Roaring River State Park

Last weekend's scenic drive was fantastic, so we decided to take off again. This time we drove through Reeds Spring and Kimberling City along the Missouri - Arkansas state line, to Roaring River State Park.

My parents are avid trout fishermen and we visited Roaring River, and most of the other state parks in southwest Missouri, quite often. I hadn't been there in what seems like forever, and it hasn't changed much.

We brought Ben (8 months today!) and we walked around the hatchery, to the big spring, and hiked one of the shorter trails with beautiful views of the park. It seemed like the leaves were just starting to change and in another week or so, the park would be at its peak of color.

Although terribly windy, the road there is beautiful as well. We took the shorter route back, through Aurora. Next time we will be sure to bring a cooler, food for the day, and the baby backpack so we can make a day of it. There are all levels of hiking trails, cabins and campgrounds, and plenty to see apart from the fishing.

Ben absolutely loves being outside and wasn't thrilled about getting back in the car when we had to return home.






*Click on any picture to make it full-screen.*

Glade Top Trail

Yesterday afternoon we took a scenic road trip to Ava, then returned home in a loop through one of Missouri's few National Scenic Byways - Glade Top Trail. This beautiful gravel road isn't far from us, and I can't believe we've never driven it before. The 23 mile road takes about an hour to drive including making a few stops. There are plenty of places to pull over and take pictures including pavilions, restrooms, and even a place to have a wedding with a beautiful view in the distance. Below are a few pictures from our drive. In the next week or two, as the leaves change even more, the views will become even more spectacular.

Map of Glade Top Trail
Directions to Glade Top Trail

Fruit Trees!

We have debated the best time to plant our fruit trees, but we happened into a 10% off deal at Orscheln's, so we went for it. Today Josh planted two pear trees, two gala apple trees, a Jonathan apple and a golden delicious on both sides of the driveway. We already have a lone peach tree and we need to get another to allow for pollination so we can have fruit. The trees we planted are third year, so in the next couple we will hopefully have our first fruit!

We joked about what a commitment fruit trees are, but it will be so worth it the first time we take a bite of apples we grew ourselves. I feel the same way about all of the time and effort we are putting into the poultry and garden.

Ben's surgery has been postponed until Thursday because the anesthesiologist is attending a funeral tomorrow. The waiting is killing us, but we are making the best of nice weather to keep our minds occupied.

This afternoon Ben and I went to the Dickerson Park Zoo with a good friend of mine. It was such a beautiful afternoon, I believe everyone else in Springfield had the same idea. It was pretty crowded, but still fun. Ben slept through the whole thing, and I was worried about the bright sun, so he spent most of the time cocooned in the stroller like this:


The bartering has been going well. So far I've traded this:

3 of my mom's shirts (that she doesn't want anymore)
new package of eyeshadow (from couponing)
30 prefolds and a snappi (I'm not using prefolds anymore)
a wool diaper cover that felt too scratchy for me
a changing pad cover
the other half of the fabric from the wrap I made a few weeks back
and $30

for this:

10 Bum Genius diapers (my favorite kind)
4 all in one diapers, one yellow, one blue, one green, and one with lemons print fabric
2 wool home-made dryer balls (supposed to be great with preventing static and reducing dryer time)
a new pair of Robeez baby shoes and socks

The Bum Genius diapers cost about $20 new, so that alone made the trading go well. It takes a ridiculous time to wade through all of the listings, but I absolutely love the idea of mailing stuff away that I don't need and getting stuff in the mail that I want, without exchanging much money at all. The $30 I did spend was out of my Paypal / ebay earnings, so I'm still not dipping into our bank account or anything. In the next few weeks I'll get a Paypal debit card and I will pay for all of the shipping out of that account too.

Bartering is awesome.

Weeds

One appealing aspect of our home when we first saw it was the beautiful landscaped area in front of the house. Little did I know then, the work that goes into keeping it alive and weed-free. Today was the first sunny, warm day that coincided with Ben sleeping well the previous night. So I finally had enough energy to tackle the weeds. I only made it half-way through before Ben and I were both ready to stop for the day. The half I didn't get to is really overwhelming with lots of tiny weeds and plants growing in between rocks and everywhere else.

Weeded but still needs mulch:



What I still need to weed:


I'm hoping Josh can get me a couple of truckloads of mulch from the Springfield Recycling Center this weekend and then it should look pretty good for a while. It hadn't been touched since my wonderful mother-in-law weeded it at the end of last summer when we moved in. I'm going to try to keep up with it better this year since I don't have the pregnancy / throwing up every day excuse.

Ben stayed with me in a carrier for a while, but I was having a hard time bending over and feeling secure. My new LLL friends are going to help me figure out my sling a little better so that should become easier as I work on the yard this spring and summer. Ben was very content in the swing and slept through all of the fun.

Cloud 9 Ranch

Today we celebrated my Great-Great Grandma Elsie's 90th birthday! This was the first time she and his Great-Grandma and Grandpa Dickens and the rest of our family in Sullivan.

Ben and Great-Great-Grandma Elsie



I am so exited we were able to take this five generation picture!



Some of my favorite childhood memories are camping at Cloud 9 Ranch in Caufield, Missouri with my parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. My family fished for trout and camped throughout the summer, and the children would fish, swim, ride our bikes around and spend so much quality time with our family. My students can't believe we would fry fish on a Sunday night, chase fireflies, sit around a campfire, listen to people play country music, and my little brother would dance like crazy. I can't imagine not sharing that experience with Ben.



Having a child has caused me to truly reflect on my own childhood and there are so many wonderful moments, such as camping with my grandparents, that I want to make sure Ben has the opportunity to experience.

My mom's side of the family shares such a deep appreciation for nature and the outdoors, and I hope Ben can spend at least as much time as I did hiking, camping, fishing, swimming and enjoying the outdoors of southern Missouri.

Ben and his Great-Grandpa Dickens



My great-grandparents, Silas and Elsie Weida, were the two happiest married people I have ever known. Grandma and Grandpa Weida spent so much time together laughing and joking around. They had traveled the country in their Winnebago, but during my childhood spend most of their summers at Cloud 9 Ranch their grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and numerous friends. My great-grandfather passed away many years ago and it makes me sad my husband and son didn't have the chance to meet him. I believed my great grandparents stayed so happy together because they each married their best friend. From this, I understand the importance of friendship and marriage and look forward to a life as happy as theirs, as I have married my own best friend.