Mini Vader

So the boys started out with Dark Mater and have moved on to Dark Vader/Vater, so we're almost to the correct title of Darth Vader now. It was thanks to Patti that Zach was able to meet Vader in person at Hollywood Studios this past Friday. Annually the park hosts Star Wars weekends for a month or so where all kinds of Star Wars fun goes down.

Patti picked us up early, and the boys were super excited when they found out their surprise was a visit to the park. She knew right where to take us to find Darth Vader. Ben immediately freaked out when he saw him, and had absolutely no intention of getting up close to him. Probably had something to do with his first encounter on Halloween. Zach on the other hand patiently waited in a long line for his chance and would tell me how handsome Vader was and how he wanted to give him a kiss and say "Nice to meet you." To top it all off, I had packed the boys' Vader capes and masks and Zach enthusiastically wore his in line and in his photo.

Later we checked out a MASSIVE makeshift store specifically constructed to house all things related to Star Wars right down to Darth Vader cupcakes. Wow! I was nearly speechless walking through the doors, and I'm not even a huge Star Wars fan. After we left the Star Wars Emporium, the rain started to pick up and we were content to leave.

The rest of the day we spent at the Bacons' new home, which they were busy moving into when the boys and I were headed out to Utah. It had been a month since we'd seen the Bacons, and it was so nice to be with all of them again in their new house and see how it looked with everything moved in. Their home is beautiful and in a really nice neighborhood. In back of their property is a nature preserve which is super busy with wildlife! In the evening while we ate dinner, we saw nearly 20 deer and 2 baby raccoons, one which came right up to the back door. Other interesting house guests are the tree frogs that climb up the sliding glass doors leading into their backyard. After days/nights where there is a lot of rain, the frogs (for some strange reason) scramble up the glass doors....probably by the hundreds! I got a peek at a few dozen of them while I was there. It's fascinating but also a little gross.


Just a fraction of the deer we saw.

The boys had lots of fun at the new house and had plenty of room to run around. I enjoyed a couple of pool games with Dylan and Patti and was thrilled for lots of time to hold Emma. A month away was too long! We missed our Bacons!

Caffrey Family Reunion

A few hours after our visit to the Masonic Cemetery, the boys and I accompanied Margaret to Uncle Gerald and Aunt Pauline's home where we met more of her mother's side of the family. Afterwards we all continued on to the Brockett Cemetery where we visited the grave sites of Laveta's parents, John and Dona; and her grandparents, James and Mary.

Later in the afternoon the Caffrey Reunion took place at a nice park in Pocahontas. I met lots more family and became even more confused trying to keep track of who everyone was. It's no secret that I'm terrible with names, so I didn't come away from the reunion with much more than I went into with. I can say that everyone I met was genuinely nice, and I definitely married into a family with good people.

I believe Zach's friend here is Riley, but I can't tell you who he belongs to! He was super sweet with the boys.

I'm beginning to notice a pattern starting with me....I totally fall for other people's dogs and want to take them home with me. Albert is awesome! I developed a soft spot for rottweilers after living next to one for a few years.

The family I met were all disappointed that Darius wasn't able to join us at the reunions, but it was because he was at home working hard that made it possible for the boys and I to attend. It was a great opportunity for us to meet some of his great aunts and uncles that are getting up there in age. I know it's important to take advantage of those opportunities whenever possible before they run out. It was also a bonus to have that time with Margaret and Alfred. The concerns I had prior to the trip were put at ease by the time we were headed back to Monroe. I would be happy to attend the reunions again next year, and hopefully Darius will be able to join us too.

Aunt Opal & Uncle Gerald

The day we returned to Monroe was Margaret's birthday and our last day before returning home. Margaret treated me to a super yummy shrimp po boy sandwich for dinner, and later in the evening the boys led a lively Happy Birthday song to their Nini and helped her blow out her candles.

Margaret & Alfred - Thanks again for everything. We're so glad we could come and share that time with you! We appreciate all you did to make it a great trip! Lots of love!

In Remembrance

Sunday morning the boys and I accompanied Margaret to the Masonic Cemetery in Pocahontas to visit the grave sites of her parents and infant sister. Before we left Monroe, I helped her assemble some flower arrangements to place at their headstones.

Darius was very close with his grandmother, and I know it was an important visit for us to make. I wish the boys and I would have had the opportunity to know her before she passed. I know from what I've heard that she was a very special person.

Honeycutt Reunion

Saturday morning we headed out early and drove about an hour north to Mammoth Spring State Park just shy of the Missouri border in Arkansas. The park is home to the largest natural spring in Arkansas and forms a 10 acre lake. Also housed in the park is the old Frisco train depot equipped with an old caboose open for visitors to explore. The park was beautiful and a great location for the Honeycutt Family Reunion.

