Welcome Fall
As much as I hate to see summer come to an end, I have to admit that I do LOVE FALL! The crisp coolness of the air, the beautiful colors of the leaves and trees, and the vast activities that this time of year brings. Of these activities, camping is one of my favorite. So after begging Andrew for a couple weeks ( yes, I had to beg him to find a weekend that he would take us camping instead of watching football or hunting deer ) he finally agreed and we headed up to Devil's Den State Park.
We couldn't have asked for better weather!! It was absolutly gorgeous; warm enough for enjoying the outdoors, and cool enough to snuggle close to the campfire. And the scenery, well it's God's perfect masterpiece. Such a fantasitc use of colors!!
This little guy was BEYOND EXCITED! I guess he takes after his mommy when it comes to camping :) The two of us were thrilled to be hanging out around camp just relaxing and soaking up the fresh air.
He was fascinated by the tent. It was a great baby sitter! Ha!
The only wimper we heard from our little man the entire trip, came right before bed time, as he was curled up in my lap and his eyes so heavy, he said "home, mommy, home." I explained that we were going to sleep in the tent that night and he was a bit hesitant, but after such a fun day around camp he was too worn out to put up much of a fight. Sweet dreams and snuggling (on a slow leaking air mattress) HA!
Loves his birthday chair
Mmm Mmm Good
The grill master and his apprentice
Perfectly grilled steaks & dogs with Andrew's specialty, Fried Potatoes!!! YUMMY
We realized fairly quickly that our entire campsite had been refurbished with new pavement, picnic tables, etc. But it wasn't until later that it dawned on us the reasoning behind it all. We knew that April 2011 brought devastating floods to NWA but were shocked with the amount of still visible damage that it had caused. (FYI: actual flooding pics were found via google)
Dam: Before & During Flooding
Crazy . . .
It's unimaginable to think the water could get this high
And 5 months later . . . still a sad view
no more beautiful waterfall
massive sink hole
where the lake once was
(we were told it was drained for repairs from such heavy debris and sediment)
Playing around camp!
He was so cute trying to explain 'the rope' to me. After a good 20 min, I finally figured out that he must either play a game or use it for some function at school.
I love him TOO MUCH!!
He's a boy, he's a boy, he's a boy. Loves to throw rocks, loves to splash in the water, loves bugs and snakes, has no fear, and doesn't care one bit where or how much dirt gets on him. Hours upon hours of fun could be had in this creek.
Davin, Stacy, Payton, & Parker, and Uncle Mickey & Aunt Dena came to visit us on Saturday. The kids are finally getting to an age that they can interact and enjoy each other more. Hunter gets super excited about playing with the girls! The age gap is slowly closing, which has really helped their play time. Instead of constantly fighting or worrying Hunter was going to badly hurt them, we can (almost) sit back and just watch them have fun.
Maybe it's because she's so tiny, but Hunter babies Parker, being more gentle and better at sharing things. Where as with Payton, I think he sees her more eye to eye. HA! It's so entertaining to watch their personalities interact with each other. I am so thankful that Hunter (and me & Andrew too) has such close cousins to grow up and share a life time of memories with.
It was a wonderful and much anticipated weekend outdoors! After packing up camp, the Hicks foursome joined us back at the house for some white chili and razorback football. It was a great way to officially start Fall!!
Because the Lord God helps me, I will not be dismayed; therefore I have set my face like flint to do his will, and I know that I will triumph.
Isaiah 50:7
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