Back from the Ozarks!

Last night we returned from our family vacation to Eminence, MO and our side trip to Mansfield, MO to visit the Laura Ingalls Wilder home and museum. An excellent time was had by all and we wanted to share our pictures and update with you!

On Wednesday, we drove 5 1/2 hours to Eminence, MO and stayed in a cottage there for two nights. This is the front of the office & souvenir shop where we stayed.

After getting settled in our cabin, we drove to an old village nearby and toured a one-room schoolhouse, general store and mill. Clara and Benji licked their stick candy from the general store,

then we took a 1.5 mile hike up and down a mountain and enjoyed a spectacular view! (Which was almost worth the long hike! :) Clara's quote from that excursion was "Rocks always say 'I want to live in a shoe!' and why is that shoe always mine?!" I guess Crocs aren't really meant for hiking a gravel trail! Here are a couple pictures of the view:

After that, we were all ready to relax back at the cabin. We enjoyed eating our meals on the porch and watching the many birds and squirrels in the nearby trees.

That night, the kids especially liked the popcorn snack!

After an almost good night's sleep, we planned to stay around our cabin on Thursday. We played teeball and frisbee, took a few walks, gathered sticks for our fire & s'mores in the evening and found a nearby river to enjoy.

Then on Friday morning, it was time to say goodbye to the cabin and head to Mansfield!

Clara was ready to tour the Laura Ingalls Wilder home and museum in her "Laura" dress while holding "Baby Grace."

It was fun to drive through the mountains and enjoy the beautiful views and wildflowers along the way. After an hour and a half in the van, we made it to our destination. The home is called Rocky Ridge Farm and is the last home that Laura and Almanzo Wilder lived in. They moved to Missouri to build an apple orchard and also for Almanzo to have some reprieve from some health problems. Their only child, Rose, was 7 years old when they moved and later grew up to be a very successful journalist. She was even a correspondent in Vietnam during the war! Laura and Almanzo lived in the home for 60 years until Rose had a "modern retirement home" built for them a few miles away. They lived in this home for eight years, then when Rose moved to New York, they moved back to their old farm home because they enjoyed that way of life more. The house was in great condition and the museum was full of interesting artifacts from both the Ingalls and Wilder families. We saw Pa's fiddle, letters, clothes, dishes, handmade items by the families, newspaper articles and more. Our favorite things in the house were the armchairs and lamps that Almanzo made and Laura's kitchen where everything was built to be low to the ground since Laura was only 4'11! The desks where Laura wrote the "Little House" books were still in their original locations. Our tour guide told us that Laura received around 50 letters in the mail each day and it was her custom to answer them all. On her 90th birthday, just days before she passed away, she received over 1,000 birthday cards!

The trip was so interesting and a great choice for a short family vacation. Here are some pictures from the home:

We are now looking forward to reading the rest of the "Little House" series and hope to find something else that will be almost as fun to read next! It has been very good for us to learn about a family who valued hard work and knew how to have fun in their everyday life, especially while enduring great trials.

Memorial Day Weekend Camping Trip

Everyone thought we were crazy for going camping with an almost 3 year old and a 3 month old but we all had a great time on our first family camping trip!

On Saturday we left for Connersville, home to the Whitewater River Campground. It was a beautiful drive, about 50 miles east of where we live. The scenery was my favorite; interesting old houses with huge expanses of farmland in between.

Once there we met Megan, Stuart and Cameron Rogers at our campsite. First things first, we set up our pop-up camper (borrowed from Andy's cousin) and their tent. Of course, we also spent some time perusing the variety of snack foods that we'd brought along! Then, we left for a walk to explore the area. Before we took a walk to explore, the campsite newsletter was a very interesting read. It included a set of rules for "seasonal and year round residents." Who knew there was such a thing at a campground?!

After settling in, the kids immediately wanted to go fishing, hiking, find the playground, etc. As always, excited little kids want to do everything fun right now! Cameron is five years old and enjoyed his chance to play "big brother" to Abigail and she didn't mind at all. As we walked the perimeter of the campground we found a small beach area along the river where we stopped to play, throw rocks, feed Hannah and take a few pictures. Andy took this opportunity to show off his awesome rock skipping ability for the kids. The rest of Saturday was easy and relaxing, ahhh vacation! In the evening there was a live concert on a stage in the park area/clearing, but we mainly just hung out at our own campsite. The concert seemed to really draw those seasonal/year round residents!

