3 weeks at Grandpa's!

What could possible be better then spending almost 3 weeks at your grandpa's?! Especially when your youngest aunts are just a few years older then you!

Makayla was thrilled to spend her 9th birthday there. We have no idea how that happened but there is no more birthdays allowed at our house. Our age is frozen ;).

She wanted a flower cupcake cake and did most of it herself!

Puff, puff, puff!

Ethan's birthday was 2 weeks earlier but we stuck some candles in a cupcake for him again since he LOVES blowing them out!

Birthday date. She wanted hamburgers so Whataburger it was!

We bought Ethan a bike with his birthday money from Grandpa's and Aunt Judith. He calls it his motorcycle.

Softball practice! Mom can still hit it :).

I was impressed with our homeschooled kids-they could play and loved it!

My parents cute little house. It's currently getting an addition and remodel.

Dressing up the front with new trim and post covers. 

Handing pieces up to grandpa.

Another helper.

The trampoline gets so much use when we are there.

One cold night we had a campfire.

The gable ends will get new siding too.

Grandma spoiled us so much! Ice cream sandwiches this day.

Ethan loves to "fix" things.

Why ride your own bike if someone will give you a ride?!

Between Eldon, Melody, and I, we mowed or bush hogged almost all 20 acres in 2 days. Fun!

Our "spot" when we visit. Thankfully, we rarely smell the chickens!

Dad's house. The addition will include adding onto the kitchen/dining room and 2 new bedrooms, 1 bathroom, plus a family room. They got a lot of the outside trim work done then started on electrical. 

Cookies! So many yummy cookies!

A few years ago my dad designated this area as a playhouse for the children. They call it Mud Kitchen and spend hours here!

Our junk is their treasures!

So cute!

Michael was using a hatchet to cut down thistles in the pasture.

Texas is so pretty!

The girls played doll almost constantly after Melody got home from school.

Ethan went into the barn every chance he could! He loved to just march along beside dad and pick up eggs. The last day he told me "I'm turning into an old grampy, like grandpa." 

It's very dusty in there so pictures are hard!

     We had a great visit and while we are excited to be on the road again, it was sad to leave. We were able to get our vehicles inspected, take a huge load to Goodwill, and work on other projects and repairs on our camper. Most days Eldon or I would pack eggs for dad so that the guys would then have a little more time to work on the house. We ate together several times a week and made many happy memories together. So long, Texas. We'll be back!

What do we do all day?

    Apparently, a lot of people wonder this. I can't tell you often I've heard, "So, what do you do all day when Eldon works and you have no vehicle? Just sit in the camper?" And, I wonder, how many others simply don't ask, but still wonder? #1, Our camper is our house, just like your house is your house. #2, I LOVED to stay home all day when I had a house and I still love it. #3, Believe it or not, we still do need to cook, clean, do laundry, school, and everything that you do. #4, If we do just sit in the camper all day, then that is just fine and you can go your merry way. [Note, I speak sarcasm as a second language]

So, without further ado, I give you an assortment of pictures from the last few months so that you can see what we do all day.

"Just flap your arms and you'll fly, just like a bird. I'll catch you if it doesn't work."

The Page Library had boxes of toys and games we could check out so we loved having new stuff every week!

Tightening my knobs!

Creating cloth dolls :)

Eating oatmeal! Eating is such a big part of every day.

Tablet time. This doesn't happen nearly every day but then some days it lasts a loooong time :).

And sometimes, we eat oatmeal with our hands :(.

Makayla wrote a play, they made costumes and acted it out. Michael the Brave saved Emily the Princess from falling over a cliff :).

Easter cookies on clearance were a huge hit. The tiny tubes of icing are perfect for little hands.

So many messes to clean up! That is smoothie, and it's incredible how many crevices that silly heater has. It's also shocking how bad it stinks when it burns food off.

A boy and his tools. He'll play for hours with his new birthday set!

We play cowboy and race down the street on scooters!

While in Page, AZ, we ate amazing food that we ordered in........frequently :)

Sniffing cupcakes!

Some days we go to the playground so certain people can climb on the walls instead of the slide.

School, so much school!

I even use chocolate chips as bribes rewards.

Most days, at least Ethan takes a nap.

This is a leprechaun trap. Yes, you read that right. They wanted to catch one and find his pot of gold :).

And now, I realize that I still don't have pictures of us: 

cooking 

washing dishes

 scrubbing toilets, sinks, and showers

 sweeping floors

 hanging up and folding laundry

mending

 making yogurt

 brewing Kombucha

 feeding sourdough

 reading stories

 practicing Bible memory

 emptying tanks

 defrosting the fridge and freezer

cleaning the truck

putting groceries away

sewing (and giving lessons on it)

I'm sure there's more but I'm feeling rather tired after realizing what all we do. I'm going to go have a coffee. You enjoy sitting in your house-all day :).

Amarillo, Texas

     After leaving Kansas we had no plans except to be in Page, Arizona 4 days later. Since we were going through Amarillo anyhow, we decided to spend 2 nights at Palo Duro State Park. Palo Duro is the second largest canyon in the country and worth the visit. Hackberry was the only camping area open and we fit in fine with our 40 foot 5th wheel but it wasn't overly big rig friendly. There is also a 10% grade down into the canyon so keep that in mind if your truck struggles with handling your rig. We were perfectly happy that there was no phone service at the campground but that may be a problem for people who need internet for work.

It's peaceful.......so peaceful! I snuck out early our last morning there and watched a flock of turkeys pick their way across our campsite! If it hadn't been for the airplanes roaring overhead, I may have been fooled into thinking it was 150 years ago and expected a band of Indians to come whooping over the hill!

Cadillac Ranch

     It seemed silly to not visit one of the most ridiculous tourist attractions ever so we did it and had a blast! Ten Cadillacs half buried out in the middle of a field. People come from all over to paint their name on them!

     Sadly, there was paint cans (mostly empty) laying around by the hundreds. We carried as many as we could to the dumpsters by the road. If you plan to visit please take a big trash bag and help clean it up!

Paint was several inches thick at places!

Jack Sisemore Traveland RV Museum

1937 Kozy Kamp was one of the first tent trailers ever built.

     This Museum is located in two large buildings behind an RV dealer. Admission is free so it was on our list of things to do :). I was surprised and pleased how much the children enjoyed it. Everything was perfectly to staged to fit with the date of the RV which added to the atmosphere. Over 15 antique RV's are here for the viewing.

1936 Alma was all original.

Trikes!

Numerous Harley Davidson's were also on display.

"The bike that won the War". During WWII this Harley Davidson was used by the military in huge numbers. One rolled out of the factory every 5 minutes.

1962 Airstream. This one was so cute!

     After using the children's Book-It coupons at Pizza Hut we headed back to the State Park and did a 2 mile hike along the river. This cowboy dugout made it easy to imagine the way it was when ranchers would send their cattle into the canyon during the winters.

Love the deep blue sky!

We saw quite a few Roadrunners. 

Pictures don't do justice........

Sun coming up.

Holes in the rocks near the river where Native Americans ground Mesquite beans, corn, and other grains.