Snow in Mena

Last Sunday we fell asleep to a cold front that decided to grace us with its presence and woke to snow covered grounds. There was *maybe* an inch, if that covering Mena, but it was enough for not only the kids, but also Rylie, to have a blast playing in! The girls made snowballs and would throw them across the yard and fall into a fit of giggles as they watched Rylie gracefully just pounce across the yard. I am not sure which one of our girls had more fun during this time!

Nicholas enjoyed the snow as well, just not as much as the Breanna and Caitlin. Of course, at first the girls found more excitement in the fact schools were closed due to inclement weather. Kevin and I on the other hand did not share their same excitement! I am sure that had to do with it being Monday and the girls acting up some over the weekend! School is always a welcoming thing when the weekends are a bit rocky. In the end, our day turned out pretty good, the kids had a blast and once the cold weather was a too much, some yummy marshmallow topped hot chocolate warmed their little bodies up! Rylie slept well that night from being worn out from all the playing and Kevin and I enjoyed the white covered yards.

Maybe before the winter is over we will see more snow than the tease we received last week!

Finding Comfort in a Place Called Home

A little over a week ago, we had the pleasure of moving into a house that for the first time feels like home. After years of moving around..well, the world, it brings much comfort to finally have a place that we can fully relax and enjoy. Our house is a bit old and needs some modernization, but it's home. There are no words that can describe it. It sits on an acre and a half and is a little over 2500 sqft, all single story and brick. We have two living areas, which we have one as a living room and the other as our family room. It's a three bedroom, two and a half bath and when sitting on the front porch you can see a pond and mountains. We are surrounded by mountains, which at this time of the year is beautiful seeing all the leaves changing colors. Mena, AR is a beautiful and friendly town that we are excited to bring our children up in. Of course, we always welcome visits from family and friends.

Our first Monday in Arkansas was spent waking up very early and all of us driving to Fort Smith, AR to return the moving truck and trailer. While Kevin and I were turning in the truck, Breanna and Nic discovered a massive pile of leaves and their fun began. Watching them as they laughed hysterically and threw leaves at each other, it dawned on me, Nic had never played in them before. His entire life up until this point has been spent living in the desert where leafs did not really exist. In ways it made my heart ache thinking about the things that he has missed out on as well as the girls, yet it also made me realize the amazing life experiences our kids have been blessed with in their short lives.

McDonalds in Mena

The girls went to the park then to McDonalds with Aunt Jeanette while we were in Mena, AR. While they played Kevin and I walked around the downtown area with Nicholas in his stroller, then met with the girls and Aunt Jeanette at McDonalds. The girls thought it was so cool to see the statue of Ronald. Before we were able to make it there, Aunt Jeanette took a picture of each of the girls. They turned out so cute!

Tuckered Out

Our long drive to GA, all the constant on the go while in GA and then the drive to Mena, Arkansas just wore Nicholas out! Nic and Britt both passed out for awhile a few hours after we arrived in Mena. That evening we went into the room we were going to sleep in to find Bailey asleep on the bed, with her head on one of our pillows. She is such a sweet dog. The first night we were there Bailey slept with Aunt Jeanette. The second night, she slept in a chair in the room that Caitlin and Nicholas were sleeping in.