We had plans to go camping with some of our old CA friends who ended up relocating closer to us (hooray!!!) in Arkansas and nearby in Texas. To keep our CA ward friend/families tradition of going camping at Gualala alive, we decided we would all get together and meet up halfway to camp in Oklahoma! So exciting, right!!? It was like it was meant to be thta we could expand this tradition over half a country away with just a sampling handful of the amazing friends we had before! We were so pumped! ..BUT the forecast changed to show it raining and thunderstorming Memorial Weekend....and so we were soo bummed we had made the camping reservations, but they unfortunately didn't work out. :(
Thankfully, our friends were so kind to invite us to still come anyways, and enjoy their amazing campfire pit backyards, dutch oven meals, fun trampoline play time, a day out on their super fun and largely accommodating boat, and some fun game nights, and memories together!! And we were off!!! Arkansas, here we come!
Surprisingly, one the kids' favorite parts of our road trip was a stop to Walmart along the way to pick up some last minute supplies of diapers, etc. and they thought this cool police car/tow truck ride was the niftiest little thing! Even if it wasn't even going! haha....Man if they thought this was good, they were sure in for a treat!!
After we arrived in Bentonville, AK, we were completely drawn in by the greenery and lush natural beauty of the surroundings. It kind of reminded us of Texas with the amounts of wide open spaces and lots of land and properties out there, including those with cows and BBQ houses, trailer home parks and some nicer developed neigborhood areas....but it was so green with widespread homes and hots, and it was so beautiful. We enjoyed some dutch-oven-lasagna and a chicken and potatoes dish, along with a peach cobler and smores too with some of our greatest friends over the years. :) We have grown so much with and learned so much from the amazing families and their examples, we were so thankful they were so willing to host us and roll out the red carpet of fun activities with and for us so we could all have a memorable weekend together!
We were all sure in for the ride of our lives on Saturday, when we all got to take a boat ride on our friends large boat that fit all three of our families AND kids too! We found a beautiful cove where all the kids got to swim with Daddy and friends while I fed baby Joshua and we all got to see their super talented and brave kiddos knee board, wakeboard, and tube and we got to experience the wakeboarding and tubing fun too!! We had such a blast! It was so nice being able to relax and kick back and enjoy a beautiful area, and lots of smiles with some really wonderful people. :)
Emma and Katelyn even found a baby turtle in our cove area swimming near the rocks!! So amazed that they even caught him!! So cute and tiny!
It was funny that my friend Cheri took and sent this picture for me...haha. It was so funny because the kids saw me falling and face-planting in the water, but just like when I was trying to get up on a wake board for my first time, I fell three times before I finally could figure out how to 1) Start with the horizontal board in the water and twist it manually, 2) Determinedly twist and press down my weight on my back foot....and 3) Maintain a good bend in my arms with a strong and bump-ready grip on the rope! I liked using my FALLS as a teaching tool, showing tha tno matter how many times we fall, we must still always KEEP on TRYING and never give up!! So
The next day we went to church together, went on a drive and nature walk to a magnificent glass church cathedral in the woods, and the kids enjoyed racing motorcycles with Miss Iz and exploring their super nice playroom! Iz kept asking in moments of quiet...."where did all the kidsss go??" She learned they were so much fun to follow around and explore with! Super cute :)
It meant so much to us to gether together with the Wirthlins (unfortunately, we didn't get a picture with them in it...darn it...) and Pezelys! We missed the Sorensens, but it was so great to pick up right where we left off and get to catch up on life again all over and even play a couple games of Rook!!! Our favorite games together....haha... =D It was so sweet of Cheri and Danielle to host us and spend so much time preparing such incredible meals including chicken salad sandwiches and more for us as well as my favorite pumpkin waffles with Jonathan's favorite heart-attack baking soda buttermilk syrup WITH strawberries on top...one of my camping favorites haha....and a yummy cafe rio night...and Danielle and Cheri even did all of this when Dani had a talk to prepare and Cheri had a Primary Sharing Time Lesson to teach too that same Sunday ! Whheww!! They sure were busy ladies but they did it all with such ease and grace and still managed to still receive us with the most loving, open arms of sincere kindness and friendship. Thanks so much for making our Memorial Weekend such a sweet and memorable one with some of the greatest friends a family could ask for! :)
After a detour on Sunday night, which lamely costed us an hour of extra drive time, we finally made it back home safely!! Then, for Monday Memorial Day, we had some happy smiles as Joshy started picking up how to tap tap tap! his hands and showing us his fun excited expressions of pure joy!
Joshua 7.75 months!
It is so fun to see his eyes light up the world around him! That smile is so ridiculously sweet and just makes your heart melt. He reminds me most of Katelyn in his eyes and facial structure....but has a touch of Gracie's eye tilt, nose, Nathan's hair and similar features....oh it's so hard to say for sure....but he is sure a sweet combination of them all and we are so thankful for his calm and enthusiastic spirit in our home! :)
Yay for Snow cones on Memorial Day!! What a way to finish off the holiday with a bam!! Red, White and Blue deliciousness!
On a more serious note, we are so thankful to all those who have sacrificed and continue to put their lives on the line for the religious freedoms and rights that we now are so blessed with today. After the pattern of one of my favorite patriotic songs, "God Bless the U.S.A.," We truly are so proud to be Americans, where we know we are free and we won't forget those who died and gave their lives for each of us. :) I am so thankful for the divinely inspired constitution and all the hardships and trials so many went through to establish and sustain the freedoms we have today. So thankful for every life given in this land of the free because of the brave. :)
Sweet Joshua enjoying our outing too!
Bedtime snuggles!
Last day in May park fun too!
Love these everyday smiles even on the small walk to our nearby park...those genuine tender eyes and smiles that love exploring and having fun together just mean to world to me. :)
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