Frisco Caboose.

Mammoth Spring.

The Honeycutt family is Margaret's father's family. Darius' grandpa Earl passed away at the young age of 46, but still living are a few of his siblings and their families which we were able to meet at the reunion. I took a notebook along with me to try and write down names and trace back who belonged to who, but I quickly became confused by my notes!

Aunt Mary (in hat) is one of Earl's sisters. She made the boys baby blankets which we still use. Pictured behind her are her son (Doug) and daughter (Phyllis), and to her right is her granddaughter Courtney.

Ben and Ben. Earl's brother Ben is awesome and was great with the boys. He always had a little something sweet for them in his pockets.

Everyone seemed genuinely excited to meet Ben and Zach, and they definitely livened things up! We enjoyed visiting with everyone over a delicious potluck lunch, and then the boys dragged me around the park to explore and play. Zach and I checked out the Frisco caboose right as a freight train passed by the depot....very loud, and then we met up with Margaret and Ben at the playground for some teetering and tottering and afterwards walked down to the lake to feed some ducks and throw rocks in the water.

It was a hot day so, after returning to the picnic, it wasn't long before the family started packing up and heading out. Zach coaxed me into one more visit to the caboose and then we loaded up and said our goodbyes and headed back to Pocahontas.

We took a different route back to Pocahontas by driving northeast into Missouri and then back south into Randolph County, AR. It was a beautiful drive and my favorite views from our trip.

Our accommodations the previous night were a little on the hot side, so we packed up the truck, tidied up the house, and invaded Aunt Opal for our last 2 nights in Pocahontas. The boys were happy to be around Albert and had lots and lots of room to run around the enormous backyard. Zach also made friends with Cousin Jason and climbed all over him like a monkey, which I'm sure Jason wasn't too sure about!

Trip to Louisiana & Arkansas

The boys and I had a short stay at home with Darius before we headed off on another trip last week. On Wednesday, the boys and I flew to Monroe, LA where we had plans to drive with Margaret and Alfred to a couple of family reunions on Darius' side of the family. This would be my first time meeting any of his family aside from his mom, and I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I was feeling apprehensive about it especially since Darius wouldn't be with us.

After arriving we had a day and a half to spend in Monroe before heading out for the reunions. We took a drive to Alfred's home one afternoon to visit his neighbor's donkeys, two of which are little new ones, and we fed them carrots. The following day I helped Margaret out by doing some organizing and deep cleaning in her kitchen, and later in the day Alfred's granddaughter, Jennifer, came by with her identical twins, Olivia and Amelia. I made pizza for dinner and had a little time over dinner to visit with Jennifer and compare notes on raising twins. In the evening, Margaret and I packed up the truck and had everything ready to go for an early start the next morning.

The reunions were being held in Northern Arkansas, so the boys and I checked off another state on our list. Our drive took us through most of the state before we arrived in Pocahontas mid afternoon. I can't say that I fell in love with Arkansas' landscape along the drive, but once we got closer to Pocahontas, it started growing on me a little.

Pocahontas is indeed named after the Native American princess, and we passed a statue of her in Overlook Park. The county which Pocahontas is the county seat of, Randolph, includes delta land which is used for farming and rolling hills leading into the Ozarks which is used for cattle ranching. It had the same feel of the area in which I grew up.

Our first stop in Pocahontas was to Aunt Opal's home. Opal is Margaret's mother's sister, so that makes her Ben & Zach's Great Great Aunt....right? We'll shorten it, and just stick with Aunt Opal, and she is just as sweet as can be! She suffers from Alzheimer's, but it didn't seem too bad to me. I'm sure she struggled with figuring out just exactly who Ben and Zach were and why they were tearing through her house and what exactly they were talking about whenever they spoke. Living with Aunt Opal is her grandson, Jason and his great big gorgeous Rottweiler, Albert. He's only 2, so there was definitely still some puppy in that large package, and he loved to lick and knock the boys around.

Aunt Opal had no idea why this little guy was kissing on her!

Aunt Opal just had her hair done before we got there. Smelling her perm made me think of when my grandma used to get a perm.

After visiting at Aunt Opal's, we headed over to Uncle Gerald and Aunt Pauline's home in Pocahontas. Uncle Gerald is Margaret's mother's brother, so he has a bunch of great titles in front of his name as well. Both of them were super nice, and they were kind enough to turn us loose in an extra home they own in town. Jason brought Aunt Opal to the house and we enjoyed more visiting time with them that evening.