, usually by now I have gotten a proof of life update from Whitman by now, 

I'm glad that they are busy and having fun so I guess I will let it slide today. In their defense, they have all sent me multiple pictures throughout the week. Tomorrow is everyone's fun day-Whitman and Keaton go to a water park, Campbell goes to the Cincinnati Zoo, and the boys were not thrilled at all about going to the San Diego Zoo. I tried to remind them that it is the premiere zoo in the nation, but they just reminded me that they had been there already.

Robby and I left around 11 this morning to head to Historic Washington State Park. It was about a 30 minute drive. We walked through the visitor's center, and then we saw that there was a horse and buggy ride about the park. Robby paid for it just as the horse and buggy pulled around the corner.

It was really a neat ride. The driver told us just enough information while we went around the streets of Historic Washington. (It was Old Washington State Park when we were growing up.) The most impressive thing was a huge old magnolia tree. Other than that, there wasn't a whole lot happening at the park today. (It is no Greenfield Village-oh, but it could be. And possibly it is Greenfield Village-ish during some of their special events.)

We decided to complete our visit we should eat at the tavern. Robby and I split chicken tenders which were very good. We also had green beans (fine) and mashed potatoes (not edible-Robby tried, but there wasn't enough salt and pepper to help. I'm not sure what happened because it isn't too hard to mess up mashed potatoes, but I don't really think that they were potatoes.

The horse and buggy man told us that the earthquake cake was very good-indeed it was. However, we didn't know that earthquake cake has coconut which Robby doesn't like. So I ate the bottom of the cake with the coconut, and he ate the top with no coconut. (Like the nursery rhyme-Jack Spratt would eat no fat, his wife would eat no lean, and between them both they licked the plate clean.)

We  stopped at Walmart in Hope on the way home because right before we left, Robby leaned over in the kitchen area and asked, "what's that noise?" I listened, but he quickly figured out that it sounded like water. He went outside to see that a plastic cap from the water heater had split. It was no worries since he carries spares (of everything). He had to fix that a little bit before we left, but he needed some special tape to put around the cap which is what we picked up at Walmart.

Back at the camper, we stayed in the house until it was cool. Then we decided to walk the 1.5 mile trail. Bentley wishes that we would have left her at home, and Robby wishes that he would have sprayed bug spray all over his body-especially his head where the bugs were swarming. 

It was fairly maintained trail-until it wasn't. It was at least well marked and followed the water on the other side of the camper. We were moving through the trail because who wants to be lost in the wilderness in the dark. Robby did see an alligator, but when he said something he slithered back in the water. I thought he had seen a bear so I was relieved that it was just an alligator that I missed seeing. 

Since we have learned our lesson about trails and Bentley, she received her beauty treatment when we made it back. We both had brushes and brushed the mess out of her. Under out picnic table, it looks like we have sheared a sheep. I tried to check her the best I could so hopefully there are no ticks on her. Robby jumped in the shower as soon as we walked back in the door from brushing Bentley, and I'm next. 

July 8, 2025-July State Parks Trip

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Robby had a call this morning which I had planned to be up and read during. However, I slept through it and most of the morning long. I even slept through a rain shower which cooled things off incredibly. We walked to the end of the loop, and when we came back we started getting the camper ready to pull out.

Getting the camper ready to leave really doesn't take too long-especially with two of us working. We were able to load up the car without any problems at all. Then we headed down the mountain. We stopped at one pull out so Robby could let a car pass him and to check his tow straps. They have a tendency to come lose, but they held tight today.

We drove right to Millwood State Park near Ashdown. We had done some of the drive a day ago when we went to Cossatot State Park. We made it just fine which is always a relief when we go anywhere in the camper now. Even though we have a had a few successful trips without any problems especially tire problems, we feel like we are just holding our breath the whole time.

This state park is a bit on the smaller side-campground wise. However, it has a huge fishing lake. Our site is really great-shade (not so great during the thunderstorm this evening though), a lake view with a swing,  and a decent loop to walk. 

We unhooked the camper and settled into our site for a bit. We had some pimento cheese and wheat thins for a late lunch before loading up with Bentley in the car to head to Conway Cemetery State Park. It is way down south-only about an hour from here though.

You probably won't be surprised that we were the only people at the cemetery which is where Arkansas' first governor was buried. He was from the area, but the area was looking pretty sad on our visit. We did find a mural that we stopped at to take picture.

On our way to pick up a pizza in Ashdown for supper tonight, we could tell that it was about to start storming. Robby made it back in the car right before the rain came. It rained pretty heavy on the drive back to the camper, but then on lightly rained on us during our supper. 

After the rain stopped, we were able to take a walk around the loop. For this being a small park, we were surprised that there are a decent number of campers here tonight. We have our show to watch in a bit and possibly some more cookies for dessert (we have eaten all of the ice cream).

July 7, 2025-July State Parks Trip

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Robby had just closed his eyes for the night so I rolled over so the light from my phone wouldn't bother him. That is when I saw my computer and realized that I had not even thought about doing the blog tonight. 

So it is a bit late, but better late than never. We had a fairly slow morning-I had yogurt and granola for breakfast while Robby opted for a honey bun today. He did some work, and then we loaded up to take a drive to Oklahoma. 

There are 3 ways to Queen Wilhelmina state park-the short, straight up, very curvy path with no shoulder or guard rails that we took up here; the longer well maintained, curvy road that we drove yesterday and will drive tomorrow; and today's adventure.

The third way to leave Queen Wilhelmina is to head towards Oklahoma along with Telemena scenic byway. It is a 54 mile stretch that winds through the Ouachita Mountains in Oklahoma and Arkansas. Another name for this byway could be "the deserted byway" because we saw 2 cars and 1 tractor on the whole 54 miles. It was kind of eerie. 

We even stopped at a nature center that was shut up like a ghost town. There were not even trash cans there-so Bentley left them a present. It was odd and a little bit spooky. We have had limited cell service on this trip, so I'm glad that Robby had his new starlink toy with us. 

When we made it off of the byway, we drove through the town of Talehina-it was pretty small. Very small. They did have a start park nearby so we stopped there for lunch. Since it cost 10 dollars to park, we opted to just eat in the car. However, it was also deserted so no one would have known if we didn't pay. I'm a bit worried about the people of Oklahoma. Hopefully, they were all at work today and have not been abducted. 

We came back to the camper a different way-it was flat, and there were cars. For supper tonight, we had mashed potatoes and meatballs. We heard thunder and looked to see a storm rolling in, but it never came to us. The weather was still nice this evening so we were able to walk to the lodge again and sit on the porch for a while. 

When we came back to the camper, Robby made some chocolate chip cookies, and I completely forgot about the blog. 

I have heard from all of the kids today. Anderson and Graham both sent pictures. They said that they helped move some dirt this morning. Campbell did a lot of canvasing the neighborhood. Whitman and Keaton worked in a school-she organized a shelf, and he carried boxes. And Reagan only has a few more days left of work!

