Our first stop was to see Brian and Shelby in Bentonville, AR. and then off to Omaha, NE to visit Mom and Dad in their new home. We had no idea how many fun things would come our way and how beautiful the drive would be.
Ready for the long drive to Bentonville.
We were held up in Austin for an hour due to a Presidential motorcade. The one day we decided to leave early to get a head start and President Obama decided to be in Austin, TX haha. It was really cool to see the motorcade though; I never thought I would see one in my lifetime.
We loved how green the drive was.
"Where 69 meets 40, there's a single stoplight town." -Carrie Underwood
I noticed on our map that we would be going through Checotah, OK which is Carrie Underwood's hometown. I absolutely adore her and have always been a huge fan of her music so I had to stop and get a pic.
Luckily it started pouring rain after I got back in the car. It was very interesting to see where she came from and where she is now. She should be very proud of her success. Checotah really is a small farm town.
Almost there!! Fayetteville, AR
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We had a BBQ/Pool Party at the Saumweber home in Bentonville and it was so much fun. The pool was perfect, the food delicious, and the company amazing! We were so happy we got the chance to see them. |
The Clark boys enjoying the pool.
Pres and Jackson ... LOVE
Jack loves his Aunt Shelby.
Family photo op :) We had to keep turning Jackson's hat so the sun would stay off of him. He looks like a rapper. Haha
Me and my baby boy ... precious!
Whenever I would take pics he would try to grab the camera, I love this shot with his chubby little hand.
Lounging in the hammock on the deck. I had to hurry because he kept trying to eat the hammock.
Crystal Bridges Museum
Since Bri and Shelb had to work the Friday we got in, we thought we'd head to the art museum to look around. It was so fun and very beautiful. We loved walking around and looking at all the artwork.
Another view of the museum.
Jackson being ever so patient with us as we strolled around.
On Saturday we went to the "Square" in downtown Bentonville and walked around the Farmers Market. It was such a beautiful day.
Brian and Shelby looking super cute.
Love this little boy and his rosy cheeks. We toured the Wal-Mart museum and we all found it to be very educational and interesting.
The Five and Dime
They had so many old toys and candies. Things that I grew up with, it was so neat.
Family pic in front of Sam Walton's office.
A shot of the Farmers Market.
We had some tacos from a food truck for lunch and they were delicious!!
LOVE
Jackson loves his bath time.
Such beautiful blue eyes like his Daddy.
On Sunday, I was sitting in Sunday School and heard a little boy playing behind me so I glanced to look at him and realized I knew the man holding the little boy! I couldn't believe it was Elder David Bingham!! We served in the New York, New York North mission together many years ago and haven't seen each other since. It was so great to catch up with him. What are the odds, right?! What a small world!
A perfect Sunday afternoon. Taking a stroll in Compton Gardens.
Brian and Shelby Clark
Pretty flowers and path.
Oh these Clark boys! Too much fun, right?
That night we made homemade pizza and breadsticks. Delicious!!
Relaxing
We were so lucky to Skype with Mom and Dad Clark. It was so great to see them and hear their voices. We pray for them daily and are so grateful for their service in the Philippines.
Monday morning we set out for Omaha, NE. On the road again.
We stopped and grabbed some lunch. What a happy baby, huh? He loves sitting in the front seat when we are stopped and stretching our legs. He loves being co-pilot.
We took a little break at the Kansas City temple. It was gorgeous!
Pres and Jack
The flowers were so pretty.
Side shot. Such a beautiful day.
He loves sitting on Daddy's shoulders. I love that he holds on to Pres' hair haha :)
We made it to Omaha!!
Pop got home from work and went straight to this little guy.
Laughing and being tickled by Pop.
On the way to the zoo.
We were very excited to see the animals.
Jack in his new French stroller. Thank you Grandmere for the pram!! He loves it!
This pram has been in the Spung family for many many years and I am so happy and grateful that Gram let us have it. We were stopped A LOT at the zoo so people could admire it. We absolutely LOVE it.
Jackson would just stare at the gorillas.
Baby Bear
This is "Big Boy" aka "Big" which is very suitable being that he weighs in at 550 lbs! He was absolutely beautiful. We walked up just when they were feeding him so he was very close and super cool to look at.
Happy times at the zoo.
Me and my Pops
Jack really enjoyed watching the penguins. They were such "busy" animals. He was amazed by all their movement.
At the aquarium. Omaha Zoo, you did not disappoint. It was such an incredible zoo - so happy we were able to go.
Helping me pack up.
Pres found these really awesome Bear onesies. We cannot wait for football season to begin! Bear down!!
We stopped in Waco, TX for the night. We ended up having a 14 hour day due to 2 accidents outside of Oklahoma City, so we stopped and rested before we headed home.
For those of you who watch HGTV, this is a house that was redone by Chip and Joanna Gaines from HGTV's Fixer Upper. This is "the Pit". The couple bought the house originally for $10k and Chip and Joanna had to gut the entire thing and rebuild from scratch. It's a beautiful home and we thought it was cool that we got to see it.
We stopped by their shop as well, called Magnolia, and got a glimpse of Joanna :) Couldn't believe she was there. That is her walking back inside the shop, they were filming that day. If you haven't watched it on HGTV- you should. It's a great show! Thanks Mom and Dad for introducing it to us :)
Home Sweet Home!
We had such a great time with Mom and Dad. There were fun movie nights, game nights, great food and the best company. We really enjoyed taking walks, shopping, and being able to just relax. It was a perfect vacation. Thank you to all that made this trip so much fun!
