Caddo River
These past weeks have been very busy! I think I'll start with the river since it is such an intragral part of our existence here in Glenwood! The boys have spent a lot of time on the river with their daddy fishing. There new favorite thing is to catch fish on noodles (yes those things you swim with, cut into foot-long pieces, with string and hook attached)! They've done quite well and caught some nice catfish! They even took a float trip down the Caddo River which involved spending one night on the river in their tent! This was the first time the boys had ever done this and they had a fabulous time swimming, fishing, and cooking hot dogs and smores! I even got a chance to go kayaking on the Caddo with my best friend Stephanie at 6:00 a.m. one Sunday morning! It was so beautiful and peaceful! Nearly every day that we are home the boys and I go down to our little swimming hole in the creek and the boys swim, splash, and catch fish and crawdads! It has been the perfect spot for staying cool this summer as well as for helping me keep my sanity! Oh yeah, just recently, Tim, Nate & Zac, "saved some people's lives," whom according to Nate and Zac would've died without them (hopefully this is somewhat exaggerated). Actually, the river was up from a recent rain and a mom and her two children were stranded on a rock in the middle of the river without their boat and only the kids had life jackets on. Tim ferried them to the bank of the river where a man and his child had appeared and they gave the frightened family a ride back to town. The mom had never canoed before... can't believe they put those poor people on the river! There have also been two incidents were people showed up on our doorsteps after a frightening or "intoxicating" day on the river! Never a dull moment.
Dallas
We Spent the weekend of June 21st in Dallas with my sis and her sweet family. We went up to celebrate Matthews 5th birthday. The boys were so excited about going; it had been a whole year since we'd been there. All other attempts were thwarted by illness! The boys loved Matt's party at "Pump It Up." Ben was hilarious as he made sure he did EVERYTHING the big kids did (big slides included) all by himself! He oftentimes held up the line, but managed to scramble his way to the top. The evening following the party, Tim, N, Z and Papa Doc, and Rich and Matthew all went to a Frisco Rough Riders Game & to David Busters! They had a wonderful time being rowdy and being boys! Mom, Jen and I hung out at the house with the babies and enjoyed the quiet! It was a super fun time that passed to quickly. We are always so grateful that Jen & Rich open their home to my crazy crew!
Swim Lessons
Two weeks this summer were spent in swim lessons at the Arkadelphia Aquatic Center. This year we opted to go for a semi-private lesson with just Nate and Zac. Nate has turned in to quite the little swimmer this year. He did great at lessons and can even swim freestyle some. Still have to work on the breathing technique. He will also jump off the diving board and swim to the side with no problems at all. It is such a relief to know that he is "a swimmer" now! Z on the other hand is another story! He's had a couple of "drowning" experiences as he calls them this summer where he assures us he drowned and died! Well there have been a couple of scary instances. All that to say, he's done well this year but I think I'm done "pushing" for now and we will just start over next year. He's done really well considering he just turned 4 this spring! Ben is loving the water too! He is becoming proficient with his floaties and loves to jump off of the side of the pool!
Bible School
The two big boys enjoyed Bible School at FBC Glenwood this summer. The theme centered around the great outdoors and the church went all out with decorations and adorable T-shirts for all of the kiddos. I worked in the preschool department with Zac and his buddies and enjoyed the people that I worked with. It was a great week. Saying the pledge to the Christian Flag and the Bible brought back old bible school memories for me.... kind of neat! We were also so lucky to have Grandpa here during this time for a few days to help out with the boys. I know they ran him ragged with forays to the river, tennis at the park, golf at the course and accross the street, etc. As always, he was a trouper and we thank Grandma for loaning him to us for a few days. A total God-send!
4th of July
We hosted the annual Oosterhous 4th of July this year! I think this was our 3rd year??? It was so much fun and we look forward to many more! We spent the entire weekend eating yummy food and swimming in the river! Tim, our excellent canoe guide, led many trips up and down the Caddo River. Nate and Zac loved having cousins Eme and Grae to play with. Eme proved she could "hang with the boys" when we looked over and saw her peeing in her swimsuit (without breaking stride) as she walked to the river. I think mama Julie was mortified, but sweet Eme was just doing as her cousins Nate and Zac do all the time.... pee in the great outdoors! It was precious and priceless! Sweet little princess! Cousins Alex and Meggie were wonderful to help out with the little kiddos and were a joy to be around. We all enjoyed the great fireworks put on by our neighbors down the street! Kelly, George, Jimmie, Julie (and all kids), Grandma & Grandpa... thanks for coming... I'm looking forward to the next! Dan, Allie, Emma, Anna, and Drew... we can't wait for next year when we will all be together!
