At 1 a.m. last night, we rolled into the Rock, and we are glad to be home. But, we were also sad to leave our other life in NW Arkansas. We've realized that because of all the time we have spent there, it really is a second home. We have beautiful friends and family there, and it was so good to have so many days to spend with them.
Low: The first night when we were staying at a friend's house, the fire alarm went off at 2:10 and 2:30 a.m. Thankfully, the babies were able to sleep through it, and the girls went back to bed quickly. And we dismantled the thing. We need fake fire alarms in the middle of the night just like we need holes in our heads.
High: Much of my family came into town, and it was so much fun to be all together for Easter and True's birthday party.
(beautiful silhouetted picture courtesy of Uncle Luke. Lily and True were listening for thunder.)
High: We headed for the Gentry Wilderness Safari to see the fun animals. We've been several times before, but it is always a fun experience with the kiddos.
Low: A torrential downpour let loose right as we arrived and lasted the duration of our visit. This kept most of our time limited to inside the barns, though we did also do the drive-thru portion, which was fun. It was still neat to feed and pet the animals that we could.
(I love that they are making the exact same face.)
Low: Having our kids out of routine led to some inevitable hard moments.
High: Much of the week we had really gorgeous weather. April in Arkansas can be such a thing of beauty. It allowed dinner on the porch and outdoor shopping to be real treats.
High: We spent most of our time in the city of Siloam Springs, which has quintessential small-town charm oozing everywhere. It also has so many memories for us from college and post-college that we are always happy to have reasons to go back.
High: This sign.
High: We took the twins out for donuts to celebrate their birthday. They both enjoyed the donuts, because, of course they did. What is not to enjoy?
High: We got to see some dear college friends who introduced us to Just Dance YouTube videos. Our children believed they were earning stars and were willing to work for them. I laughed until tears came. Thanks, Lawsons!
High: We got to meet up with another dear friend from college and grad school who is in the midst of cocooning with her newly adopted child. I have been following their story so closely and praying for their journey, so getting to talk and laugh with her in person was such a blessing. Also - it is amazing to see your friends doing the real hard work of loving a child well. Their daughter is so blessed to have them as parents, and I look forward to seeing the beauty that will continue to come from the ashes of this story. Also, we laughed so much that night. Parenting is such a crazy experience.
High: We got to attend a reunion for people that worked with John while we were in grad school. There were events most of the day yesterday for us to attend, and it was great to visit with people that made such a huge impact on John's life at such a formative time. It is easy to look back now and see how our lives were transformed because of that experience.
Low: During the lunch event, which ended up going long, I got a text from Ellen. She was keeping all of the kiddos. It read: "Lots of people are crying and there is pee on the floor." I bolted, and John caught a ride back with someone else.
High: The dinner childcare went much better. Ellen called for backup. This included a friend who is a firefighter who gave the girls their own tour of the fire station.
Low: We got out of town by about 9:30. Everyone slept for the first hour or so, but after we stopped for gas, William felt that crying was a better option than sleeping. Bummer. We were really glad to get home.
And now we are returning to our regular life. I guess I should probably get the massive pile of laundry started.
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