An Ozark Fish Tale

When spring break rolled around this year, we actually had a plan...although we had some help because Jon's dad and his wife were coming to visit. While that alone would have made for a fun break, we decided to take a little trip during their time in the Mid-South. Since they have visited us here multiple times, they have already seen and done most of the Memphis touristy things. They had not, however, been to the Ozarks.

So, Jon booked a cabin in one of our favorite places: Mountain View, Arkansas. In fact, we have stayed at this particular set of cabins before, located right on the White River. However, this time he also booked a guided fishing trip for Erik, his dad, and himself.

View from the cabin

Jon's dad and wife arrived late in the evening on Saturday (a Saturday in which I had run a half-marathon, thank you very much), so after church and a hearty breakfast of biscuits and gravy the next morning, we set out for Arkansas. It was a fairly uneventful road trip but one that made us thankful that we now have a car with enough seats for everyone.

Once we got settled in our cabin and explored a bit, it was time to go to the neighboring restaurant for dinner. Jon was also able to confirm plans for the fishing expedition for bright and early the following morning.

Exploring--and climbing--the area around the cabin

And bright and early the next morning, it was cold! I can't say that I was too jealous of the fishermen being out on a boat--my hands were freezing just from driving them to the boat dock. (They were good sports, though, and warmed up...eventually.)

Back at the cabin, the girls had a leisurely breakfast with some time to enjoy the cable TV. Roughing it, for sure. We next headed into town for a little shopping. Mountain View has several antique stores chock full of treasures. One of the girls affectionately compared it to my grandma's house. She would have loved it! The jackpot, however, was the little mercantile next door with fun snacks like chocolate peanut butter and popcorn, both of which came home with us.

Girls trip into town

It was soon time to pick up the boys. The last fishing trip we took was less than successful, fish-wise, but that was decidedly not the case this time. Apparently, trout like shrimp and corn (like our children). Who knew? When we reached the dock, their guide was cleaning their fish--each one caught his limit with Erik catching the biggest one of the day! 

Erik's haul included the one on the end!

I don't want to speak for Jon, but I think fishing with his dad and his son was a lifelong dream fulfilled.

We headed back into town after a rest and a snack at the cabin. Mountain View is known for its folk music and has a cool dulcimer shop that is fun to check out. The girls and I even got to play one; they made it look much easier than it was. While we were in town, we also had to stop for ice cream before heading to the store for provisions for dinner.

After last year's trip, I didn't want to plan on any fish for dinner, so we had other plans for what to cook at the cabin. But we just had to eat Erik's big fish when it was fresh, and it was delicious. The fisherman gave it two enthusiastic thumbs up.

We checked out of the cabin the next morning but stayed in the area for a little bit. 

We just can't resist a giant chair

We had brunch at a favorite cafe in town before stopping at the Blanchard Springs Recreation Area. Despite the chilliness of the previous morning, it had warmed up considerably, making it almost hot in the sun. Jon's dad and his wife, still accustomed to the gray rainy-ness of spring in the Northwest, wisely stayed in the shade while the rest of us headed down toward Blanchard Creek. There is an old mill that is cool to look at, but the real draw for our crew was the water.

View of the waterfall through the Old Grist Mill

"I'll just get my feet wet." are famous last words spoken by our children on numerous occasions. Since I knew we had extra clothes packed in the car, I didn't protest too much. They actually stayed pretty dry for a surprising amount of time as they hopped across rocks to get closer to the falls. But of course, the inevitable happened and all three managed to get pretty soaked. The best was when Lena said something along the lines of, "I'm the only one who hasn't gotten wet"...and then slipped on her backside seconds later. It was getting kind of hot, though, so I'm sure the water felt nice.

Once everyone changed out of their wet clothes, we loaded back up in the car for the ride home. It was nice that we were able to do something different with our family...but you better believe we went straight out to get Memphis BBQ when we returned.

Lena is NINE!

Lena is nine and feelin' fine!

I'm not sure how it happened, but all of a sudden, Lena is in her last year of single digits. I guess it shouldn't be that hard to believe as she has grown a lot in independence and maturity this year. Our school drop-off and pick-up schedules have gotten more complicated, so thankfully we can trust Lena to occasionally walk (part of) the way home and hang out by herself for a bit. She'd probably do the whole thing solo, but I just can't let her walk into that building without a big hug from Mom.

Lena continues to do great in school, and we are so thankful for a teacher who gets her personality. She truly understands Lena's strong sense of justice and perfectionist tendencies (gee, where did those come from?). Reading is still a top activity, and if she didn't like her class so much, I think she would be content to hang out in the library all day.

