Back to Missouri

Back to Missouri we go. We stopped in Ashville, NC first. Cool artsy town. Definitely bigger than I thought. Unfortunately when we went to see the Biltmore Mansion, it was closed. We will hit it next year. We had to stop in Metropolis, Illinois on the way back this time. We have been there before when we helped move Jessie to Georgia. Ellis had not yet been, but had seen pictures of the big boys there when they were little. Ellis was in awe, and a bit inspired to be his own superman! He raced around the streets looking for bad guys and anyone up to no good. He was a hoot!



We returned, took a day off to rest and NOT drive. The next day my cousin Heather and her kids were in town visiting so we met them and her brother (my cousin) and his family and my Uncle Chuck at the park for a cook-out. The kids, all 11 of them, had a blast! The age range was 9, 9, 7, 6, 6, 4, 3, 3, 1, 1, 10 months. It was fun! It was so good to see Chuckie and Heather. I have so many memories of playing with them on the farm from my childhood. I am so glad the kids have the opportunity to share in the fun and create many good memories of their own.

Ellis continues his biology training. Out at my Granny's house ( the kids call her G.G.), Ellis comes running up the walk way with his newest treasure. A tiny toad. That kid will pick up just about any living creature! Luckily for the toad, he was not allowed to investigate it in the same way he did the fish, so he was released back to the wild alive. At least he was alive when he left Ellis' hand. Unfortunately, Ellis felt the need to launch him back to the woods. HA!

This morning was farm work. Papa helps a friend out with his sweet corn each year. We went this morning to do our share of the picking. Guess what Ellis found in between the rows? Yes, more toads. He chased those things everywhere! We put our farm help to work and made a good dent to bring home. Hopefully, I will be able to bring some back to Alaska. We'll see. All the kids have talked about today is that they want to live on a farm. I agree.

We are winding up our visits and plans and look to head back on the road Friday or Saturday. Brad was making our map today and we are starting to pack things up. It has certainly been a fantastic summer full of wonderful experiences! I'm sure we will have more surprises on the way back to Alaska. I can't wait!