Freedom Fest

This morning, some people from a local church invited us to a "Freedom Fest" at a local park.

The kids were pretty stoked when they saw the big bounce houses.

They loved climbing up and sliding down over and over while Christian rock blasted in the background.

We had a great time, we met some friendly people, and we now know a nice park to come play at once the weather cools down.

Our Awesome New Library

We have discovered that our new town has the coolest public library ever.

Sure, they have books, and cute little tables in the kid section . . .

. . . and a play kitchen . . . 

. . . but they also have free yoga classes, free tai chi classes, a magician and a wildlife show later this month, and a big community garden out back.

Every Thursday, the library hosts a "garden club" where kids do some activity involving the garden.  Today we made watermelon "pizza," and went to the garden to pick our own "toppings" like fresh blueberries and blackberries.

Todd would have eaten every ripe berry on the bush if we'd let him.

A Costume Party and a Timely Gift

Joy hosted a costume party for Daniel and Anna today (nothing against Todd; he was just too young to be interested in it).

Joy was a fairy, Daniel was a magician, and Anna was a pink princess.  Even their toys dressed up--Purple Princess was a pixie, Liz the Lizard's tail was a red light saber, and Tourmaline the Snake was a shark (his costume was made of sofa pillows--he was a pretty big shark).

Among other things, Joy let each party guest take a turn playing the little computer game she coded. 

In the middle of the party, the mailwoman delivered a package from Red Grandma.  It contained glow sticks, patriotic T-shirts for the kids to wear on July 4th, and . . .

. . . red, white, and blue Skittles!  Perfect party food. :)

The Coveted Stroller and Other Summer Pastimes

We're getting settled into our new home.

The computers are up and running, and Joy is using her Python book to create a simple computer game.

The other three kids are obsessed with pushing our toy stroller around the house at breakneck speeds.  We tried to work out a system for taking turns, but in the end there was so much arguing over the stroller that it was banished to the garage (probably until school starts and Todd is the only one left at home in the mornings).

Deprived of their beloved stroller, the kids headed outside to toss our flying ring around.  Most throws landed in the grass, but the kids still had a good time.

Joy also built a swimming pool for her miniature toys, complete with diving board and pool noodles (which are actual noodles, dyed blue with food coloring).

Over the River

After church today, we drove down to Little Rock to show the kids the area where Daddy will be working.

We also paid a visit to the Clinton Presidential Library.

The library property includes a pedestrian bridge spanning the Arkansas River.

We walked across the river and back, stopping to snap a picture of some turtles down below (I like turtles).

The Road To Arkansas, Day 4

We made it!

Hello, Arkansas!

Our furniture and about fifty boxes of our stuff won't arrive until tomorrow, so we checked into a hotel then I took the boys to buy some groceries and stock the fridge in our new home.

I let Daniel choose which room he and Todd will sleep in, and naturally he chose the bigger one (then he and Todd kind of did a victory dance).  We'll let the girls have first pick next year when we move to a different state.

The Road To Arkansas, Day 3

I had really good intentions of finding some memorable spot to visit on our third day of travel, but even with Google at my disposal I just couldn't find anything interesting, cheap, and close to the highway in northern Texas (no offense, y'all).

 Our fun rest stops today consisted of lunch at a Chick-fil-A with a playground . . .

. . . and another playground at a family fun center in Oklahoma (while Daddy and the big kids played laser tag with Aunt Lara and her boyfriend Justin).