Silver Dollar City

 Part county fair, part historic village, part theme park, and part variety show, Silver Dollar City is all fun! And, we were fortunate to get to visit during the Bluegrass and BBQ Festival, which meant good food and great music were easy to come by. Additionally, the kids got to ride all kinds of thrilling rides, and we got to watch some artisans, like glassblowers, blacksmiths, and woodworkers do their thing. It was such a wonderful day!

Just a swingin'

That time my seemingly innocent son unbuckled his seatbelt while the ride was in motion "because it was a slow ride, and there wasn't really a reason to wear a seatbelt," which caused the operator to shut down the ride, call park management, write up a report, recheck everyone's seatbelt, and restart the ride, and almost caused me to lose it from the other side of the fence.

The boys got invited into one of the food kiosks to help make succotash. If only they had had some big pans to work with!

The boys loved watching the blacksmith work.

Frog Races

A hand-powered ride

I'm pretty sure someone is going to get wet!

At the last show of the evening, the kids were invited up on stage to dance with the performers.
When Clay saw them break out the hula hoops, he made a beeline for the stage.
However, he reversed just as quickly when he saw all the hula hoops were already taken. 

Breakfast in Arkansas, Dinner in Missouri

We got a nice early start leaving OK this morning and drove through the rain for a couple of hours until we got to Granny's Kitchen in Huntsville, AR, where we stopped for a delicious breakfast. The menu offered traditional homemade Southern favorites and a few surprises, like biscuits covered in chocolate gravy, which we had to try. The dish was essentially homemade biscuits topped with homemade chocolate pie filling, and, while it was tasty, it was a bit too rich and sweet for most of our group.

Granny's Kitchen

After breakfast, we drove through the rain for another hour and a half to our destination: Branson, MO. We arrived at our campground early, but they had our spot ready and allowed us to go ahead and check in. We were all desperate for a shower, since we had missed the last couple of rounds, due to unusual travel circumstances, and we all felt more alive and ready to explore when that little bit of business was taken care of. Plus, we were really ready to stretch our legs, and the rain had stopped, so we set off on foot to see what the town of Branson had to offer. I can tell you, it has plenty to offer, and each attraction is a little more wacky than the last. Our wanderings brought us through the kitschy town and dumped us out at Lakeside Forest Wilderness Area, where we got to experience a beautiful hike. It was my favorite part of the day! Our eventual goal was to make it over to the Dixie Stampede dinner show. Everything, from visiting the stables, to the bluegrass band pre-show, to the amazing horse riding, to the dorky humor, to the efficient food service, was so much fun! We loved every minute! Afterwards, we walked the two miles back to our campground and settled in for some playground time and a mean game of Skip Bo before bed.

Kitschy Branson

Lakeside Forest Wilderness Area

The Dixie Stampede

Skip Bo

Six Flags and Oklahoma

Today was homeschool day at Six Flags, and we've had our tickets for probably more than a month and have been eagerly anticipating the day. It was great to be there on a day when it wasn't too hot and when the lines were much shorter than normal. We barely saw the three oldest kids all day, as they were off riding one thrilling ride after another. Jeff and I spent most of our time with Clay near the huge playground and the smaller rides, which he was tickled he was big enough to ride all by himself. He did manage to ride a few of the bigger rides with his siblings and us.

Three Watts in a car built for two.

Clay finally allowed me to ride one with him!

Making new friends and having a blast

Clay's first solo ride

Hands up the whole time

When the park closed, we made a run for the border, so we could have dinner and bed down for the night in OK, our first state of our multi-state summer tour.

Dinner in OK

Let's Get This Party Started

The Watts' Summer 2017 Epic Road Trip is now in progress. First stop, Arlington.