July 6, 2025-July State Parks Trip

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Robby and I slept incredibly well last night, as we always do in the camper. I did wake up early this morning a bit chilly because Bentley had decided to join us in the bed. When she is in the middle of the bed, I can't really pull any more covers on top of me. I keep a blanket by me in the camper, but that silly dog was laying on it too.

Some times we go camping and do absolutely nothing, and other times we stay pretty busy most of the day. Today was a busy day. We started this morning by walking Bentley up to the lodge. We sat on the porch for a little bit. Then we walked back to the camper. 

We got Bentley settled in the camper, and we left again. We walked back to the lodge. This time we went inside, where I bought a sticker and got a stamp for our Arkansas state parks passport book. Then we ended up back in our chairs for a few more minutes.

Robby and I then rode the Rich Mountain scenic railroad, a miniature train that runs around the park. We were the first ride of the day and the only people on the train. It goes around the lodge, pass the scenic overlook, through the campground, and into the woods. It is a neat little ride.

Actually, the train owner man told Robby that he is ready to sell it. I did tell Robby that I could do a lot better theme-ing and merchandising in their little store. Plus I would add a coffee shop as well. However, it would take a lot of train riders paying 7 dollars each to make it profitable. Most of the rest of the day, we spent our time counting people on the trains to see if we could make a go of it up here. 

We then packed an ice chest, said goodbye to Bentley, and headed down the road. Literally, we had to go down a hill to get to our stop-Cossatot River State Park. This state park was a little over an hour from here, and since it doesn't have camper camping, it was just a day trip for us. 

We found the visitor center, but drove on past it to the day use area of the river. We weren't really sure what we were doing when we quickly saw that the drive was down a one-lane dirt road. Thankfully, we made it though without any cars coming back up. The river was pretty down there, but there were few rapids that we could see-it actually looked fairly peaceful and made me want to float a river.

However, this river has class 4 and even 5 rapids. They make it clear that it is not for beginners to float. We weren't able to see any of those rapids despite driving a long ways down another gravel road-we chickened out on it because we had no idea where we were going. The internet is spotty where we are so we are just guessing at most things.

We walked around the visitor center for a bit and later came back to stamp our book. The visitor center was huge and very nice. We are always curious how some places receive lots of funding and others do not. Even with all of their funding, the Cossatot could use a few more picnic tables. They only had 2-we did eat our lunch at one of those tables. Robby had a turkey and cheese sandwich while I had peanut butter and jelly. There is nothing better than a sandwich eaten outside for sure.

We then drove back towards Mena. We did find the big city and even stopped to get a frosty at Wendys for each of us. Then it was back up the hill to the camper. We walked Bentley and put our two new stickers onto the camper. 

Robby and I had a bit of downtime before we headed to the Wonder House. This was a rock house bit forever ago right across from our campground. We met the park person who gave us a tour of it. The interesting thing about the house was that it was built on 9 different levels-a living room with an upstairs, then a separate kitchen, cellar, pantry (all different levels). This was connected to dining room with a bedroom containing two levels above. I am missing a level though, but the most interesting thing was all of the rock work that they did. There were outside stairs going up to the kids' bedroom, and they were strategically placed wrapped around the fireplace so they would not ice in the winter.

After the tour, we found a trail behind the house. We knew that it should only be about .4 miles. It was little bit longer, but of course we didn't want to take the tick magnet, Bentley. Robby found one tick crawling on him last night, and there was a dead one on the comforter this morning. After brushing her for at least 20 minutes last night, we gave her another check and didn't find anymore. Hopefully, we were able to get rid of all of them.

We came back to the camper for a bit, and I crocheted some and read even more. Tonight for supper I made chicken enchiladas-not really. They were from Sams, and I heated them up in the oven. They were very good, which was a good thing since we have enough for leftovers. 

When it was getting near sunset, we walked towards the lodge and found our chairs again. Bentley was perfect sitting on the porch watching the people. It was almost chilly this evening as walked back to the camper. 

I worked on the blog for a little bit, and now we are watching some tv before bed. I haven't heard much from the kids today. When I dropped everyone off, I did tell them to send me proof of life every so often, and Whitman is the one who has done that for sure. Keaton and Campbell both sent me pictures today, but I have heard little from the big boys. I know that they all went to church today at their different churches, but that is just about all that I know about their days. 

July 5, 2025-July State Parks Trip

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  • Our morning started early-I folded laundry first because there were a few last minute things that the kids needed to pack. Then I went to wake up Campbell and Keaton. I waited a few minutes and then woke up Whitman.
  • I went back downstairs to empty the dishwasher and could hear Keaton and Campbell already moving around. I knew that Whitman had gone back to sleep, so I went back up there to make sure that he was getting up. He did get out of bed, but when I came upstairs for one more check, Whitman was quietly closing his bedroom door while holding his backpack and suitcase....EXCEPT he had Anderson's suitcase and backpack. 
  • Campbell had to be at church at 7:30 so we left with Keaton and Whitman also. We dropped off Campbell and went to run a few errands while we waited on the next drop off. I had to go to Walmart to pick up some cream for Graham's foot and a water bottle for Anderson before they left. 
  • We were actually back at church when Campbell and her vans departed. They made it to Cincinnati later than all the other mission trip goers, but I know that she stopped at ChickFilA for lunch. She also said that she had a good travel day.
  • Next we dropped Whitman and Keaton off at church so they could head to Starkville. None of my other people seemed so little when it was time to drop them off at mission trips-but my baby boy Whitman seems tiny. Plus there are so many things for him to remember-phones, chargers, credit cards, gracious! Thankfully, he has Keaton there with him.
  • They had lunch at ChickFilA, and Keaton had text trying to figure out if she should order their food on the app. Plus she sent me a picture of Whitman and Carter this evening. Keaton said that they had a good day-and had a lot of time to play this evening.
  • Anderson and Graham had to be at the airport at 12:30 to catch their flights to San Diego. Their first flight was a bit delayed, but they only had one gate to walk to the next flight. My friend on the flight said that the turbulence was a lot on the first flight. Anderson did write each time that they landed which was sweet.
  • As soon as we dropped the big boys off, we came home and said bye to Reagan and Odelia. They were headed to Target and then I think that the plan was to play pickleball tonight. Robby and I pulled out in the camper and headed to Queen Wilhelmina State Park. 
  • The drive was very pretty, and it was nice to not be on the interstate for way too long. It was fairly warm when we pulled into the state park and checked in at the lodge. We found our site, unhooked the car, and parked. 
  • Robby and I walked to check out the big train that is parked almost right in front of us. We watched the little train drive by, and then we looked at all of the other campsites. We have a pretty decent spot here-not the best, but it was decent enough for us. 
  • Robby and I heated up some of our leftover poppyseed chicken, and then we walked up to the lodge with Bentley. The weather was pretty cool tonight considering that it is July. On our way back to the camper, we took a little adventure. 
  • We spotted a trail. It was in the general direction of the camper, and there was vague map-so we just headed off down the trail. It was incredibly well maintained plus there were yellow flowers growing along the edge. It was nice-except that I was pretty considered that we were going to get ourselves lost in the dark. Thankfully, the trail ended at the end of the campground loop. 
  • We walked back to the camper, and it was still light outside. Robby and I turned on the American Made movie since we were near Mena, and all was going well...until I found one and then two ticks crawling on me.
  • Bentley was sitting right between us so we inspected her. We got at least 4 more ticks off of her-they hadn't bitten her and were just crawling on her. I guess this means that her flea and tick meds work. However, just as the vet told me-her meds cause the ticks to walk off of her and onto us. Maybe I need her flea and tick medicine.
  • Robby and I paused the movie and took her outside and brushed the mess out of her. We then brought her back inside and did one more inspection before continuing the movie. Hopefully, we were able to get all of them off of her. Now, the movie has just finished, so it is time to head to bed!

