So Much to Tell ... So Little Time

Oh my ... I want to spend hours telling you all about our last few days.  However, the mosquitoes are eating me alive.  The internet at this KOA doesn't work at every campsite.  So, I am sitting  outside by the swimming pool, enjoying the company of the local mosquitoes.  Ugh!

We didn't have internet for the 3 days we were at Gregg's (except for the 2 hours I snuck away to Starbucks).  Then, we didn't have internet at our little campground in the woods last night in Arkansas.  So, tonight I decided to spend the extra  $$ to pay for a KOA ... and the internet isn't working at my campsite.

We pulled away from our campground at 7:30 this morning ... and arrived at our new campsite at 8:30 this evening.  We drove 560+ miles, with only a 2 hour lunch stop (at a National Monument) and then with just 1 potty/gas stop in the afternoon.  The kids were TROOPERS!!!  We ate dinner at 9:30, after setting up camp, and then the sweet KOA lady let us "sneak" into the pool area after it was "closed" for a late night swim.

Now, the kids are off showering, so I'd better go get them in bed.  We have another very long drive day tomorrow, as we head to South Dakota.

We have many stories to tell.  Hot Springs, Arkansas FAILED us ... as did Missouri's roads detours.  We kind of "caught air" as we were driving a narrow "roller coaster" road (unlike any road I have EVER seen, and I've driven a LOT of roads across this dear country).  Anyways, at the bottom of one of the "valleys" in the rollercoaster, we hit a bump and basically went flying.  Our trailer was dancing behind us.  Ben & I started laughing hysterically when we realized that we were all still alive and that the trailer was still humming along behind us.  It was, seriously, CRAZY scary!!!

Anyways ... off to the tent to escape the mosquitoes.

Days #22 - 24: A Visit with the Wright Family in Le Blanc, LA

Fun! Fun! Fun was had by all.  We had a GREAT time with Jason & Dawn & the kids, again.  The Wright Family are the Directors of a Christian Camp in LA; and it is a FUN place to visit with a VERY FUN family.  We were BLESSED by our time with them.

MUCH time was spent in the pool.

Like ... 5 hours on Thursday.

Rachel ... enjoying herself,

after several days of missing

pool time due to "consequences".

All of the girls had SUCH fun together!

Sweet Hosanna!

The Wright Brothers had a GREAT time

playing with Big Brother Ben.

The girls begged Ben to

thrown them around, as well.

Ben ... and all of the young ladies

wanting to play.

Dawn & the Little Ones

Jason explains the rules for

the Diving Contest.

Elijah has never swam in an 8' pool before.

He did really well diving for the rings.

Hosanna was the winner, when she 

came up with 20 rings and sticks.

So FUN to meet Sweet Joanna.

Thanks Jason & Dawn,

for a WONDERFUL time

of rest, relaxation, and FUN!!!

Day#22: Lunch with Big Brother Gregg

On our drive from Caddo Mills, TX to Le Blanc, LA, we were able to stop for lunch with Gregg in Shreveport, LA.  Gregg just recently moved to Shreveport, and has a new apartment.  However, his apartment has no furniture.

Eating Lunch in Gregg's Dining Room

This is the ...

"Seriously, mom, you are NOT 

going to take my picture." look.

Love you, Gregg!

This is the "Scene of the Accident",

where Rachel go her 3rd concussion.

It was a quick lunch stop,

as Gregg had to head off to work.

But, we were looking forward

to several days there,

later in the week.

On our way to Louisiana, we honked and waved as sweet Kati took the exit at Tyler, TX.  The purpose of our Road Trip was to drive our Adopted Big Kid Kati to her YWAM school ... and now she is there.  We had a sweet time of prayer with her in the morning before going our separate ways.  Sad to say good-bye; but so very excited for all that the Lord is going to do in her and through her in the coming year.

Kati ... we've had a GREAT spring/summer with you ... living with us this spring, and Road Trippin' with us this summer.  Special memories we will always hold dear.  Thanks for being an AWESOME Big Sis to all of the Young Ones.

Where Are We Headed Now?

Just time for a quick "real-time" update,
in the midst of my day to day Road Trip Journal.

We have had a CRAZY, FUN, BUSY week of visiting
friends and family in Oklahoma, Texas, and Louisiana.


However ... starting tomorrow morning ...

...  we are hitting the road with no real agenda.

... no friends or family to visit.

... no reservations at campgrounds.



The next 8 days will  ...

...  take us through another 9 states.

...  bring us to another 5 or 6 National Parks.

...  show us another 3,000 miles of highways,  
     bi-ways, and interstates.

...  take us to State Parks.
     (the KOA's have gotten too 
      expensive and too frustrating)


We have had to re-vamp our route again ... making changes because of our Little Miss and her RAD episodes.  (I just don't feel like I can keep her safe if we go to the Amusement Park we were planning to surprise the Young Ones with.)  The Big Kids are sad, but they understand.  So ... new route ... new plans ... new parks to visit.