The next morning Kristin and Clint Beck arrived. Their son Tyler stayed at his grandparents' house this year; maybe next year he'll be able to join us. Sunday was basically a repeat of Saturday: rest, eat, take a walk, the kids went fishing, etc. We also listened to bits and pieces of the Indy 500 as every good Hoosier should. Megan was very excited to hear that a fellow New Zealander took the checkered flag this year!

Our Sunday dinner was especially yummy, all kinds of grilled meat with baked beans and macaroni and cheese. We had some raw veggies too, but mainly figured that junk food is in order while camping! Both nights we had a nice campfire and enjoyed just sitting around talking and watching the kids play and dance to the music. By Monday morning everyone was looking forward to a bath or shower and really wishing for an actual toilet, not just a latrine. So, soon after breakfast we broke camp, packed up and headed home.

Abigail and Cameron had so much fun and were well behaved and pretty entertaining the whole time. The things they'd say and do just cracked us up! Hannah got lots of hugs from her "almost aunts" Megan and Kristin, Megan even carried her in the sling a time or two! In fact, we all had such a good time, we're already planning next year's trip!

Coca-Cola 600

Rob and I made our now annual trip to Charlotte for the Coca-Cola 600 Sunday, and had a blast as usual. The race was one of the best of the season. Brian Vickers had a great car in the early going, but lost control, and lost a tire, which bounced like a tennis ball into the infield and brushed up against a pop-up camper. Then Dale Jr. had a good run for a while then brushed against the wall, and tore his ride, but managed to finish fifth. Tony Stewart looked to win, but he gambled on old tires and blew his right front with two laps to go, so Kasey Kahne took the win.

Our seats were similar to last year. We were between turn 4 and the start/finish line. But instead of concrete benches, we had chairbacks 12 rows off the track The colorful fans showed up in droves around us. We had the woman in the black tanktop and Tony Stewart pajama pants. Keep in mind, it was 80 degrees. Then there was the cluster of Dale Jr. fans with the cut off t-shirts, hats, and beer coozies. Then there was the drunk woman in the Kyle Busch M&Ms t-shirt who loved to get the Junior fans cranked up. They went back and forth with flipping the bird for a couple hours, then laughed about it later.

My favorite thing about NASCAR fans is they love to cheer for their guy, and berate the rival(s). When the cars come around the track, they flip off the guy(s) they hate, and fist pump their driver, and sometimes take off their hats and wave them around, as if to push the car around the track. Never mind that these cars are going 175-180 mph. "Go Dale, Go Dale, Go Dale Go! Woo Hooo!" Just picture 160,000 doing some variation of that. It's like a state fair and a college football game rolled into one.

Once again, it was a good move to rent the Sprint fanview miniature tv/radio, which you see me wearing, so we could listen to the radio broadcast, and get details about pit stops and strategies. On this mile and a half track, the cars could go about 50-55 laps on a tank of gas. I think tires could last 60-70 laps, but the inside tires wear faster. The fanview also gives you stats like who had the fastest lap, and who's made the biggest jump through field. And you can also listen to the team radio when the drivers talk to their pit crew. The best part of that is it's uncensored, so when Tony Stewart and Juan Pablo Montoya bumped each other, Stewart really "vented" about Montoya's wreckless tactics.

We stayed at a Ramada about 20 minutes away, and immediately had to take showers to get all the rubber off our arms and faces. Then we got up and left about 9:30 this morning. We've talked about going back next year and bringing a grill to make a whole day of it.

All in all, one of the more entertaining sporting events I've been to.

Since we last wrote...

Time has flown since I last updated the blog, so here is a brief rundown on what we've been up to in the past (almost) 2 months!



Clara (4 1/2) still enjoys pretending, dressing up, playing with her babies, etc. and is lately really enjoying jewelry. It is fun to see her completed look when she gets dressed in the mornings! Her new favorite movie is The Sound of Music (who can blame her? :) and she has learned several of the songs. She has also spent a lot of time tracing and cutting various objects around the house and likes to write "notes" to us using all the letters she knows how to write.



