Our big adventures

So the worst part (really one of the very few bad parts) of moving here was that we couldn't find football for Brayden. You'd think in the South - where football abounds, where everyone knows how to call the Hogs, hook 'em Horns, can spot the likes of Boomer Sooner, knows the Dallas Cowboys star from any other star there may ever be, knows intimately the story of the Marshall Thundering Herd (from We Are Marshall), where we are already seeing Darren McFadden Raiders jerseys on children and where Friday Night Lights are more of a religion than something to do - where the high school football team has an indoor practice facility that rivals anything the Chiefs have (seriously) - you'd think that of all places that here they would start boys early in football. This, my friends, is not so much the case. We looked everywhere for a football program for 5-year olds. Most athletics are run through the Boys and Girls Clubs here, and they don't start until second grade. Now...

Last week Brayden finished his first week as a big Kindergartener while Nate finished his first week officially as an assistant principal. It was a fun time for all. A trip to the lake that doesn't take 4 hours We headed to see MiMi and Pa at the lake (Table Rock) on Saturday. I just can't explain how excited I am about this. On Saturday, we did work around the house, ran errands, headed to the lake, dropped off the boys, visited with Dad and Debbie, went to Springfield, ran a couple of errands and made it to a party at Donnie and Winnie's by 6:30 p.m. Now in our "old life," our entire day would have been spent trying to make it to a party in Springfield by 6:30. But here, in this new place we call home, it took an hour and 40 minutes to get from Bentonville to "Pa's lake." LOVE IT! Now that hour and 40 minutes doesn't come easy, especially for a little boy in the back seat of dad's truck. For some reason I hear the narrator from the Dukes of...

Should I put once upon a time? One time, my brother, Beau, threw the ball in the pool so I could go get it. And one time he threw it in the deep end. And I still went down and got it. And I kept doing that. (Editor's note: I'm losing him here. I think we're going to go the Q&A route. . .) Q: What did you think when you got up this morning? A: I don't know. Q: What were you thinking on the way to school this morning? A: I DON'T KNOW!! Q: What was your favorite thing about school today? A: Going outside and playing. You know those things you hang on? But they are triangles? I tried to go across those. Q: Did you play with anyone? A: Yes. Q: What were their names? A: Uh, I don't know. I didn't ask them. Q: Were they bigger than you or smaller than you? A: About the same size, I guess. Q: What did you eat for lunch? A: Chocolate milk, mashed potatoes that smelled like gravy, sausage in a bun with ketchup and, uh, half a banana, and some yellow food, but I di...

Ok, so it's really "Up-71-highway-for-3 1/2-hours" to grandmother's house we go. . . This weekend we're in KC trying to finish up some things at the house in Blue Springs. We're enjoying seeing Grandma and Grandpa Zellers (thanks for the hospitality) and having dinner with Grandpa Bice last night (Marty, we missed you!). A new deck is finally being put on the house today. Wahoo!! The big news The big news around here, though, is that Brayden starts Kindergarten tomorrow! When he woke up this morning, I asked him what tomorrow was, and he said, "Yes! I only have to wait one more day and one more night!" I can't believe he's starting Kindergarten.  A few of our favorite things So I asked the boys what they liked best - what were their favorite things - about Arkansas. Here's what I got: Brayden:  1) A pool in our backyard 2) Not having crazy neighbors :-) Amen, brother!! 3) Throwing the ball into the pool and diving down to get it. Editor...

Oh, the places you'll go when it's only a stone's throw to get to the bank or to lunch or a show When at lunch you can go to three places or four And you only use a gallon of gas and no more Oh, to get to work, Starbucks, doggy daycare and preschool It takes no time at all, which is very, very cool Preschool for Beau is something he loves He fit in the first day like a hand in a glove Ms. Betty is his teacher and she gives him a treat From the treasure chest he chooses each day, which is neat Brayden and grandma are having alone time They're checking out the sites and doing art all the time One is much better than two for grandma But next week Brayden goes to school for the fall It's been raining for days so the pool is no fun But unpacking is going way better without sun Things are falling into place in the house, but there's more And more, and more unpacking to do, that's for sure.

We finally found and settled on a preschool for Beau. It was quite a chore, but on Thursday he'll start preschool at The Children's Hour in Blue Springs. He's excited and ready to get going - ok, so mostly he's ready to check out the playground. Beau is all of a 3-year-old little boy. I hope The Children's Hour is ready for the likes of him. He'll keep them busy! Brayden has been enjoying cousin Ele this week, and Aunt Snefanie and Mazy are coming for the day tomorrow. It's nice to be close enough that they can do that. Small town news rocks We're now in the middle of our second week here, and we just figured out that the TV in the bonus room will get local channels. We've been without our Dish since we moved, but it's getting installed on Friday just in time for the opening cermonies of the Olympics. A very, very important thing, you know. Nate's watching the news, and the big stories are that a guy in Bella Vista (a neighboring town) lost h...

I just wanted to give a quick shout out to Heather and Donnie for letting me know that you're reading my ramblings here. We think we've found a preschool for Beau (yea!). So here's something about a small town with a lot of people in a small area. Good preschools are hard to come by and they all have waiting lists. This has been as bad as trying to find daycare for your baby after maternity leave. But, thanks to a fellow IABC gal down here, we're taking the last 3-year-old slot at The Children's Hour. Whew. It reminds us a lot of Duncan (the boys' preschool in Grain Valley). Ms. Martha, if you're reading this, Beau really wants to come and see you. He misses you a lot. As we were driving back to Bentonville yesterday, we got to about Noel or Jane, Mo. when Brayden piped up, "Hey - we're in Arkansas!" We weren't, but we were in the town or two just before the border. The funny thing about that is that you never realize how much a 5-year-old...

We made a pretty quick trip to KC this weekend for a moving party for us and a baby shower for Karen. Thanks to Grandma Edra for a fantastic party last night - and thank you to everyone who attended. The kids had a great time - Beau got to see his girlfriend Harper (I'll post a CUTE picture when I can) and he made an older girl cry. He told Sydney Allen (Cristi's 5-year-old) that she wasn't his girlfriend - Hannah Montana and Harper are his girlfriends. This resulted in an eruption of tears from Sydney. Undeterred, she quickly took a liking to Kendall Biley (Harper's brother) and claimed him as her boyfriend. Oh, to be 5 years old and in love. Hee-hee. The boys got to see their beloved Courtney and Shelby today during a trip to Chuck E. Cheese's while Nate ran errands and Sarah, Cass and I had a baby shower for Karen. We remain small but mighty. This is the last time we'll see Aunt Karen before the baby is here, and she looks fantastic. So that's it. We'...