July 4, 2025

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  • This holiday has felt like a Saturday for sure. I had plans to walk this morning and treat the day like usual, but when I realized that it was hot outside (it seemed hotter today to me-though I don't think that the temperature really was warmer than yesterday) I just pretended it was a Saturday. 
  • I did a few more things to get ready for the evening's packing session. Then I just sat down and bought some school things. I was trying to wait and just do one order each Monday, but there were a few free shippings today that I decided to take advantage of. 
  • I made muffins for breakfast, and not too soon afterwards we left to eat lunch at Nonna and Pops' house. They had hamburgers, hot dogs, and all of the fixings. We stayed and visited for a bit, but then headed home. 
  • Not too long after we made it home, Reagan had a few friends come over. I'm think there were about 7 possibly, but there are at least 4 or 5 cars outside parked by the house. After hanging out for a while, they headed to Kennedy's house to eat and watch some fireworks. 
  • The campers were supposed to get out home at 8:30, but they were running early so it was around 7:15 when they arrived. We have needed all of the time that we could get tonight. They all had a good time and weren't too tired. 
  • Anderson said that he won the chess tournament and possibly the volleyball (it's all running together now). His senior boys group did win the overall whatever there was to win. Graham had a few things that he and/or his group were second place in. He came home with a pretty good cut on his foot plus ant bites on his feet. Campbell had taken about 1500 pictures on her camera.
  • When they arrived home, we immediately started washing all of their clothes. The boys clothes were first in the wash and they are both ready to be pulled out of the dryer. Keaton and Whitman are packed, but now I'm going to fold clothes for the boys and make sure they pack before they go to sleep.
  • By then Campbell's clothes should by ready to go. She will mostly pack by herself, but I'll have to make sure that she does it before she falls asleep too!
  • Packing update: it is almost 11: Campbell is in the shower. Her clothes are clean and folded by her suitcase. Anderson's clothes are also ready to be packed, but neither one of them have packed. Graham is completely packed and has a list of things that he needs to add in the morning. 
  • I have completed 4 loads of laundry. We have one load in the dryer now, but that is bedding that will not go on this trip. Then there is tonight's regular clothes which have some loose things that will need to be packed in the morning. 

July 3, 2025

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  • This morning it was a little bit warmer when walking plus there were dogs out so Bentley wasn't able to walk her whole mile. I brought her home and finished up the rest of my walk. 
  • My main goal today was to get everything ready for the Beach Campers to pack as soon as they get home. I gathered Graham's suitcase, their laundry detergent, everyone's snacks, the boy's shirts, and anything else I could think of to make tomorrow's turn around a little bit easier. 
  • Also I wanted Keaton to finish packing-I think that she did, but I really don't have to worry too much about Keaton or Campbell packing in a timely manner and getting what all they need. As soon as I woke Whitman up, I was explaining to him all of his tasks for the day: school work, packing, more school work, and a shower.
  • I had done a lot of prep work for Whitman to pack so it didn't take us too long to pack him up. The school work he had to do on his own didn't take him any time. However, the school work we do together takes forever-well, it just seems like it...to both of us!
  • This was the last full day of Beach Camp so everyone took pictures on the beach so I have some good ones of the kids and the Wilsons. 
  • Keaton had a friend spend the night so we took her home this afternoon, and tonight Keaton had a 4th of July party at a friend's house-she hasn't had time to miss out on not going to Beach Camp this week. 
  • Reagan's friend from school has come to stay at the house for a few days tonight so I cooked supper-poppyseed chicken. They ate and then left to play pickleball tonight. Robby and I are settled on the couch-until I have to go and pick up Keaton!

July 2, 2025

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  • Not too long after Reagan left for work, I left for my walk. Bentley joined me the first mile but didn't the second mile. It was a bit warmer today than yesterday, but I managed fine.
  • Keaton and her friends were awake when I returned home. I tried to clean the house a little bit this morning and didn't get very far. 
  • I took Keaton's friends home, and then I dropped her off to babysit. She had received an offer to go to the pool this afternoon but couldn't because she had to babysit. However, Whitman and I went to the pool in her place.
  • I forgot to take any pictures at the pool, but Whitman and I both had a lot of fun. He swam and played in the water while I sat on the edge chatting with my friends.
  • We stayed until almost 4 and met Robby at the gas station. Whitman and I came home-I cleaned the shower while Robby stayed out and did some shopping.
  • The boys here had pizza for supper, Reagan ate my leftovers from last night, and Keaton went to a birthday party. And actually, my timer just went off meaning that I have to go and pick her up!

July 1, 2025

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  • Robby left first thing this morning for his frozen shoulder doctor checkup. His shoulder is all healed up-well, it doesn't hurt anymore, but he still can't move his arm as much as he could. He has pt exercises to keep doing so maybe that will help it.
  • I heard Reagan moving around upstairs this morning so I knew that she was awake. I was about to get out of bed when I saw that Rock Creek was going live with the kids walking through the breakfast line. I watched long enough to see Campbell-she said that she slept like a baby last night. I then got up and started getting ready while trying to watch for the boys. Anderson walked by the camera while trying to ignore it. Each day that Graham has been by the camera, he has shouted, "hi mom!"
  • Yesterday Reagan came home from work and said that she was not going to become a teacher because she spent the whole day getting Sunday school curriculum together and didn't like it. Today, I spent the whole day printing curriculum and getting things ready for the school year and loved every minute of it. 
  • Today was the first day that I was able to buy curriculum for next year-we should get reimbursed for it, but it was a chunk of change. I usually buy next year's stuff all spring long so it usually isn't a shock to Robby's system. 
  • The afternoon kind of moved slowly, but I was able to get lots organized for school. Then this evening Keaton and Whitman went to Bible study at Raymar. Robby and I went out to eat while they were there. 
  • We picked them up and two extra girls. Since going tonight wasn't Whitman's favorite thing, we stopped to get a drink on the way home-I'm all for bribes! I had the griddle ready to go (a new griddle-my old one fell from its storage spot and broke) when we got home and made everyone grilled cheese sandwiches for a very late supper.
  • Now, we are on the couch getting ready to watch some tv for the rest of the evening. 