Benjamin (almost 2!) is our little comedian. He still doesn't talk (except a few words), but gets his opinion across very adeptly with signs and noises. He makes noises that I could never imagine and then laughs histerically! He also loves running and trying to jump. He and Clara are usually inseparable and have become very creative in their play together. They both enjoy our backyard, sidewalk chalk, wagon rides, play dough and making forts. He willingly participates in her tea and birthday parties, but hasn't quite learned the etiquette since he will put his feet on the table, put chicken legs in the teapot, make loud sounds when eating and drinking, etc. Boys will be boys! :)



I (Gracie) enjoyed performing the Brahms Requiem with the Mississippi Chorus in May and am preparing for a recital with a flutist friend to be held in August and September (in Clinton and Charleston). The recital includes our favorite sacred and secular music written or arranged for flute and harp and will be a benefit concert to raise funds for a new building for our church. I also finished compiling a cookbook for our church and hosted a bridal shower last weekend. It was fun to use Andy's Grandma Eloise's punch bowl and cups!



Andy is the chairman for the committee to build a Family Life Center at our church. We are not sure when the building will be started, but hope that it may be by the end of this calendar year. The building will be used for youth activities, classes, and church-wide fellowship events. He has also enjoyed practicing his banjo and trumpet more lately and continues to perform with the Joyful Jammers band from our church. He is halfway through a sermon series on Philippians on Sunday mornings and is also in the middle of teaching an adult Sunday school class studying J.I. Packer's book Knowing God.



As a family we also enjoyed building our "square foot" gardening boxes and planting lots of seeds and a few plants. I hope to add some pictures to the blog in the next week or two--we've already seen some promising growth! We also purchased a firepit for our patio and have tasted some yummy roasted marshmallows right out our back door!



We don't have any big plans for Memorial Day since we are preparing to go on our first family vacation this week! It will be a short trip, but hopefully a great one. We will travel to the Ozarks, stay in a state park for 2 nights and also visit the Little House museum in Mansfield, MO. (I guess we are true Little House groupies these days! :)



Thank you for reading this long update! We miss all of you who read this from a distance and appreciate your keeping us in your thoughts and prayers as we continue our calling to live and work here in the "deep south!"

Back to work

Well, by all accounts the first week or so back to work has gone pretty smoothly. Most of the time my To Do list is a mile long and I just wonder how we'll get everything done everyday. Our mornings start early...5 a.m. for me, 5:45 for Hannah and 6:00 for Andy and Abigail and by the end of the day it is hard to get everything done around the house. But, it's worth waking up early. Traffic is much, much lighter for me and I now leave work at 4pm, so supper is ready by the time Andy and the girls get home. And, as long as everyone is fed, clothed and happy, I guess the To Do list isn't that critical after all.
Yesterday was my first day working from home and I was very productive. Our scholars are turning in their book stipend reports so I had plenty of data entry to keep me busy. Abby and I spent time on Tuesday night printing out coloring pages from pbskids.org so that she would have something to keep her occupied while I worked. We had pages from several different shows, like Clifford, Arthur and Sesame Street. She also spent lots of time carrying her building blocks to the living room and back again. No, I don't know why she did this. For awhile she "read books" aloud to herself, too. Listening to her pretend to read is really funny, every page consists of the words "Pastor Sandi so happy to me." So, an entire book is just repetition of that same phrase over and over, with emphasis on different words each time. The reason she says that is because our minister, Pastor Sandi, often sends postcards to the kids in Sunday School. The most recent one Abigail received talked about how Pastor Sandi had been so happy to see Abby sing with the kids in church the week before. I'm sure Pastor Sandi had no idea the impact that postcard would have!
Anyhow, I was able to get plenty done at home and wrapped up work by 4pm as usual. While in the office I'm still pretty busy catching up on things that I would have done in March and April if I hadn't been on maternity leave. It should be a really pleasant summer though because I have planned several days off so that I will only be working 4 day weeks for awhile, plus a day working at home on Wednesday.
Other news...Andy is almost finished building the new dog kennel, it's been in the works for awhile and he is relieved to be making steady progress. The beagles, Jake and Barney, moved into their new home last night. The garden is growing, but still awfully wet. I'm hoping we get some warmer temperatures soon, it just doesn't seem like late May when the highs are still in the 60s. Better weather is forecasted for our camping trip this weekend and everyone is really excited about that, I'll try to get some pictures to post.
Oh, and Hannah is growing like a weed! She is cooing and gurgling in response to us a lot, almost like she's attempting a conversation. It is really cute! She also responds to Abby's voice and that just thrills the big sister, of course. Now it's time for me to start thinking about a three month picture...add it to the To Do list!

