October 2022

We finally made it to the "We the People" exhibit at Crystal Bridges.  They had some of the original documents from the founding of our country, and a copy of the 13th Amendment with an original signature of Abraham Lincoln!

The second MTB race for the kids was in Mountain Home.  This time Steve was able to go with us and we stayed in a hotel.  We were glad about the hotel, since it rained all night before the race.  It had been an extremely dusty racecourse, so the overnight rain was welcome.  This time, Emily came in 18th out of 28, and Brendan came in 48th out of 64.

We had a makeup day.  I will spare you the photo of me, but Emily looked cute.

Halloween!  Pumpkin carving as always.  Brendan did pretty good considering he gutted and carved his pumpkin in about 15 minutes.  After watching Hocus Pocus and Hocus Pocus 2, Emily decided she wanted to dress up as a witch for Halloween.  I had a little fun with her makeup, and she looked amazing.  She got to go out trick or treating with her friend Jane and a group of friends.

September 2022

Yes, more kayaking.  Love it when I have a companion!

On a drive out to Cave Springs, we stopped at the city park and saw this really awesome big tree.  Of course the kids had to try to climb it!

Brendan's lungs have not fully recovered from the pneumonia, so he wasn't able to participate in the first NICA mountain bike race of the season.  We decided to go and see what the races are like since we've never been to one before, and Steve volunteered to be a sweeper.  Brendan also helped out with one of the race volunteer positions.  Emily enjoyed the race atmosphere so much that she joined the mountain bike team!

Emily and I decided to run in the Worst Race Ever.  Mostly because the shirt design is so funny!  It was "5k-ish" - pretty sure it was a little less than 5k.  They offered a water stop from the "Bentonville Wastewater Plant" and had some other funny things along the race route - including an (optional) obstacle course.

Finally, the kids are feeling well enough to participate in a mountain bike race.  Unfortunately, Steve tested positive for COVID, so we had to go without him.  This one was in Hot Springs.  Practice day was very hot, but then right after they left for the ride we had a good old Arkansas downpour.  Emily wrecked and flipped over the handlebars of her bike.  She was okay but had a painful scrape/bruise on her leg.  I thought she might not want to ride in the race the next day, but she was tough and chose to ride!  We also got rained on during the night at our campsite, so we packed up some soggy gear the next morning before the races.  Brendan did well and placed 48th out of 63 boys in his morning race.  The heat was brutal, and Emily wasn't feeling well after her afternoon race.  She was worried that she would come in last place, so she was happy that she placed 20th out of 25 girls. 

 

August 2022

 The kids were at camp the first week of August.  We missed them while they were gone but enjoyed seeing pictures of them during the week that the camp posts for parents.  We were happy when we got to go pick them up!

From the library summer reading club, Emily won tickets to an Arkansas Naturals game for being one of the first 100 kids to finish the goal.  She got to go on the field before the game where they announced the kids' accomplishment.  Unfortunately, it was extremely hot out, so our family only managed to sit through the first 3 innings before we bailed out and opted to head for some air conditioning.

At vacation bible school, someone spoke to the kids about donating hair to a nonprofit that makes wigs for people with cancer.  Both Charley and Emily have very long hair; Emily has always refused to cut hers other than a trim because she wanted "Rapunzel hair."  After hearing about the organization though, both soft hearted girls were determined to donate!  Emily got her first professional haircut and donated 10 inches of hair. 

Before and after pictures:

This summer, we have kayaked at the lake more than ever.  It has been so enjoyable!

August always includes the first day of school and first day photos.  Brendan had pneumonia and missed his first day.  He made it the second day, but clearly still wasn't feeling all that great.

We've had an owl move into our neighborhood!  We believe it is a barred owl.  Brendan was able to get a few pictures.  None are very clear because we only see it at dusk, but this silhouette at sunset turned out pretty cool.

Emily chose the clarinet for her band instrument, and it finally came.  She's a little excited!