Smore Joy

Breaking in the Motorhome

This weekend we RVed down to Stephen F. Austin State Park with our little traveling partner Joshua. There we met his cousins Dade and Luke, with Uncle Tommy, Aunt Allison, and baby Audrey. Nana and PaPa kept all the grandkids Friday night, and had quite a time. The boys played outside and then watched a movie before bedtime (on the bedroom TV while PaPa watched satellite TV up front--really roughing it). Audrey was so good for Nana, and the boys were great as usual. The fun got revved up the next day when we woke up with three little boys with big appetites for breakfast and playing. PaPa cooked (his camping specialty) then everyone put on coats for outside play. Who would have guessed it would be so cold in South Texas? We were parked right next to a playground with swings and gravel full of diamonds! The boys filled baggies with the diamonds (quartz pellets) and were convinced they had treasure! Tommy drove over and we checked out some land he's looking at before heading back to take in a nature walk and cook again. We saw deer that evening right next to the campground and we walked so close to them and they never ran. The boys discovered the joys of Smores cooked over the campstove and had the sticky washed off in the shower before all of us hit the sack early. We handed off Dade and Luke this morning and headed back with our little traveling partner. Cindy and the other boys came over and picked him up this evening. It was tons of fun, and now it's time for us old folks to rest up for the next big adventure.

A Day Out for Mamaw

Cindy and Tyner went to visit Mamaw and Papaw today. They took Mamaw out to Luby's for lunch and then shopping at Beall's. Cindy said Papaw didn't go, never does, and she thinks Mamaw just enjoys getting away without him. I was glad Cindy was able to take Mamaw shopping since we'll be out of town this weekend. I'll be posting more later about our trip, which involves taking Dade, Luke, and Joshua camping. That motorhome will be chock full of little-boy energy. I hope PaPa and I can keep up, and I'm really excited about the weekend fun ahead.

Rodney spoke to Dr. Rydzak about Mamaw last week during his appointment. The doctor wouldn't make an appointment for us to talk to him about Mamaw, but listened when Rodney was there for his own appointment. He expressed our concerns about her change in attitude and personality. Also, he told the doctor about her funny backward shrug when she breathes. The doctor said depression was to be expected in her situation. She's going to see him later in April, so I hope he will help her out then.

A Bump on the Noggin and a Family Fiesta

Tuesday morning at 1:00 am, the phone rang. Papaw fell and bumped his head. They took him to the E.R. where Rodney met him. They stayed virtually all night, but there seemed to be no real damage, so Papaw went home and so did Rodney, to catch an hour or two of sleep before work. Papaw was supposed to rest in bed Tuesday, but didn't--he couldn't remember what had happened, so did not remember to rest. His schedule isn't very taxing, though, so he probably did no harm to himself. Rodney and I took off early and went to the "Family Fiesta" at the Hampton's. There were fajitas and a strolling Mexican guitarist singing La Bamba, Cielito Lindo, and all the other classics. Mamaw was so happy we came, and Papaw was just happy. A side note: I took Steve to the vet last week. He has bacterial and fungal infections in his skin because of allergies. We got several medications for him and he smells and looks so much better this week. Isn't scratching and his hair is growing back. Yeah!

Our Test Run

We had planned to go North to Oklahoma, then changed the plan to Fredericksburg, then scrapped both. It was spring break and everyone in Texas was doing a staycation, apparently, because almost every park was full. We found a new, little known state park, Cooper Lake, that was just far enough away to give the motor home a good little workout and gave us three days to absolutely relax. We hiked a bit, had several good walks, put together a jigsaw puzzle, napped, and I read a very good book. We also set up our new roles on the road--Rodney is chief cook and I'm the bottle (and everything else) washer. Since there's not much to wash, I'm very happy with this role.

Happy First Birthday, Audrey!

Everyone gathered at Gran and Big Daddy's to celebrate Audrey's big day. She had several generations on both sides of the family there for her special first! She thought the cake was scrumptious, and have you ever seen so much pink!?

Jesse and Megan Get Married!

We enjoyed a whirlwind trip to Houston for Jesse's wedding a couple of weeks ago starting with picking up Susan, Matt, and Benjamin from the airport in Houston. Benjamin's grown so much! He has a few words (the most important of which was "PaPa") and looks like a little boy with his new haircut. He fell right in with his big cousins Dade and Luke, and the three of them cut quite a picture in their cowboy duds at the rehearsal dinner at George Ranch. The wedding was lovely, the bride was beautiful, the vows were heart touching, and Uncle Ed was quite the hit as the minister uniting his son and his new daughter-in-law. He missed his calling--he is a spellbinding speaker whose faith and gentle humor shine through his every word.