June 30, 2025

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  • Robby had his last physical therapy, he thinks, this morning. Reagan left early for work, and I was almost out of the bed by the time that they both left. I was staying in bed as long as I could though.
  • Since I was the only one awake this morning, I went on a 2 mile walk-Bentley on lasted one of those miles. We were walking down the driveway, and I needed just a bit to get to one mile. I always leave the driveway and head to the door right after I walk past a certain tree each day. Since I needed a bit more to make a mile, I tried to keep going on the driveway-she would have none of that so I dropped her off.
  • Soon I was running upstairs to wake Keaton up for her Bible study this morning. I had meant to wake her up earlier, and she had meant to not his snooze for so long. She had plenty of time though, and soon I was dropping her off at church.
  • I ran home for a few minutes and picked up Whitman, and then picked Keaton up. We stopped by Nonna and Pops' house for some lunch on our way home. 
  • This afternoon Keaton worked on a sign that she is painting for a fourth of July party. Whitman and I did our summer spelling and summer math. They both have some chores left to do today, and I believe that Whitman still has his other school work to do. 
  • Keaton, Whitman, Robby, and I ran a few errands this afternoon. Keaton wanted to go to Platos, and she found 2 shirts. Whitman and Robby hit up Baskin Robbins while we were at the other store. Then we went to Walmart to pick up their snacks for their mission trip which leaves on Saturday. Finally, we stopped at Sams and picked up pizza for our supper. 
  • We have all eaten now, watched the campers eat supper on instagram, and watched the news. Now, we are going to stay on this couch for the rest of the evening.

June 29, 2025

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  • Sunday morning here, and we were out the door at a decent time. Keaton was wearing something that Reagan would wear, and Reagan was wearing Keaton's clothes. Anderson and I were matching so when we left Grannymom's house, so we had our pictures made.
  • Reagan worked in the preschool during Sunday school. The other kids' Sunday school class was very short, so they spent a good deal of time waiting on our class to finish. 
  • After eating and visiting at Grannymom's house, we headed home. Reagan was the first one to leave to go and play pickleball and possibly hammock (that is the young person tern used for laying in a hammock). Keaton was the next to leave because she went to the pool with Charlotte.
  • Robby left next to go and pick up supper for us. Well, he mainly picked up supper for the campers before they spend the night on the bus to Beach Camp with Rock Creek. After everyone ate, the big boys went to play volleyball.
  • Robby and I are binge-ing youtube videos, and I possibly will make some chocolate chip cookies. However, I stalled for a bit before calling Whitman to help. We made the cookies, and I was in the bathroom while he took the cookies out of the oven. Apparently, he touched the pan after it was on the counter and burned the mess out of his arm.
  • He handled it well, and thankfully we have prescription burn cream from another time with Graham. The cookies were good though. However, Whitman said that they were not as good as all of the work that we had to put in-the recipe called for brown butter so that took us a while.
  • At 9:30, we dropped Campbell, Anderson, and Graham off at Rock Creek for their week at the beach. They were excited but were also dreading the bus ride a bit since it is so long.

June 28, 2025

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  • What have we done today? Nothing at all. It was a fairly slow day around here-no one left the house except for Reagan, and she actually left the house twice.
  • Reagan left early this morning to go and walk a trail at Lake Catherine with Ethan, and tonight she went to eat with a friend and then to play pickleball.
  • I woke up and did the house things, but then I sat down and finished a book and finished one more square for my quilt. I actually have only 20 more to crochet, but then I have to attach all 100+ to each other, but first I will have to learn how to do that. 
  • Robby and I tried to fix a shelf in the camper. He had a good idea of how to make it work, but it didn't. We bought something for plan b, so we will have to wait to see if it works. I went back inside and moved somethings around in the school room closet. 
  • I am getting anxious to buy my things for school, but I'm going to have to wait for a few more weeks. Hopefully, I can get things in time to finish in time, but we shall see. Next week, Whitman and Keaton will be home so they will be able to get a good bit done.
  • We made orange chicken for supper, and then Campbell made chocolate chip cookies for dessert. There has been lots of packing this evening-Campbell, of course, packed quite a few days ago. Graham had me help him pack, and it didn't take too long since he had everything already out in the floor. I think that Anderson has packed-at least I hope so!

June 27, 2025

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  • I was up in plenty of time this morning so I didn't have to scurry around. I was able to do a few chores plus make some muffins for Laynie's breakfast. We left a few minutes early and dropped Laynie off on the way home. Campbell had spent a long time last night doing Laynie's nails, and they were quiet impressive.
  • Then I dropped the girls off to babysit. I hurried on to Academy to pick up another pair of shorts for Anderson, and then I went to Walmart to buy snacks for the beach camp goers (Campbell, Anderson, and Graham).
  • I came back home and did a few things around the house-the not so fun activities included cleaning the shower and organizing a closet. The fun items were working on Anderson's college stuff (it's like a scavenger hunt around the house finding things plus every time I go to the store I buy a few things he needs.) and helping Graham fill out his application to Ouachita.
  • Soon it was time to pick up Campbell and Keaton. They made good money, so we went off to spend it. Our first stop was the revenue office for Reagan to get her real id. We waited a bit over 30 minutes, but since we were in Bryant I think that our wait was less than it would have been in Little Rock. 
  • Then we went to TJMax. Everyone found something there-I had just bought Keaton sports bras, so when Campbell and Reagan both found some, I had to volunteer to pay for those too. Keaton found two other tops that she bought plus she found a birthday present for a friend.
  • While we were home between Campbell and Keaton's jobs, I made banana bread with Whitman. The recipe is our standard, but it is delicious. He made the whole thing himself because I was busy with other things around the kitchen-I did melt the butter and spray the pan, but other than that I was no help to him at all except for clean up.
  • I left again with Campbell and Keaton to take them to church to keep kids tonight. Usually they are just paid in camp money, but tonight they were paid in cash so that was fun. After dropping them off, I picked up ChickFilA for Graham and Reagan who had gift cards Anderson had a gift card, but he opted to save it for another time. 
  • I came home and offered to fix Whitman a snacky supper so I filled a muffin tin with everything I could think of. It was a lot of food, but I think that he ate it all. I did sit down for a few minutes, but soon it was time to leave again to pick up the girls. They wanted to go to ChickFilA on the way home, and since they had both made plenty of money today, we stopped there. 
  • On the way home, Campbell asked what we were doing tomorrow, and I told her that I did not know what we were doing, but I did know that I was not driving them anywhere at all!...though I'm sure I will.