More pictures from the weekend...

Just one of several walks that Pops took Abby and Maggie Mae on.
Polk holding Hannah, aren't they cozy?

I forgot my camera for both parties, so I don't have pics of anyone except my kids and the people with them! I guess that's typical once you have kids. Just one reason that we have countless pictures of the girls but hardly any of Andy or myself.

Our Derby visit

Since Andy had plans for a fishing trip with his cousins, the girls and I made the annual Derby weekend trip to Louisville on our own. We had a great visit and were able to see lots of people while we were there. This has become an annual trip and it's a nice tradition. On Friday morning we drove down and although the car was really full, the drive was very peaceful. Hannah slept almost all the way and Abigail slept about half of the time.

Friday afternoon we met the new neighbor across the street. He and his wife have a 2 year old daughter, Mariah, and a new baby boy due in June. They invited Abby to play on their play equipment whenever she wanted while we were in town. Abby later told us that Mariah was going to be her friend. We also had a fun visit with Annu and Dane. We were glad they came then since it was rainy and there wasn't much to do outside. They stayed for supper and soon after they left, Hannah and I went to Bart Best's Oaks Day Party. It was a little noisy for such a little girl, but she settled in and went to sleep while Jane (Staab) Weishaar was holding her. So, I had fun holding and playing with Ella Weishaar (daughter of Andrew and Jane). At the party we also saw: Becky and family, Brent Owen, Kungu Nguna, Carl Larson, Lorne Belden, and some others who I've gotten to know just from seeing them each year at the party. Don't worry, Becky took a group picture, I just don't have it yet.

Saturday started out rainy and dreary but the weather improved dramatically while Abby was napping. So, we were able to take a walk, play on the new neighbor's play equipment, take Maggie Mae out in the backyard and watch Pops hit golf balls that Maggie Mae and Abby went after. Around five we all headed over to Andrew and Jane's house to watch the Derby. It was toddler and baby land! Abby played and Hannah was held by a few different people who were happy to meet her. Later on, Mom and Dad took the girls home and I stayed to visit with everyone, plus Becky and Scott and Bart and his girlfriend Susan. They had all been to the Derby.

The party didn't last long though. Now that several of us are parents of preschoolers and infants, everyone headed home early. In fact, I was the last to leave, other than Jane's brothers, and I left at 9:30.

The Derby was a great race, with the winning horse looking fresh and clean even at the very end. Big Brown, the winner, broke from the farthest post position and came around the outside to win. It's very unusual to win from the auxilary starting gate and some are predicting that his performance in the Derby will make him a likely Triple Crown winner. It has been 30 years since the last time a horse won the Triple Crown! The end of the race was very sad, though. A filly, Eight Bells, finished second, only to break both front ankles in the first turn after the finish line. She was immediately euthanized since there is no way to rehabilitate a horse who has broken both front legs. Unfortunately, that really cast a shadow over Big Brown's impressive win.

Sunday was a gorgeous day and we spent the afternoon at the Kentucky Colonel's Reunion BBQ with Marge Horton. It was a really fun day and the weather was perfect. The food was good, the mint juleps were ice cold and the double stroller came in very handy. By the way, Gracie...a perfect stranger complimented my nursing cover and commented that it was a "very clever idea." Abby had a great time playing on the slide and Marge seemed to really enjoy herself, though she was very tired by the end.

We headed home around 5, got here about 6:30 and unloaded the car. Andy was already home and very happy to see us! His fishing trip was fun but he was pretty tired and glad to be home.

Garden pics, continued