In addition to reading, Lena still enjoys art and has had the wonderful experience of creating in the pottery studio at a local church. I don't think I have ever seen her as intently focused as I have when she is working with clay and painting her ornaments. She has even gotten to throw on the wheel and made Jon and I the coolest bowl for Christmas.

Ballet is also still a favorite for Lena. She moved up a level and was able to perform as a dancer in the Chinese Corps in this year's Nut Remix. Lena also joined her school's inaugural cheer squad, which has stretched her dancing muscles in new and fun ways. Since she is clearly not busy enough, Lena has also recently expressed interest in playing the violin, so we will see if music becomes another talent to develop. 

As usual, Lena was looking forward to her birthday as soon as the calendar turned to January. However, this year, there was no sickness or crazy weather to contend with, so all went according to plan. Lena's birthday was on a Sunday, so while we couldn't be too leisurely in the morning, it was nice to be able to say a special prayer for her in the atrium during our children's catechesis program.

After church, Lena opened a few gifts from our thoughtful family after the required sheep photoshoot. 

Making sure everyone knows who the birthday girl is

There wasn't much time to play or craft, however, because we had to head to the bowling alley to celebrate with friends. It was a wild and crazy time (thank goodness for bumpers!), complete with cupcakes decorated to look like bowling balls.

Lena chose our favorite Chinese restaurant for her birthday dinner, which meant duck and lo mein. The birthday girl also discovered egg rolls, so it appears as though Jon and I will have to start sharing. Since we'd already had the aforementioned cupcakes at the bowling alley, Lena's other dessert of choice was traditional Norwegian krumkake. Similar to waffle cones, they are relatively simple to make but quite time-consuming, which is why we typically only make them once a year. This year, all three kids were active participants, which made for a fun family activity on Lena's birthday eve. She had the genius idea to fill the krumkake with whipped cream--chef's kiss, as the kids say.

Krumkake time!

We capped off our evening with an episode of Is It Cake? in front of the fire. There was not the typical rush to bed on a Sunday night because everyone had the next day off in observance of Martin Luther King Day...which proved to be the perfect opportunity for Lena to cash in the rest of her birthday gift from us: a trip to the movies to watch Wicked. She graciously invited Elsa to join us, so the girls had a nice afternoon of popcorn, reclining seats, and getting catchy songs stuck in our heads for the rest of the day. 

All told, it was a very fine way to celebrate turning nine!

Erik is FIVE!

Our baby is five, a whole hand! I remember having mixed emotions when the girls--especially Elsa--turned five. It seems like such a milestone; kindergarten is looming and time accelerates. While I still had moments of nostalgia, there was too much excitement with this birthday to be sad. (I'll save those feelings for the end of preschool.)

Erik continues to delight and amaze us, and I have cherished the extra time to spend with him during this season of life. He is every bit of a five-year-old boy, however, complete with silly jokes and wrestling matches with Dad. It is so fun (for now, anyway) to watch his antics when he's with his friends at school. Bless all preschool teachers everywhere.

In addition to school--three days a week until after the holidays when he will attend every day--Erik started playing soccer this fall. Once he got over the realization that he was not in fact "going to score a million goals," I think he enjoyed it. The trophy and donut after the last game certainly helped. 

Erik is still a master at super-focused solo play and has recently gotten into Legos. Despite the ever-present danger of stepping barefoot on a brick, we are fans of this development (especially engineer Dad) and are very impressed both by his original creations and ability to follow building directions.

Master Builder

Luckily for Erik, he received several Lego and building kits for his birthday to keep him...and Dad and sisters busy. Before that, however, he had a great birthday weekend. One of his buddies from school also has an early November birthday, so we joined forces for a joint party at the park. It was a very chill affair that once again included a piñata (filled with bonus Halloween candy, of course).

The celebrating continued that night as we were gifted tickets to the monster truck show. Having never attended one before, I was skeptical, but it was actually really fun! For the uninitiated, these shows are set up as a contest with the trucks earning points for various stunts, which were pretty cool. Plus, there was an amazing dirt bike exhibition in the middle. Pro tip: wear ear protection because it gets very loud.

Erik's actual birthday landed on a Sunday, so after church, it was time to open the aforementioned gifts. The girls had ballet rehearsal all afternoon, which allowed Erik and Jon ample time to build to their hearts' content. We also took the opportunity to take the customary sheep photos of course.

A big kid but still snuggly

Once ballet was done for the day, the birthday boy requested our favorite Chinese restaurant for dinner. That kid can put away some duck! Fortunately, he left some room for cake and ice cream when we got home.

All in all, a pretty excellent way to kick off the fives. Erik must have felt older because about a week later, he essentially taught himself to ride a bike without training wheels. Apparently we are in for quite a ride this year!