June 26, 2025

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  • Last night before I put my phone up, I set my alarm this morning so I could wake everyone up early enough that we wouldn't have to hurry and so that we would have time to make lunches. I sat up in bed about 30 minutes after my alarm should have rang-I sat my alarm for pm last night.
  • Thankfully, all of the kids except for Whitman were already awake and moving upstairs. (Reagan was still laying in bed-the girls had woken her up, but she was off today and would have liked to sleep in a bit.) I woke Whitman up and started taking lunch orders.
  • Everyone was in a decent mood even though they were having to scurry a little bit. Today was Fun Day at church-it is a bit ambitious naming something "Fun Day," but I do think that all of my kids had fun. 
  • They played games at church the first half of the day-Murder in the Dark and Hide and Seek were some of them. Whitman won one of those games so I really think that he enjoyed that part of the day. They then had lunch a the church house.
  • The next part of the day was not Whitman's favorite-they went to a gym to play for a bit. Everyone else loved every minute of it-my crew mostly played volleyball. Whitman did play some pickleball at the very end. 
  • Since Whitman persevered through the day, I had Anderson swing by the gas station and let everyone get a drink. When they all came in, everyone had lots to tell me about the day.
  • It was a little bit after they arrived, that Reagan left to go and meet her friend. Then she met up with Anderson and everyone else at church for Bible study. After church Reagan and her friends went to one Sonic while Anderson met up with Graham and their buddies at another Sonic.
  • Robby and I went to eat without Sunday school class. Robby had brought home some pizza for everyone to eat tonight. Laynie came over, and Campbell has spent most of the night painting her nails. 

June 25, 2025-Camping at Petit Jean

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Robby and I slept decently late this morning. However, we aren't really good at just relaxing on our last day at a campground. We aren't just not good at relaxing on the last day, we are pretty horrible at it. Robby had swept the camper before we even ventured outside to start tearing things down.

It was hot this morning, but we took it slow and didn't get hot...well, the zipper on the tent did get stuck, so that caused a slowdown. Finally, Robby was able to get it unstuck, and all was well. Soon, Robby started the camper, and I started the van, and we were on our way.

I had to run to Hobby Lobby to buy a tshirt for Campbell on the way home. I put Hobby Lobby in the phone, and it took me home through Conway-I wanted to go home the back roads and just get off nearby, but I didn't realize I was going a different way until it was too late. However, when I was near Conway, I did remember that their Hobby lobby is right off the interstate, so I ran in there to get her shirt.

Also, when I was driving home, I started to wonder if Whitman was actually in the camper. Yesterday, we had to wake him up at 1, and he wouldn't leave the camper without telling us. However, my mind did start wondering if maybe he wasn't in the camper, and we had left. I debated calling Robby to just double check. You will be glad to know that Whitman was safely in the camper sound asleep. He did stir when Robby made it to Chenal. Robby knew that he was awake because he got down from his spot to make himself lunch just 8 minutes from the house.

We pulled in and started to unload. The house was fairly straight which was surprising since Reagan had just returned this morning from her mission trip. Graham had picked her up from church a bit before we made it home. She had a good time and had already started her laundry when I walked in the door. 

It didn't take us too long to unpack the camper. Robby even cleaned it this afternoon so it is ready to go again. This evening I heated up chicken tacos for everyone's supper. Right now I would have to say that is everyone's favorite meal for sure.

Later in the evening, we went to On the Border with the Wilsons. We have missed a few Sunday nights and will miss a few more, so it was nice to catch up. Now, to get these people in the bed!

June 24, 2025-Camping at Petit Jean

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We slept late enough this morning that we didn't even go on a walk because we knew that it was too hot. It was almost noon when we finally realized that Bentley had not been out. Robby and I had both gotten ready and then climbed back in the bed. He did some work, and I did some crocheting. 

At 2, we decided to go to the pool. Whitman, to our surprise, said that he would ride his bike there. We took off in the van, and he took off on his bike. It didn't take Robby and I long to realize that the pool was closed. That was a bit disappointing. 

We caught Whitman before he rode all the way to the pool. Robby put his bike in the back of the van, and we headed off for another adventure. This adventure wasn't Whitman's favorite, but we walked on Cedar Creek trail. It was a little over a mile, but it was really a neat trail.

Whitman isn't much of a hiker, and about after a half of a mile, he was done. He pressed on, and we made it out alive. Most of the trail we were by the creek, but there were also some cool rocks and one area that we were in was like a grotto. 

When we finished the hike, we did celebrate with some ice cream. Robby and Whitman both had 2 scoops, but I just had one. Whitman should have probably only had one scoop because he didn't eat his ice cream fast enough that it didn't melt everywhere.

Tonight we had baked potatoes and grilled chicken for supper. I heated up some of my famous baked beans (from Sams.) We had things to make s'mores this trip and even wood for a fire, but we never got around to it. Whitman did find the marshmallows tonight so I guess that is at least part of a s'more.

Robby and I picked up some tonight so we won't have to do as much tomorrow since it will be warm. We could stay a few more days here-especially a few more days when the weather is a little bit cooler. 

June 23, 2025-Camping at Petit Jean

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t was a warm day at Petit Jean. The high was 90, so Robby and I tried to beat the heat a little bit this morning and went on a walk. We walked for about 2 miles, and even though we had started before 9, it was still a little warm by the time that we finished.

We had a slow day for the most part. I didn't think about crocheting until fairly late in the afternoon. Robby and I would got outside for a little bit, and then we would go inside when we got too warm. It wasn't horrible in the shade, but every once in a while the sun would come from behind a cloud, and it would get hot. 

Whitman rode his bike around a few times yesterday, but he didn't today at all. When we walked the hill, Robby and I both agreed that the hilly part of our loop was pretty hilly after all. I actually rode the bike around yesterday and told Robby that we would need electric bikes someday because that hill was almost too much for me.

We went with the Smiths tonight to the Rock House Cave trail. It is a short trail where you walk over turtle shaped rocks to get to a large cave shelter where there is ancient writings from native Americans. It took us no time to explore the cave, and the boys enjoyed climbing on the rocks. 

Once we were back at the campground, we started on hamburgers for supper. Then we sat outside and visited. While I visited, I stayed busy tracking the kids who have all had a busy day.

Reagan has been in Monticello on the children's mission trip today. She spent part of her time at Walmart with the kids purchasing things to give away. Nonna did some driving today for me and took Keaton to Bible study at church, Anderson went to help a friend do something before he met the others at David's Burger for the lunch hangout with the youth. Campbell and Graham drove to lunch and met Keaton and Anderson. Keaton went home with a friend, but later in the afternoon Graham picked her up before picking up Grannymom from her D.C. trip. Next Anderson took Campbell to a birthday party, and then Graham picked her up. They all have been a busy day, and I'm thankful that everyone is snug in their beds!

