Safely Home

There is no way around it - it's just a long trip home!

Ross took us to the airport long before anyone else was up. Taya did come out and say good bye, but the rest of the house was dark

The Little Rock airport is small and easy to maneuver which we were thankful for. We got some breakfast before getting on the plane.

We changed planes in Dallas and then it was a straight shot to Seattle . We arriving shortly there just after 11 AM - a very strange time to be getting home.

After a quick lunch at Taco Time we drove back to Lynden knowing what we faced - a two week growth of lawn.

Before heading home we stopped at the office to grab a dump trailer for mowing but none were there. Gary was frustrated thinking he now had to hunt one down. Not getting a hold of Britt we drove home to resume our search after unloading.

To our incredible surprise and delight the dump trailer was at our house and Britt was just finishing a "first cutting" on our epic growth of lawn.

I cannot even begin to tell you what a gift this was to us - especially Gary! What a son! He even edged!

We are thankful for this trip. Our time in Little Rock with our kids was wonderful beyond words. We were so blessed....and are so thankful!

I Can't See You!

It was a hard good by for me personally. I snuck one last moment in with Isaiah to say good nite after Daddy had tucked him in bed.

After whispering to him how much I loved him and a sweet good nite he whispered back, "Grandma, I can't see you!"

So I just had to turn on the lamp for one last good nite face to face.

What a wonderful visit we have had! And oh how hard it is to say good bye

Church at Fellowship

Since we were last here Fellowship has moved into their new facility and it was so wonderful to see it completed.

The layout is immense but done so well. There are three sanctuaries in the same building that run simultaneously with the different worship but the same message.

The childrens area is in the fourth quadrant of the building. All quadrants meet under the great skylight in the center.

From the second floor it looks like a small city

Sanctuary 1 - The Chapel, traditional worship venue

Sanctuary 2 - The Edge, contemporary worship venue

Sanctuary 3 - Worship Center, the main worship venue

The amazing fish tank in the children's center

Isaiah bringing his dollars for the children in Haiti

Isaiah in his class

The new bookstore

Quick! A family picture.

At Fellowship....Still Raining

The covered drop area was in great demand

So Raining!

It's really raining hard. It wasn't long before the backyard was puddled up and running a small river right under the fence into the neighbors yard.

Sunday Morning Pancakes

One more pancake breakfast on our last morning here.

Exhausted!

We completely exhausted the youngest member of our family. He looked so beautiful sleeping I just had to include these pictures.

"Home of the Hubcap"

"You gotta go to Cotham's for their Hubcap burger". That's what Ross and Taya have been told so we decided to check out Cotham's. It was a twenty minute drive out to the Scott Plantation area to find this historical treasure!



Perched on stilts over a swamp this former mercantile store was built in 1912 for the local farmers, but history records it also served as the military commissary, and lock up for local law violators who were awaiting trial by the circuit rider judge.

In 1984 a small eating area was added for local farmers to get lunch. The specialty - the hubcap burger - a way too big but incredibly good burger.

Loved this Coke cooler on the front porch.

The stunning interior

We tried the fried green tomatoes as our appetizer and LOVED them!

regular cheeseburger/ hubcap burger

Mississippi Mud Pie for dessert - just because, ok!

What a fun place to end our afternoon out. We didn't need any dinner either.

The Old State House

The oldest surviving state capitol west of the Mississippi River is Little Rocks Old State House, now an incredible Museum of Arkansas history.

We enjoyed the current exhibits on state political history, the history of the building, the governors, inaugural gowns of their wives, and period rooms showing interior decors of the past.

The original House of Representatives chamber is also preserved and one of the most historic rooms in Arkansas.

To Market....Or Not!

We decided to save the Little Rock River Market for our day with Ross and looked forward to enjoying this waterfront farmers market along with a ride on the Little Rock Trolley.

Another event, Riverfest, was taking place this weekend in the riverfront amphitheater. What we didn't realize till we got there was that the River Market was blocked off in the ticketed area with Riverfest. The 3 day ticketed event had a $25 per person charge so we were unable to even get to the Farmers Market, and worst of all the trolley was blocked off too.

Ross and Taya did some quick thinking and we headed back to the Historic Arkansas Museum. On the way we ran in the Shriner parade which was way too loud and aggressive for our two little ones, so we cut across blocks to take the back way to the museum.

Sadly we did have to walk right past the blocked-off trolly's. But we did get to go into the Peabody Hotel and visit their famous ducks for a few minutes.

Isaiah enjoyed a chat with this duck about standing on one leg.

Let's Go!

This little boy is an amazingly pleasant traveler. He has been in his car seat many times since we've been here and is always happy about it.

Historic Arkansas Museum

The museum was really interesting and had a huge gun and knife display. It also had a children's hands-on fun area for Isaiah and several outdoor buildings.

This Gatling gun was immediately recognized by Gary and he enjoyed reading a detailed history of Richard Jordan Gatling.

One More Southern Barbecue!

Gary insisted on one more Southern Barbecue and he had it selected days in advance. He had read about Sims Barbecue in a barbecue cookbook Taya had given him for Christmas. The funny part was Ross and Taya had never heard of it after living here for 3 years.

He wanted to got to the original location which interestingly is next to a church, but when we got there that location was closed so we were sent on to a somewhat disappointing location in a strip mall.

The food was great and we enjoyed ribs and pulled pork. Why do they always serve white bread barbecue in the South?

The Old Mill

Taya took us to The Old Mill - a replica of an old, water-powered grist mill built as a tribute to Arkansas pioneers in 1933.

It is a very beautiful place with ponds, paths, fountains, trails and some very unique bridges to cross as well as the Old Mill to explore. Isaiah loved it all and it was such fun to enjoy his excitement.

It is also a very popular place for taking pictures. We saw families, couples, graduates and even a bride having pictures taken just while we were there.

But the Mills greatest claim to fame is that it was filmed in the opening scenes of "Gone With the Wind" and is believed to be one of the only remaining structures from the movie.

Boys Toys

Grandpa discovered some equipment working just down the street so he and Isaiah went to investigate. They are putting curbs and gutters down in the next section of this development.