Rangers Game

Weekend Recap

On Friday, Clay turned six. We celebrated with a trip to Dinosaur World in Glen Rose. Nana met us there, and we enjoyed the beautiful morning amongst the dinos and fossils and then paused for Chick-fil-A, birthday cake, and presents, before getting in some awesome playground time. In the afternoon, Nana and I took Ruth to her riding lesson via Starbucks, while Jeff and the boys returned to the house. After the lesson, I drove my Mom over to Plano to visit a family friend in the hospital. Traffic was all there, and we took the same wrong turn twice, but we enjoyed the time together and eventually made it to where we were going and back again. We ended the day with a very small Cinco de Mayo party, which included several bags of tacos and sides from Taco Ocho. Our evening entertainment was trying on all our fancy cruise clothes for Nana. When the kids found out there were a couple of "gala nights" aboard the boat, they all agreed (which is a miracle!) that we should definitely get formals and go all in. They have been giddy with excitement in the picking out of their clothes and shoes and are eager to try them on every chance they get!

Birthday Morning

Party at Dinosaur World

We're so fancy!

Saturday, Weston and Clay had their last games of the spring season, but the times overlapped, so we had to divide and conquer. Mom stayed with Weston and got to watch his championship game, while I took Clay to his baseball game. Weston's team made FloMo youth football history by not only coming away with the victory but also ending their season without ever being scored on. Weston absolutely loved playing on the Rebel team and will miss the fantastic coaches and amazing team he was a part of this year. Max also had a baseball game, and Ruth had a make-up riding lesson, so it was a busy day but lots of fun. Mom left shortly after all the sports were finished up, and Jeff and I snuck in our last date before the summer road trip, which promises to be full of epicness but will not offer much in the way of privacy!

Undefeated and never score on! Way to go Rebels!
(Picture borrowed from my friend Tracey, who is the team mom and always takes amazing photos of our team.)

Trophies and cupcakes to end the season

Yesterday, we spent the entire day packing and checking and double-checking our various lists, in preparation for our departure later this week. Everyone's suitcase is now at least 90% packed, and our little RV is stuffed to the gills and ready to go. We will either leave on Wednesday or Saturday, depending on how Max's game goes tomorrow.

Ready to Road Trip!

Counting on Two Hands

Claycito~

I can't believe you are 6! This year has flown by, and you have grown so much in many different ways, though you are still a little on the small side when it comes to your physical size. They say good things come in small packages, and you are certainly living proof of that! You have the biggest heart of anyone I have ever met and are absolutely a joy to be around!

Since your last birthday you have spent time in New Zealand, Hawaii, Oahu, Kauai, Maui, Texas, and Florida. And you are looking forward to our summer road trip, which starts next week and will take us through the western U.S. and Canada. You were born to travel, and you do it very well.

You rocked Kindergarten this year! You enjoyed working on math problems in your green book, learning to read books almost completely on your own, drawing pictures and writing short narratives to go along with your history lessons, and zipping through your spelling book. You also sat in on any class with your siblings that you could and absorbed knowledge like a sponge. Additionally, you had your first chance to be a part of a CC class, and you thoroughly enjoyed each community day and made it enjoyable for others as well.

You decided to try baseball this year and played both in the fall and the spring. At first, your main objective was sharing snacks with your teammates after practices and games, but you eventually began to focus on learning new skills. I could definitely tell you improved throughout the two seasons. You get so excited when you hit the ball off the pitch rather than off the tee, which has been happening more and more frequently. You have also been taking swim lessons and are getting better and better all the time. It won't be long before you are racing your siblings across the pool.

Speaking of racing, you recently decided you were ready to learn to ride your bike without training wheels. It took almost no time for you to get the hang of it and to start yelling over your shoulder, "Race!" as you took off down the alley. On the same day of this great accomplishment, you also learned to tie your shoes and were able to take out the trash all by yourself. You are becoming more and more independant, and we are so proud of you!

You have developed an interest in cooking and are thrilled to have your own little stool to use for that purpose. You are especially fond of making fruit salad and are proud that you can do it without assistance. It's your "specialty," though you are happy to lend a hand with anything in the kitchen and even helped to make your birthday cake. You also help clean up after meals and often ask about jobs that need to be done.