June 22, 2025-Camping at Petit Jean

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We had a fairly lazy day around the campsite. Robby and I didn't even manage to go on a single long walk. We made the loop at one point this morning-or maybe we didn't, I'm not even sure now.

When I went to the bathroom at 6:30 this morning, Whitman was sitting on the couch wide awake. I leaned over to him and asked if he had been asleep. He assured me that he had and said that he was awake because it was light. We think that he wanted to wake up early because he had opened the blinds in the window beside him.

Robby and I slept a little bit longer this morning, but we left early to go to a park ranger tour about the Mather Lodge. A lot of the things that we learned, I had told to Robby over breakfast as I was reading the brochure, but it was still a really good program. We were going to let Whitman sleep longer this morning and skip it and still let him skip it even though he was awake, but he would have found it interesting.

When we came back from the tour, we saw that our next campsite was empty, so we quickly loaded up and moved to the next site. Thankfully, we do have some shade, but not nearly as much as the other site. We set all the things up-even the baggo boards.

Robby and I walked to the visitor's center and were there for a little bit looking around. Then we came back to the camper. We had our lunch as the game started. He watched tv while I read and took a nap. I didn't even get around to crocheting today, and we didn't even do much at all.

The Smiths pulled in this afternoon-we sat outside so we could watch them pull into their site. There was no drama so it was uneventful. The man on the other side of us did hit the pole when he pulled in, so that was a little bit of drama. 

We visited with them for most of the evening. For supper, Robby made chicken tacos along with all of the fixings. The kids all ate cheese quesadillas though, but after they had all gone in, Robby heated some cookies up on the griddle. 

Robby forgot to turn on the hot water heater after our move, so hopefully I will have enough hot water tonight. He did jump in the shower first so I'm wondering if he will use it all up!


June 21, 2025-Petit Jean Camping

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I was up early this morning so I could run by the library before arriving at church at 8. There were about 4 other people there when I showed up to start helping for the baby shower. I was able to put yogurt in cups and slice cheese before the shower.

There was a time that we were busy with lots of baby and wedding showers, but over the past few years we haven't had too many, but I sense that will start changing, and there will be more showers soon to help with. Needless to say, I have started taking a lot of pictures and taking notes.

After the shower, clean up didn't take too long, and I hurried home to change my clothes and fold the last bit of laundry. I had some fruit that I gave to the girls, and Campbell and Graham grabbed a leftover ham and cheese croissant. 

I told the kids goodbye-last night the boys had a draft to determine who was driving who where and when this next week with Robby, Reagan, and me gone. (She will be on the children's mission trip to Monticello.) Graham had the first round of driving tonight when he had to take Campbell and Keaton to babysit. I believe that Anderson is the one picking them up since Reagan is playing pickleball this evening. 

On the way to Petit Jean, I stopped at Kroger for a few things. I was pretty sleepy on the drive, so when I saw a Sonic I pulled over for a drink. Robby text about Wheat Thins-we forget how much we like them until we are camping, so I stopped at the next Dollar General to see if they had any-they did not.

Robby had walked a few times this morning, but he and Whitman had walked to the pool this afternoon. They both swam for a while. When I made it to the top of the mountain, Robby was under the pavilion while Whitman was still swimming. He had fun swimming, but I think that he was pretty worn out when we made it back to the camper.

Robby's spot for these two night is just perfect. We move across the street tomorrow to be near the Smiths, and I don't think that we will have as much shade. We heated up our own ham and cheese croissants for supper, and then Robby and I walked for 2 miles around this loop and explored some. 

When we grabbed Whitman and met a ranger to explore Bear Cave Trail. We had done this trail with the Wilsons but with the ranger, we went to the very top of the rocks. Whitman wasn't crazy about climbing to the top-it was a bit of a climb up, and a bit more dicey going down. The story goes that two hunters were chased by a bear in the area, and they ended up in the cave. Once in the cave, the realized they still had their guns, so they used them on the bear from the cave-hence the name bear cave. However, the last black bear spotted at Petit Jean was in the parking lot of Bear Cave. It was a neat trail, a perfect length, and a great guide so we all enjoyed it.

When we got back to the camper, Robby and I walked another loop, and then he watched the end of the baseball game. Now, I guess I'm going to crawl into bed!

June 20, 2025-Petit Jean Camping

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I don't really remember what all we did first this morning-Robby and I were both getting things ready for camping this weekend. I did most of my things, and then I decided to use up my sourdough discard in the fridge. 

I made blueberry scones, and they were delicious. However, I used just about every dish in the kitchen. I actually used so many dishes that I'm running the dishwasher right now ahead of schedule. I took a walk first with Bentley this morning and then I didn't get to take my other walk until almost 1 so it was a little bit warm.

Robby went to Sams to pic up a few things for this weekend, and when he came home, the girls and I quickly unloaded his van. Then I left with Campbell and Keaton to help set up for a baby shower tomorrow that I'm helping with.

Afterwards, we went to Dollar Tree and Walmart to start buying things for Anderson's dorm room. Campbell asked why I was buying thing now, and I tried to explain that there was a lot to buy, so I wanted to do a few things when I can. 

By the time that we came home, Robby and Whitman had already left for the weekend. They zoomed on up to Petit Jean and found their spot for the night. I think that we change spots tomorrow or maybe the next day. Robby took a walk or two, and they made a pizza for supper.

I made tostados for everyone here for supper. They must have enjoyed them because they are all gone. While they were cooking, I made some chocolate chip muffins, and now Campbell just pulled some chocolate chip cookies out of the oven. 

Reagan tried to dye a shirt black this evening, but it turned out brown which she says is fine. Keaton also tried with one of her shirts, but it just stayed the same color. Currently, I'm watching a reality show with Keaton, and I'm completely distracted!

June 19, 2025

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  • I had just made my list this morning and even wrote out what time I needed to do things. The first item on my list was "walk," and I was headed out the door when I looked out, and it was pouring. Robby had just been mowing so I couldn't figure out where he was (he came in just as I was wondering), and then I couldn't figure out why it was raining when I had just looked at the weather app.
  • Eventually, the weather cleared, and I was just about finished with all my other chores. Then the lights went out. Graham was downstairs already, but it didn't take too long with the girls' fan being off for them to come downstairs. 
  • I briefly again thought about walking, and Robby was mowing again, but soon it started to rain again. Robby and I had to get ready in the dark-he had to take a shower upstairs because our hot water tank is electric downstairs so that was completely in the dark. I put on my make up in the dark so I just winged it.
  • We then picked up Nonna and Pops' to go to Jennifer's grandmother's funeral. It was a good service, and even though Pops hadn't been on to many excursions since his last hospital stay, he did well today on our outing. 
  • While we were gone, the kids dutifully checked off their chores and school work. I encouraged them to do most of it when we just left-Graham was quick to point out that he couldn't vacuum without power. They had said that the power wouldn't come back on until 3 or 4. Thankfully, it came back on earlier that that so the vacuuming was indeed done when we came home. 
  • We made it home about 5 which gave us plenty of time to get supper prepared for Campbell and possibly 14 of her friends. We were just going to do something easy like ham and cheese croissants, but Campbell really wanted chicken tacos so that is what we had. 
  • Reagan and Anderson went to church for Bible study this evening. Afterwards, Kennedy came here with Reagan, and Graham left to meet Anderson and bunch of others to play pickleball. Cookies have been made for all of Campbell's people, and they are all starting to trickle home. 