Zac and Bike Riding
Zac has learned to ride his bike this summer without training wheels! Not bad for a little guy that just turned 4 in April! He is still a little shakey and has to have help getting started but he is doing really well! I think he will be h--- on wheels!
Camping
Last weekend we decided to go camping (across the street at the special place) and enjoy the cooler weather. The boys wanted us to ALL go camping so we pitched 3 tents and were ready to go! The boys spent the afternoon playing in the creek and gathering wood for the campfire. They also did a little trailwork using Mr. Kerry's tractor! That night we had a great campfire and roasted hotdogs and had a yummy camp dinner! Our little neighbor Baylie Girl came down and ate with us and camped with the boys! I guess you could say Baylie was their first sleepover invite! She shared a tent with the big boys and all went well! They all went right to sleep and slept until 6:00 the next morning! Ben and I gave it a good try but he had a rough time, so at 11:00 we headed up to the house! Turns out he was coming down with a nasty cold and is now on antibiotics!
Little Rock Trips
The past two weekends we spent our Saturdays in Little Rock! The first weekend was spent celebrating my Papa's 93rd birthday and my cousin Steph's birthday! We had so much fun spending time with our aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, & great-grandparents! Lots of good food and good times! Last weekend we went back to celebrate our cousin Cole's 2nd birthday and a really neat place in Little Rock called the "Wonder Place." The kids loved all of the fun things there were to do there and it was fun to watch little Cole have such a good time! Thanks Little Rock crew for providing two good weekends in LR!
Dallas goes Country!
In a last minute decision, Jen, Matt and Molly decided to head to AR for a few days (to celebrate Papa's birthday) and spend time with family. They spent 2 nights and 3 days in Glenwood and we LOVED having them here. We had a lot of "creek time" that is until Ben fell out of a swing on my watch (I was right there and turned my head for 2 seconds) and of course his head fell right on a rock! Luckily, I'd been through this before with Zac and I knew that head wounds bled a lot! We got him cleaned up and then my best friend Stephanie reminded me that we have a nurse and physicians assistant on our road! Luckily they were home and they were so kind and took care of Ben! They put dermabond on his head and sent us home! He did just fine and that was that!
Garvan Gardens
Our latest adventure was on Thursday. After being awake for a couple of hours, at 8:20, I decided we'd better get out of the house or it was going to be a baaaaaaaaaaaaad day! So we all hurriedly got dressed and picked up toys and headed to Garvan Gardens, one of our favorite places! The weather was cooler and the air was dry so it was a perfect day for exploring the new Childrens Adventure Area at the gardens and a picnic! The boys LOVED this new area of swimming holes, a cave, rocks to scramble over, etc. Within 2 minutes they were soaking wet with several other kids! We will go in our swim trunks next time! We played there for a while and then explored the rest of the gardens, had a picnic, and fed the huge Koi fish! The boys were really really good for me! Unfortunately, our digital camera has died and I've got to decide on a replacement so I didn't get any pics of our fabulous day!
Random Things...
We've spent a lot of time in Arkadelphia this summer swimming and running wild! It has been a lot of fun and a nice break for me! The boys have enjoyed eating blackberries and blueberries right off of the bush! Thanks Nana & Papa!
One funny thing that happened one day transpired as follows: I was upstairs on the computer and I could tell Nate was getting irritated with Ben, and suddenly, he yelled, "Mom I wish Ben had a turn off button, he won't be quiet or leave me alone."! Oh Nate I know that feeling well X three!
Ben has become insanely obsessed with tractors this summer! He LOVES riding on those big and small! He constantly makes a tractor sound, especially as soon as daddy walks in the door! And daddy takes him for a ride on the tractor/lawnmower every night after dinner!
Finally, we have a newly adopted pet Peacock named "Peaky"! This peacock just showed up out of nowhere! After feeding him for a few days, he has definitely adopted us and now fells comfortable sleeping on the front porch. Which was really cool until he started pooping all over my front porch. I told the boys they are going to have to start cleaning it up or mommy is going to use the BB Gun! I'll have to keep you updated on Peaky who likes to look in our front window!
Oh yeah, it is hillarious to hear Ben Ben say "Peaky" which comes out "Pee Pee"!
Caught up for now... I think!