You absolutely love to dress up, sometimes in costume and sometimes in dress clothes. Sometimes you will come out of your room as a ninja/cowboy/astronaut (or any other combination), and sometimes you will come out requesting help with your tie, because you love your fancy clothes and wear them on a regular basis. And regardless of your attire, it is almost a certainty that you are carrying a weapon or three at any given time.

You love drawing and have checked out every children's drawing book from the library multiple times. You very carefully follow the step-by-step instructions, and you often impress us with what you are able to produce. You give away many of your pictures, but you also run a store out of your bedroom. Your drawings usually cost "one piece of American money," but sometimes you will run a two-for-one special or, rarely, raise your asking price when you are particularly fond of a drawing. Other forms of art, like music and painting, also appeal to you.

Months ago you came across a brochure for Dinosaur World, and you immediately knew that was where you wanted to spend your birthday. You have been talking about it daily and eagerly awaiting the day we could go. A couple of days ago, you brought me the brochure because it had a map on it, and you wanted to make sure we knew how to get there. You had a blast seeing all the dino statues and digging for fossils and excavating bones and playing on the playground. You told me you thought it was your favorite birthday ever! (This may be true, but I'm pretty sure you say that every year!)

Clay, you are joy personified. You make every day happier and every room brighter. You love deeply and openly. You are a giver and a helper. Even at six, you know what it means to really live, and you are teaching me. I almost feel as if my heart isn't big enough to hold all the love I have for you. I am so thankful for you! You are my favorite six boy! Happy birthday!

Love,
Mom

Six Years Old!

Field Day

Our CC campus got together with several other CC campuses in the area today for a huge field day. The weather was perfect, and the boys had so much fun hanging out with old and new friends, running races, and playing games which included Tag, Tug-of-War, Thieves, and Capture the Flag! 

Sometimes you just have to hold your mouth right to get away from whoever is "It."

And, apparently sticking out your tongue while running is a family trait.

But sometimes the tongue stays where it belongs, but the dimple comes out!

Play-by-play of this crazy day

I loaded up the three oldest kids this morning around 8:20 to take them over to Grapevine for their end-of-year testing. By 9:00, I had gotten them all dropped off at the testing location and signed into their classrooms, at which point I headed over to Southlake to look for birthday party supplies and a replacement pair of travel shoes. At 11:30, I headed back to the house (in Flower Mound) to pick up Jeff and Clay, who had been working on some math lessons and playing at two different playgrounds while I was away. They were waiting for me when I pulled into the driveway and immediately hopped in the car so we could go pick up the other kids at the testing location. The last test ended around 1:30, and we headed over to Carrollton to celebrate Jeff's half-birthday at Gen Korean BBQ House, a fun Asian eatery where you can cook a variety of interesting meats and veggies at your table. We finished up our party around 4:00. Then, Jeff dropped Ruth and I off at a mall in Lewisville to do a little shopping for fancy dresses for our upcoming cruise, while he took the boys to various sports practices (in Flower Mound). Jeff picked us up around 6:30, and off we went to pick up Weston from football practice by 7:00. After that, we stopped by the house for five minutes, so Weston could shower, before making our way to the baseball field for Max's 7:45 game. We left the field at 9:30 and rushed home to get everyone to bed, because we were all completely exhausted. We put about 112 miles on the car today, without ever getting more than 20 miles from our house. I guess we could consider this a warm-up for our upcoming road trip!