June 18, 2025

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  • Robby left early for his Dgroup meeting and then headed to physical therapy. He is about to finish his pt visits. He then ran some errands while I did my things at home. He made it home a little bit before I had to leave. He had a car full of groceries from Sams that we put up. 
  • Then I took the girls to babysit again. This is their second time to babysit this week, plus they are already signed up to go there on Saturday night. If they keep working, and keep saving, Campbell, at least, will have her car bought by the time that she leaves for college for sure.
  • This morning I noticed that Reagan had left her lunch bag at home. I text just to find out what her lunch plans are because I'm nosey. She was going out to eat with Ethan at Blue House so I know that she had a good meal. 
  • Robby and I went to pick up the mini van-they fixed the brakes which were squeaking after they redid the brakes. The mechanic also tried to fix the leak, but he ended up saying that it was too expensive to fix, and we are just on borrowed time with the mini van.
  • After picking up the van, we picked up Campbell and Keaton. Then we all met up at Kroger to do some shopping for tomorrow night and for this weekend. We hurried home so the girls would have a bit of time before they left again. 
  • Tonight Reagan had a mission trip meeting at church for her mission trip to Monticello with the kids. Keaton and Whitman had a meeting for their mission trip to Starkville. Campbell had a meeting for her mission trip to Cincinnati. Graham and Anderson had a meeting for their mission trip to San Diego. I also had a parent's meeting-well, three different parent's meetings. I was able to make an appearance in all 3 of the meeting.
  • Robby had a supper ready for us all when we came home. We all huddled around the tv watching the Hogs lose their game. Now, it's time for a snack around here to help make some people happy. 

June 17, 2025

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  • Reagan left first this morning, and I was up not too soon after she left. Actually, I was awake at 6:30 this morning; I thought that I heard someone's alarm going off. I knew it wasn't Reagan's since it was too early for her alarm, and no one else in this house would be getting up that early. I puzzled if it was the refrigerator alarm (we now have 5 of those alarms), but it wasn't those. By this time, I had woken myself up with the alarm mystery. I still don't know what it was.
  • The morning was kind of quiet-Keaton went to a friend's house this afternoon. Robby took her, and I had to take Graham's blood pressure cuff back to the nutrition center. I did leave with his complete payment so he was pretty pleased with that-I should have taken my mileage from him though. 
  • Reagan came home at lunch, and then she headed to her dentist appointment for her fillings. She was going to play pickleball this evening, but work and the dentist completely wore her out. Campbell and Keaton were not happy that she is already asleep tonight.
  • Whitman and I made bread today-I'm still not used to the new oven; I guess that it is just going to take some time to figure it all out. I'm not good with change, and it is kind of exasperating me a little bit-especially since our large loaf of bread got a bit burned, and the small loaves were a bit underdone. However, everyone didn't seem to mind when they were fresh out of the oven. 
  • This evening Robby had just left the house to run some errands-he was still on Lawson-when he got rear ended. He was in Grandpa's car, and even though it wasn't his fault it is still a hassle. However, he is fine (a headache tonight and will probably be sore tomorrow) so there is still much to be thankful for.
  • Anderson drove everyone to Raymar for Bible study tonight. The big boys were going to play pickleball afterwards so I left the Wilson's house where we were watching the ballgame to get them. There were a lot of kids there, and Whitman was playing with his buddy when I pulled up so I just let everyone play for a few more minutes. 
  • I dropped them off at the house and then hurried back to the Wilson's house to watch the end of the baseball game. Now, we are home-Whitman is building a fort in the bonus room, Reagan is asleep, Campbell and Keaton are trying unsuccessfully to be quiet in their room, Robby is showering, and Anderson and Graham are out playing pickleball.

June 16, 2025

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  • Reagan was the first one to leave this morning for work. I heard her in the kitchen making her sandwich before work. When the kids come in at night, I always get up and chat with them when they come in. However, I do not have the morning shift, and as much as I would like to say hi before she goes to work, I just can't do it.
  • Robby left next to go to physical therapy. His shoulder is much better, but he is going to continue with his last few appointments. I left the house too next, but I didn't go far since I just walked around the neighborhood.
  • When Bentley woke up, I made my same walk with her. The weather was pretty pleasant this morning so I wanted to get her walk over with. I came in and started on my things in the house-sometimes I feel like my mornings are like the movie Groundhog Day-I haven't actually seen the movie, but I at least know what happened.
  • Keaton had Bible study at church at 11:45. I dropped her off and then ended up going home. I had thought that it was over at 12:30, but it was 12, so Robby ended up picking her up. I could have gone to the grocery store, but I didn't plan ahead and had no list.
  • The next outing was to the dentist. Graham, Anderson, and Keaton all had to have fillings. There was a bit of confusion when we were leaving-I tried to make the second appointment for Anderson, who they told me last time would have to come back. Instead, it was Graham who had more fillings-this caused quite the drama. Graham was not happy about having to come back, and Anderson was thrilled about NOT having to come back.
  • We did stop by Sonic on the way home-even those sugary drinks probably caused those cavities in the first place. Reagan goes tomorrow to get her filling filled so the Dennie family has paid the car payment for our dentist this month.
  • We weren't home too long this afternoon-just long enough for me to work with Whitman-and then it was time for me to take the girls to go and babysit. They enjoy babysitting so much, and the family is so sweet to them-they gave them Chickfila and Crumbl tonight. 
  • I was able to read and crochet this evening before getting the text "leave now" from Campbell. So I jumped in the car to go and pick them up. Now, it is after 10, and I'm just now working on the blog. 

June 15, 2025-Happy Father's Day

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  • Reagan and I both had to work worship care this morning so we missed big church and had to leave the house a little bit early. Some of the kids had made Robby cards for Father's Day, and even though he had to read them quickly, he caught the mistake on Graham's card. 
  • Graham had made block letters on the front and wrote Happy Fatter's Day. That's what happens when you have to make a card early on a Sunday morning. Even though everyone was rushed, we still managed to get a kid picture with Robby.
  • After church we went to Grannymom's house. She had Mexican casserole for lunch along with ooey gooey. We stayed and visited for a while, but then we all came home. I, of course, had my nap this afternoon, and it was a lovely nap.
  • Anderson was dressed and ready for church this morning, but he didn't feel good at all so I offered for him to stay home. He did, but I don't think that he really wanted to  miss church. By this afternoon though he was feeling well enough to go and play volleyball with Graham and a bunch of other people. 
  • Campbell intended to go to Rock Creek tonight, but after her nap, she said that she was just too tired to go. I think that my kids are still recovering from camp-they are all tired. Well, they are all tired except for Whitman. He has rebounded the easiest which is kind of surprising.
  • I went to see Pops and took him his Father's Day gift this evening. Jason had a spare camera and gave it to me for the girls. Campbell is the only one without a big camera so I told her that this one was mainly hers-she was excited. I love that our girls love taking pictures...if I could only get the boys to enjoy photography too.
  • We all found supper on our own tonight, but Campbell did make cornflake cookies. We have a kind of crazy week, so I worked on my list trying to organize things in my head-it didn't work! Now, I'm going to read my book for a little bit. 

