The Natural State

Arkansas is called the Natural State. A few weeks ago, Robert, Max and I went hiking at Pinnacle Mountain State Park (a mere 15 minutes from our home). It was a really pretty hike. As you can see from the picture, we had a spectacular view of a lake (not sure which one it is).

 

The terrain was a bit rocky. Max liked to climb and play on the boulders.

 

We are loving our backyard. We have a few trees in our yard, but behind the fence is a "forest." It has been so much fun to watch the leaves change colors. Grandma Madsen came out to help us move in, and she taught Max how to rake up leaves. Here he is having a great time with his little rake.

 

We now have a yard big enough to hold a trampoline! Some of our friends from Texas had ane extra one, and so they gave this one to us. It has been a lot of fun to play on.

 

We are expecting our little girl to come anytime. Today she is considered full-term. I am hoping to have her before her due date on December 20. I believe I will, but I guess only time will tell. In the meantime, I have plenty of things to do around here to get ready for the holidays.

Things to Do

We have had to try lots of new things to do to keep ourselves busy. Fortunately, we have found something Max loves to do. Painting! He is so proud of his pictures. It is darling.

 

 

We frequently go on walks at the Big Dam Bridge. At the top of the bridge there are flags. He loves to see the flags waving back and forth.

 

He also loves to climb on the benches at the top of the bridge.

 

I have been making a lot of adjustments here. We are still not settled into a home. Hopefully by the end of today we will know where we will be living next week. Our home in Texas has still not closed. The buyer has finally been approved with coniditions. We are now trying to get the sellers here in Arkansas to let us move into the home early. We should find out by this afternoon if that will work. Otherwise, we are going to be finding a home to rent. Things are looking really positive for us to get into the home early. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

I went to the OB/GYN this week. I was surprised by some of the advice he gave me. I told him I haven't been sleeping well (which is normal when you are 8 months pregnant), but I wanted to make sure the baby would be alright. He said the baby wouldn't be affected by the sleeplessness/stress. He then proceeded to say that if I needed some help getting to sleep, I could take some Ambien (which I don't have). I could also drink the occasional beer or glass of wine. Now here is where I have a problem. Aside from the fact that I don't drink, I have issues with the fact that an OB/GYN would okay having alcohol while being pregnant. Is this normal advice? I am curious to hear what you have to say.

Fireman Max

For Halloween, Max was a fireman. It was the perfect costume for him. He kept his hat on and carried his bucket so well. We tried to find Halloween activities on Saturday, but due to the Razorbacks football game, it was hopeless. We ended up going to the store, buying candy, and then Rob took it around to the people in our building (there were only 2 home!). Max thought it was grand. We kept it simple, and had a fun time.

 

 

 

 

Streetcar and The Peabody

Saturday the weather was perfect. We decided to get out of the apartment and go downtown. First off, we went to the Farmer's Market. I bought some fresh vegetables. I cannot wait until I can grow my own. Our new home has an area in the yard that will become our garden. Yay! Anyways, after getting the veggies, we decided to go on the streetcar. It takes you around downtown Little Rock, and then over the Arkansas River to North Little Rock. The streetcar was decorated just darling. It was fun.

Rob took this picture of Max. I thought it turned out really cute.

 

Looking at the sights.

 

Max telling his dad some very improtant things.

 

Once we got off the streetcar, we looked at the time and realized that if we walked quickly, we could make it to The Peabody Hotel by 11:00 for the ducks. For those of you who have never heard of the ducks at The Peabody, let me tell you it is quite a sight to see. Each day at 11:00, the "duckmaster" chooses an individual to help him go and get the ducks from the 2nd floor. The ducks arrive by elevator, and then scurry down the red carpet and into the pond. There is music playing in the background (I don't remember now what song) so the ducks know to perform. At 5:00, the ducks are escorted back to the elevator and up to their room. We were able to witness the whole ordeal. Max was thrilled to be able to see the ducks in the fountain. Max was also delighted to go up and down the elevator in the hotel.

 

Jumping Video

Here is Max "jumping" on the coffee table in the apartment in Little Rock.

Climber

Max LOVES to climb right now. He climbs on everything. Yesterday, after we gave him dessert, he was on a bit of a sugar high. He climbed onto the coffee table and started to "jump." His jumps are mostly him stomping one foot. It is hilarious. We also told him to "SMILE!" and that is the first picture you see here:

 

Here he is climbing up:

 

A natural smile:

 

Right now I am back in Frisco. I drove back this morning. We close on our home here this week, so I needed to come back to wrap things up. I will admit, driving for 5 hours when you are 8 months pregnant is not a fun experience. I stopped 4 times, but the baby is getting big enough that she pinches my nerves when I sit in the same attitude for too long. Max did really well on the drive though. I was proud of my little boy. Hopefully the drive to Little Rock on Thursday night will go smoothly.

Trip to Utah

Max and I went to Utah a few weeks ago. We had a great time being with family.