A Very Long "Field" Trip

On February 7, 2009, the kids and I embarked on a long, long, looonnnng journey to Van Buren, Arkansas. It's a quaint little town just 5 miles east of the Oklahoma border, right on the Arkansas river. The population is not large, nor is the town much of a tourist attraction, per se, but for us, it's a special place because our very dear friends live there - the Deckers.

We first met the Deckers right here in Brownfield, where we live. Blake, Jenny, Evyn, and Elijah attended the same church as us, and as stay at home Moms, Jenny and I found ourselves to have a lot in common. We both love to sing, bake, and feel like we're right where we are supposed to be in taking care of our families. When Blake landed a job in Van Buren and they moved, our friendship only grew. Nearly every day finds Jenny and I on the phone together at some point, chatting away about our childrens' antics or what challenges that day of homeschooling has brought, or just sharing recipes. It seemed only natural for us to plan a trip to spend some special time learning and playing together with this sweet family.

We visited two places while we were there in Van Buren where the children were able to get in some really great learning time as well as tons of fun. The first was the Fort Smith National Historic Site. If you ever get a chance to go there, I guarantee you'll walk away knowing a lot more about the U.S. Marshals, Hanging Judge Parker (his courtroom and gallows are still there), the Civil War soldiers (Confederate, of course) and get to tour an actual Civil War prison . There are also cannons on site, as well as another authentic Civil War building - a commissary.


Riley and Nathan just had to try out the beds in the jail. Not very comfy!!
Nathan is not so sure about jail. It doesn't look like a fun place.

Kole was shocked to learn that ALL the men in the prison shared one cup to drink from and two small basins to bathe from. YUCK!

The cannons were an obvious favorite as we imagined the huge noise they would make and how far the cannon balls would fly!

We said goodbye to Fort Smith on the steps leading out of Hanging Judge Parker's courtroom. We are very glad we didn't get in trouble and have to visit Judge Parker!

Next was the Janet Huckabee Nature Center. It was about a 20 minute drive, but very well worth the brief trip. We learned all about native wildlife and took a short walk on the nature trail. It was a little too cool and our tummies were a little too empty to complete a tour of the whole park that day.


Ready to go in - why is Nathan always making that face, I wonder??
Five little birdies in a robin's nest.




As you can see, fishing was the favorite activity at the Nature Center. After landing our catch, we measured and identified each species. Our behavior was very good that day, so everyone got to choose something in the gift shop. What a treat!!

We are very thankful for this time spent with great friends. We hope to visit Van Buren again someday. The kids want to take Daddy along to join in the fun. Thank you, Decker family, for welcoming us into your home and being fabulous hosts! We will treasure our memories always.