June 14, 2025

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  • Graham was awake before I was this morning sending me notes about when he blood pressure cuff was going off. He was glad to yank that thing off this morning when the time was up. He then went on a run as soon as he could since he had missed not being able to do that yesterday.
  • Robby and I left soon-he dropped me off to see Pops, who is now home from the hospital, while he ran an errand. Then we went to a gas station. On the way, we saw a Blue Bell ice cream truck at Bass Pro along with some blood mobiles. 
  • After getting some free ice cream, Robby tried to give blood but his hemoglobin was too low. We then ran into Walmart for a few things followed by lunch at Texas Roadhouse. We took more things home than we ate-5 rolls, 5 potato skins, a complete side salad, 2 baked potatoes, a piece of steak, and most of my chicken fried chicken. 
  • We then bought a few deals at Kroger before running by Dairy Queen for a mystery shop. It was well past lunch time, but the kids were clamoring at the door when we came home because they wanted our leftovers. 
  • It wasn't too long after we came home, that I left again in the rain to go and pick up Campbell. She had a great time at the lake with Adilyn and her family. She came back a little burned but also exhausted. Tonight as we were waiting on Robby and supper to arrive home, she fell asleep while Graham, Keaton, and I were talking. She was even a part of the conversation.
  • Ethan came over for supper, and then Reagan and Ethan went to play pickleball. Keaton has a friend coming over this evening, and the rest of us are anxiously watching the Hogs play.

June 13, 2025

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  • Last night after church, Reagan wrote and said that she was going to Swig in Conway. It was a long way for a drink, but she went with friends and had fun. Though when she did get home, I tried her drink, and the one that she bought for Keaton, and wasn't too impressed. She said that she liked her Sonic drink better.
  • Graham and I left right after Robby this morning. He had his last nutrition center visit-they made him do 30 minutes of "aerobic exercise." He really thought that he was going to get sweaty and even brought a change of clothes-he was underwhelmed since they just made him walk on a treadmill. He could have run for a few miles for them, but walking was all they needed. 
  • He now has to wear a blood pressure cuff for 24 hours. It doesn't bother him, but I think that it makes him a little stir crazy. It makes me a little crazy though since I have to write down what he is doing every time it goes off. Last time they had to get 40 readings for it to be a success, and they only got 48 so I guess that was cutting it close. Hopefully, we will do better this time.
  • He did luck out in that he didn't have to go to work this afternoon. When we came home, everyone was awake and stirring downstairs. It was nearly noon, but it is rather quite here most days so everyone downstairs talking can get a bit overwhelming. 
  • The only real activity that anyone did this afternoon was a bit of school work. Tonight, Robby picked up pizzas for supper. Then Whitman and I made some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Reagan then left to play pickleball, and not too soon after that Campbell left to go to a friend's house for the night and possibly to the lake tomorrow. Graham offered to drive her so of course we let him do that!

June 12, 2025

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  • The kids pretty much slept most of the day long. I had to wake Anderson up a bit after 8-I think that he had been asleep since yesterday afternoon. He at least did wake up fairly easily and then left to help a friend move.
  • He was gone all morning long, but Reagan was here. She had a day off of work today-a paid day off, so that was a nice bonus.
  • I left the house to go and check on Pops and Nonna. I brought them a few things from their house and set off their house alarm at the same time. Watching me try to get to the keypad would have been a funny sight for sure. 
  • Robby left this afternoon for his physical therapy, and then he ran a few errands. While he was gone, Whitman and I made a batch of cookies, and Graham walked Bentley. When Robby came home, he had a few things for supper so I pulled out the fridge leftovers to supplement.
  • Reagan and Anderson didn't eat supper because they went to church tonight for Bible study. They took two cars so one or both of them have plans afterwards-Reagan is the one who has plans now, but I'm not sure if Anderson will find some plans too.
  • Even though all of the camp laundry has been done since yesterday, the girls haven't really put much of their things away-I can't do a final camp clean up until they put up a few more things, but overall most things are put away.
  • Even though it is the middle of summer, I had some hot chocolate last night, and that is high on my list for tonight as well. 

June 11, 2025-June Lake Degray Trip

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Robby and I left the campground around 10:30ish. We didn't have much to clean up. Robby emptied the tanks while I ran on to a gas station for a quick shop. When he got close, I went ahead and got on the road. 

It took the whole hour, Robby did eventually catch up with me though. We met up at Kroger so we could fill up the camper and the white van with gas. Then we hurried home to start unloading. I didn't have a whole lot of time so I unloaded the van first. (I knew that in just a little bit, I would completely fill up the back with the kids luggage.)

Then I started working on everything in the camper. I grabbed my clothes and the food, but soon it was time to head to pick up the kids. I couldn't track them, but they were supposed to be home at 12:30. I was about 10 minute away from the house when I got a message that they had just left Arkadelphia. 

I went to the library really quickly. Then I knew I couldn't wait in my car for an hour, so I found Reagan in the church house. She was organizing the resource room-it looked like a huge project to me, but she said that she finished it before she came home this evening.

The campers were about 45 minutes late, but I believe that they all had fun. Whitman, who can be a bit of an Eeyore, said that it was a 5 out of 10. I will take that, and most of the pictures that I saw of him, he was having a good time. He is bent to see the negative more than the positive, so his reaction to camp was what I expected.

Anderson's group won the Collide Cup so that was good for them. Campbell and Keaton took a ton of pictures so there are quite a few that I have posted today. I have actually spent a good deal of time looking through picture today and trying to find the kids.

When we came home, I had 5 laundry baskets out so everyone put their laundry in a basket. I have been working through those all day long. It does make it nice folding clothes when I know that it is all one persons-my biggest laundry challenge right now is the boys' underwear. They all have the same type-it is just in 3 different sizes. I every pair of undies that I touch I have turn them inside out since no one seems to take off socks or underwear without it being inside out. Then I have to look at the size, but sometimes the sizes are worn off, so then I have to hold them up to measure the size and guess whose they are. Then I have to refold them. I know I'm blessed that my biggest drama is underwear folding! But my 5 laundry basket system did make things much easier today.