Half-birthday party at Gen Korean BBQ House

Giant ice cream-filled macarons for dessert

Even ninja turtles can get tired on a day like today

Weekend Happenings

I started my weekend a little early by meeting up with my mom and some family friends in Canton to check out the First Monday Trade Days offerings. This was my first trip to Canton and my first solo trip in the RV, and I now feel as if I'm initiated into a whole new level of shopper's club and an elite class of RVers who know how to do things like back a large vehicle and hook up to campground electricity. We shopped during the day on Thursday, laughed and ate all evening, and shopped some more on Friday morning. This was pre-tornado, and thankfully, we were gone long before the bad weather moved in, though I'm very sad for the destruction of property and loss of life in that little community.

Fun in Canton

On Friday afternoon, Mom and I caravanned back to Flower Mound, where we got in on the tail end of Ruth's riding lesson and observed all of Clay's swim lesson, before celebrating Mom's birthday on the patio of a nice little Italian place, on a beautiful evening, while listening to live music, followed by gelato.

Rocking the goggles at swim lessons

All dressed up for Nana's birthday party

On Saturday, the predicted rain held off, and we were able to see all three boys play their sports and do so wonderfully. And, in the afternoon, I tagged along as Mom took Ruth birthday shopping, while the boys watched movies and played outside.

Saturday Sports

This afternoon, we paid a visit to the batting cages and Gander Mountain, before heading over to a very windy and slightly chilly baseball practice. The rest of our day was spent doing some serious trip planning, as we are only about 10 days from leaving on our epic summer trip!

First time at the batting cages

It was a wonderful weekend, and I'm so thankful for those I got to share it with!

Frisco Roughriders

We attended the Frisco Roughriders baseball game this evening, and we had a blast!

Dr. Pepper Stadium is very charming, and we had fantastic seats on row 2, right by the Roughriders dugout.

Eager for the game to start

Parade of Mascots

Play ball!

We made the most of the all-you-can-eat chips and hot dogs that came with our tickets

Lucky enough to snag a game ball and have it signed

Killing some new skills

Clay decided that today was the day he was going to tackle some of his life skills, and he has been killing it! First, he knocked out shoelace tying and got so good at that he eventually started saying, "Time me." He has been untying and retying his laces all afternoon and is so proud that no one will have to help him with his baseball cleats anymore.

Buoyed by the confidence that came with mastering that skill, he decided that, instead of putting back on the training wheel that had fallen off his bike, he'd just go ahead and take the other one off. We padded him up, but it was largely unnecessary. He got the hang of it right away and just took off. He is thrilled that it will be much easier to keep up with his brothers now!

My baby is really growing up, and I'm so very proud of him!

Kid's Day

Every year in CC, the kids learn about the orchestra and different composers, so when one of the moms from our group planned a field trip to Kid's Day at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, we jumped at the opportunity. On Kid's Day, the orchestra performs a shortened symphony to accommodate shorter attention spans. Additionally, the performance is interactive, and the kids are invited to share how each piece makes them feel, while learning about major keys, minor keys, tempo, pitch, etc. We all thoroughly enjoyed it!

After the performance, we headed over to Klyde Warren Park for a picnic and an afternoon of basking in the gorgeous weather. It was a fantastic day and so much fun!

All spiffed up for the performance

We loved the demonstration of the huge pipe organ!

The kids said they thought we had the best seats in the house 

Fun at Klyde Warren Park

Imitating Clay

Big fun in Big D

Eric the Red

Today was our last day of CC for the year, and part of the festivities included the 4th, 5th, and 6th graders (Essentials students) presenting their big end-of-year research papers, which CC calls Faces of History. The assignment was to choose a real person from Medieval history, find at least three credible sources about that person from which to gather information, write a five-paragraph paper in the third person, and then turn the paper into a presentation, to be delivered in the first person and in costume. Finally, the kids were asked to provide a snack representative of the geographic region their characters were from to share at the reception that followed the presentations. Weston chose Eric the Red and worked for weeks completing the assignment, sometimes even during non-school hours--not because I required that of him, but because he was so excited about the project. He did a phenomenal job with the paper and the presentation, and we are so proud of him! (His paper follows the pictures, for those of you who might want to read it.)

