True Texans, born and raised! (Even James and Faith, who needed to be in the picture, too!)
War Eagle Mill, Arkansas - a real working grist mill - they make fabulous grains, flours, mixes, jams, jellies, etc.
The Pense Family Reunion at Lake Fort Smith, Arkansas
Alvis Pense made toys for all the kiddos at the reunion - he signed Alyssa's tractor for her.
smoked catfish
War Eagle Mill, Arkansas - a real working grist mill - they make fabulous grains, flours, mixes, jams, jellies, etc.
The Pense Family Reunion at Lake Fort Smith, ArkansasAlvis Pense made toys for all the kiddos at the reunion - he signed Alyssa's tractor for her.smoked catfish Glenn and Richard visiting at Tanya's wedding.
Swim Lessons at our community pool for the kids.
Eating a Slim Jim from Uncle Bryan - could it get any more "boy" than this???
Eating a Slim Jim from Uncle Bryan - could it get any more "boy" than this???
Today Jonathan learned to ride his bike, "Painkiller", without the training wheels. It took a while, and he was at first upset and wanted to give up. He even had his moments of just walking away from it, but we made him continue. And, by the end.......he was riding it himself and having a good time. Alyssa was a great cheerleader, and she kept yelling good things at her brother. She also rode her bike up and down the sidewalk........soon we'll get ride of her training wheels, too! To celebrate, we made miniature rootbeer floats and watched the video of him learning to ride. It was a great evening. My mom also came today for lunch, and she brought steaks that we grilled. It was a great visit and a great lunch. 
We had a great trip to Silver Dollar City. We took our nephew, Teddy, with us. We wondered how it would be with a Kindergartener, a First Grader, and a Second Grader on vacation, but it was surprisingly very relaxing. The kids behaved well, and they had a great time. Teddy rode a lot of rides with Richard and I.....he's a bit fearless, so that was really fun. My two munchkins rode rides, too, but Alyssa screamed the entire time on all of them.....and in the lines on the way to get on them! Then when the rides were over, at least for most of them, she said she liked them.......go figure! The weather was great.....low 80s for the high each day, which was awesome! Even getting soaked on the water rides was fun.....one day we all ate lunch soaking wet! The hotel where we stayed had a dalmation statue right as you come in the lobby, so Alyssa had to pet it each day and have a picture before we left. The first day we were there, we ordered pizza for dinner and had it delivered to the hotel because everyone was so tired. Then when it arrived, we realized we didn't have plates! So, we introduced the kids to creative problem solving and eating pizza like college kids.....we made plates out of the box lids! They thought it was funny, but they enjoyed the pizza. 
Skunk Boy! Jonathan just happened to be wearing black and white, and then he put on a skunk skin hat which made him really look like a skunk. He, of course, thought it was very funny!
"Milking" a cow in the new barnyard area of Silver Dollar City. The boys tried to milk the fake cow, and they did okay. But then Richard showed them how a pro does it.......not bad for a city boy from Tulsa!
On the way back we stopped at the Precious Moments Chapel and let the kids stretch their legs. They enjoyed stopping and walking around, I think. And it was a good thing for Jonathan to see since he loves Art so much. 
On the fifth we went to Jerry and Cindy's house to visit and swim. The kids spent 3 hours in the pool and had a great time....but I think Richard had the best time of all the kids! Jonathan, however, about slept through dinner afterwards! He was so tired from all the swimming. And, both kids slept ALL the way home and then until 8:30 this morning. They were really worn out from all the fun. All in all, it was a good trip, a relaxing time with family, and a great time together.
