Our Annual Trip to Arkansas

We recently made our annual trip to Arkansas to visit CJ's dad and other family members that live down there. Of course it was the hottest week of the whole year - 103-104 degrees (119 degrees with humidity!) I would really love to go at a cooler time of year, but it seems like August was the only time we could find an "empty" week in our schedules. Zach played baseball all summer and detasseled corn up to August 1st. Brianna played softball until July 31st. Football practice started up August 11th and soccer started August 7th. So we took this week in between everything and made the trip down south!


Even though it was hot, it was still nice to see everyone! CJ's dad is doing fine, Aunt Thelma (actually she is a great aunt!) is doing much better this year. We went to visit her in the nursing home last summer and she seemed confused and disoriented and not really knowing who we were. This summer, she remembers our names and was more of her "talkative" self!! Aunt Lucille is also doing great -- not traveling as much, but still keeping up with the rest of them!!


We also saw a host of cousins, nieces, nephews... too many to count! There are a few new additions to the Brown clan since we were down last summer, but I will be doing individual posts for them, with pictures.


After staying in Wilmot for the week, we headed back home and stopped in Kansas City to see CJ's sister, Jean, and her family. We spent the night with them and had a wonderful visit -- too short, though. After Kansas City, we stopped in Omaha and took the kids to the Henry Doorly Zoo, since we hadn't been there for a few years. This zoo never fails to amaze me -- there is so much to see there! And they are always remodeling or adding a new exhibit!! It was a nice "cap" to the end of the vacation...