All decked out before the presentation

Presenting before an audience of peers, parents, siblings, and other invited guests

The Man on Fire

Could history ever forget a discoverer with fiery hair and a fiery spirit? Will Eric the Red’s legacy be remembered? Like everyone, Eric, the son of a Viking chief, was deeply influenced by his family. Sadly, as an adult, he was unable to restrain his temper and was therefore forced to flee his country. Making the most of this less than ideal situation, Eric became an explorer.

Everybody is profoundly impacted by their families. Eric was no exception. When he was still a young boy, Eric’s family left Norway and traveled to Iceland because his dad had become an outlaw. In his early adulthood, Eric married Thorhild, who was the daughter of a different chief. Together they had four kids, one of whom became the famous explorer Leif Ericsson. Clearly, parents have an enormous effect on their children.

Like his father, Eric had a terrible temper, which turned him into an outlaw as well. Eric’s slaves stupidly started a landslide, which demolished a neighbor’s home. Retaliating, the neighbor slayed the thralls. When Eric found out, his anger overtook him, and he killed his neighbor. As a result of his horrible temper, he was banished from Iceland.

Taking advantage of what seemed like a tragic situation, Eric sailed west because he had not explored that part of the world before. Finally, after about three months of traveling, Eric landed on a distant land covered in ice. He named it Ericsholm, which means “Eric’s Home.” After a while, Eric had a noticeably nifty notion and changed the name to Greenland in order to draw more settlers. The name worked, and twenty-five other ships embarked upon the six month journey. Sadly, only fourteen arrived in Greenland. Since there was no wood in this new land, the Vikings had to hunt whales and seals so that they could trade the skins for the wood they needed. After a life of exploring, Eric eventually settled down in a town in Greenland he called Eric’s Fjord.

It is clear that Eric’s family had a great influence on him. Tragically, this may have led to him becoming an outlaw. On the bright side, Eric finally had an opportunity to become a proficient explorer. Though he faced many struggles early in his life, Eric the Red managed to overcome them all and is now remembered as the founder of Greenland. Importantly, this legacy of exploration carried over to his son, Leif, who discovered an entirely new continent. The world will not soon forget the adventurer with the fiery hair and equally fiery spirit.

Bread Winners

In recent months, we have been transitioning away from traditional breads and have been trying to take more of a gluten-free, sugar-free approach. My biggest issue with "fake" bread is usually the texture, as many recipes seem to come out way too dry or mushy in sort of a weird way or are so dense as to be impractical.

But, never one to give up easily, I have continued to try recipes from the vast selection offered by the Internet and have finally found some winners, with true bread-like texture. I wanted to share them here 1). so they will be easy for me to find in the future, and 2). because some of you may also want to try them out of dietary necessity or plain and simple curiosity.

Blender Bread Recipe--This is a really flavorful bread and is perfect for toast or for sandwiches or other use cases that require slices of bread.

2-Minute Flourless English Muffin--This one is a single-serve recipe, but it's quick and delicious. I have only had it toasted for breakfast, but I imagine it would also work well as sandwich bread.

Carrot Quinoa Muffins--A great make-ahead breakfast or snack option, if you want something that's easy to grab on your way out the door in the morning. The recipe, as it appears on the website, calls for brown sugar and whole wheat flour. I used gluten-free flour and coconut sugar, and I substituted whatever unsweetened, non-dairy milk I had on hand (probably either soy or almond, but could have been coconut), plus a bit of lemon juice, for the buttermilk.

Healthy Banana Bread--I've made this a couple of times now, and it goes very quickly. Everyone genuinely loves it, and no one seems bothered by the fact that it's healthy. Again, I substituted gluten-free flour, and I used organic agave syrup in place of honey or maple syrup, just because I happened to have it. The last time we made it, we added in chopped almonds, and it was fantastic!                  

If you have come across any non-bread bread recipes that you love, please share them so I can continue to build up my repertoire.