Wichita Falls, TX

     Eldon started a job in Wichita Falls October 14. Heading to a city over with over 100,000 people is certainly not on our fun list but all signs pointed this way so here we are! The redeeming point is a state park 20 minutes from the city. Texas State Parks are typically gorgeous and staffed with very friendly Rangers. Lake Arrowhead has not disappointed!

Our first campsite.

      With lots of nice biking trails/roads here, a bigger bike for Ethan was at the top of our list. Eldon found one at Sport's Academy with a broken chain guard and the manager knocked $30 off for us! His old bike still had some life in it so we gifted it to another family with 4 little boys that camped next to us one weekend.

Thumbs up!

Lake sunsets are so pretty.

     So, in Montana we got this kitten with full intentions of it not traveling with us and certainly not being a house cat but..........meet Cupid, our part-time house cat. He loves the outdoors and spends any nice day outside.

Curled up by the campfire.

     The fishing is rumored to be really good here so we've tried several times but no luck. We did get to watch someone pull in a Gar that was 2-3 feet long so that was fun!

Ethan was worried about sharks jumping up and getting him.

Learning patience :)

One of the trails here. We've been disappointed by the lack of wildlife though.

Cupid is not supposed to be on the couch but.....who can resist this?!

     Many state parks have a 14 day limit then require you to be out of the park for 24 hours. Much to our delight, we can stay as long as we want here, but have to change sites every 14 days. Today we moved one site over and even left our slides out 😁. It was so easy to just carry our camp chairs, outdoor carpet, grill, and bikes over instead of loading it all up!

That handy-dandy thing on the back is my washline that Eldon rigged up for me.

Hiking near the dam.

Michael and Emily enjoying the fall weather.

A wild plum tree with an intriguing trunk.

Arrowhead Lake. I'd love to see it when all the Lily Pads are blooming.

     The next picture is a beautiful thing that Eldon and I have been waiting on for a long time. For 10 years one or both of us has had to carry a child and/or backpack whenever we go hiking or walking. Since Ethan is 4, we don't even bring a carrier with us. And....the children carry ALL the backpacks with water and snacks. Lest you think we're cruel, we're not. If it's a long hike, the 3 oldest all take one with 2 water bottles and a snack. If it's a short hike, we just take one and they take turns. I guess there are some perks to getting old!

The exchange of the backpack! 

     The next posts will be about some of the other fun things we've enjoyed doing since we're here!

Texas..........

     We had a 20 hour trip from Montana to Texas and 2 days to do it. The kids did fantastic, considering everything. We dodged storms through most of Kansas and Oklahoma but only encountered a few rainstorms. Not surprisingly, we opted for the country way which added more time to our route, but less mileage and less populated areas. We had smooth sailing the entire way until we hit Fort Worth. On Friday night. At 5:00. What should have taken us only 1 hour took 2.5. In the future, we will continue to avoid cities whenever possible!

     Pulling into my parents at dark felt SO good. They had left early that morning for their flight to Rome and a 2 week cruise in the Mediterranean. But my dear mother had a casserole made for us and fresh peach pie to boot! We stayed in the house with my little sisters while they were gone and she had lovely beds all ready for us.

     It was a good experience to stay in a full-size house again but I do have a few comments to make about it :). Eldon and I LOVED that we didn't hear whenever someone got up to use the bathroom or get a drink. It was so easy for one person to take a nap while others continued on with their day. Also, our recliner lives in their house now and it was fantastic to renew our relationship with it. However, I forget how long it takes to do things in a big house. My mom has a newly remodeled kitchen that is wonderful but I felt like I walked 2 miles cooking each meal (ok, so I'm used to standing in 1 spot to cook). The counter space was so nice though, as well as the 2 huge ovens. Cleaning was a whole other story. My children got so annoyed at how long it took to sweep the floors, lol. So yes, it was really fun for 2 weeks but my feet ached so badly at the end of every day that I couldn't wait to get back to my tiny house!

I didn't arrange them in color order but this makes my OCD heart so happy!

     Their mother cat blessed them with EIGHT kittens. 1 already had a new home at the time of this photo and another was to shy. Ethan and Emily played with them for hours and hours.

They also loved this little table and spent many happy hours drawing.

This old computer is the best toy ever! Makayla loves to wildly type and be a business woman.

Emily's sidewalk chalk art.

Makayla did such a good job with this!

     This is the pit out by the chicken barn for the semi's to back in and pick up eggs. Ethan and Emily got really into playing here and had some very wild races on their scooters.

Water balloons on the trampoline was a good way to cool off.

I had Ethan laying on the recliner watching Paw Patrol and next time I look......😂 

I never know what I'll find!

The children were all so good at doing their work cheerfully, and I'm a believer in new books, so it was off to the library a few times. I love scenes like this!

Making good use of that big kitchen and making lots of pizza!

Wouldn't you love a cat scarf?!

The children got really into playing house and drug SO MUCH stuff around!

Eating popcorn and watching a movie (the wall 😁)

One day soon after dad's came back we helped make applesauce. 

I love canning so it was fun to dabble in it again. 

     Eldon spent a lot of time during chores. Makayla and Michael took turns walking through the barn with him 3 times a day to pick up floor eggs (around 1,400 each day). Makayla had to pack eggs a few days too when we were pressed for time.

     Our time flew by, as it always does when one is busy. There was Dr. appointments, dentists appointments, vehicle appointments, setting up savings accounts for the children, and all the stuff a full-timer has to do when they get to their home base. I helped my sister's with homework a few times and took advantage of moms kitchen to bake all kinds of things. Once my parents came home, we moved out to the camper and stayed for another week. It was good to spend time with them again. 

     We've now moved about 3 hours northwest to a city called Wichita Falls, TX. More about that another day!