Then ... at the end of this next week, without any friends or family ... we will meet up with friends and family for 5 days at a friend's cabin in Idaho.  Yippee!  Looking forward to a little "vacation", after this very long and trying "vacation".

Thanks for all of your prayers for me and for Little Miss.  We had a pretty good day today ... hoping for another good day tomorrow.

Well ... after a 2 hour "quiet time" at Starbucks, I'd better head back to the kids and get ready to hit the road in the morning.  It's been good to visit with Gregg, here in Shreveport, LA.

Day #21: A Visit with the Blocks

We met the Block Family on our Road Trip last fall, and immediately knew that we would be long-time friends.  We are BLESSED by their friendship.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit with Amy & Todd, while the kids LOVED playing with the younger Block kids.  (Their Big Kids had just started back to school, but Amy is homeschooling the younger crowd for the first time, this year.)

We asked the kids to go into the backyard for pictures,

and this is how they lined themselves up.

No one gave any directions.

Can you tell that their Mamas love to take Family Pics?

We had kids Rockin' Out on the little drum set.

Our Big Boys loved playing with their Little Boys.

Who can resist an ADORABLE

little baby?  Not Hosanna.

or Josiah.

We were so glad to meet Havyn and Carson,

who weren't yet a part of the family

when we met them all last fall.

Thanks, Blocks, for the FUN afternoon!

Day #20: Lunch with the Riggs Family

On our drive from Oklahoma City to Caddo Mills, TX, we had the wonderful opportunity to visit Brent & Michelle Riggs and their younger children.  What fun!  They put out a SPREAD of food for lunch (must have thought we were bringing a football team).  We talked about parenting and adoption, while the children played.  I am always so blessed when I have chance to fellowship with others who live life with a passion ... for Jesus ... for stepping out and being different ... for parenting as many children as the Lord chooses to bring their way ... for bringing home a child from another country, in order to give them a family.

Yes, we were BLESSED with our time with the Riggs Family, and look forward to more visits in the years ahead.

We adults were having such a good time visiting, that we almost forgot to get out the cameras.  But, I was able to snap a couple of shots before we had to say our good-byes.

Rachel & Abby

Fun Little Landis

Day #19: An Evening in the Pool

After our afternoon BBQ with the Smith Family, we headed back to the KOA Campground for an evening of swimming.  (What else can you do in 100+ degree weather?)  After staying at several KOA's that closed their pools at 7:00 or 8:00 in the evening, we were very excited to learn that this KOA would keep it open until 9:00 for us.  Yea!

Josiah ... about to jump in.

Hosanna, Kati, & Sarah ... all smiles.

(It was so much fun to have Kati on our trip with us.)

Ben ... scouting out who to attack next.

A Race ...

Elijah "riding" Ben and

Josiah "riding" Kati.

Was it an Accident?

One of the symptoms of Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD), according to Nancy Thomas, is ...

"Destructive to self, others, or material things"  

(or ... "accident prone") 

Today ... we had an "accident".  Little Miss got her 3rd concussion in 3 summers.  It was one of those, "How could this possibly happen?" situations.  There was no logical reason for her to hit her head.


As she did after last summer's "accident", Little Miss didn't tell anyone that she hit her head.  She didn't cry when it happened.  None of the children playing nearby had any idea that she was hurt, until symptoms appeared.


Concussions can be dangerous.


Three concussions in 2 years can be very dangerous.


Three concussions to a little brain that is already struggling with obvious brain development issues (related to malnutrition, abuse, neglect, etc...) is VERY concerning.


Have any of you dealt with a child who self-injures?  Aside from wearing a helmet 24/7 or keeping them locked in a padded room how do you protect your children who don't seem to have any understanding of the dangers of injury (whether self-inflicted or truly accidental)?


Stay tuned for the continuing saga of Mama's Misadventures Without Papa.  Will Mama and Little Miss survive this cross-country Road Trip?  The next episode hasn't yet been written ...

RAD is UGLY

We've been struggling the past few days with our sweet daughter who sometimes can display significant symptoms of RAD (Reactive Attachment Disorder).

Things have been getting MUCH worse the past 5 months, since we have been living apart from Papa.  Then ... things were okay during the 2 weeks that Papa vacationed with us.  Now that Papa is back home and we are On The Road again, the behaviors are escalating.

We spent 2 hours yesterday in a RAD Battle, while trying to pack up and get back on the road.  (Due to the RAD Battle, we had to miss seeing the Oklahoma Bombing Memorial, and we were late for lunch with the Riggs family.)

Today, I am in another RAD Battle.  All of the other kids are at the swimming pool, and Little Miss and I are in the HOT tent, working through yet another challenge.

Mama is HOT.  Mama is TIRED.  Mama is tired of "giving consequences" every day.  Mama doesn't know if she can survive another 2 weeks on the road, if we are going to have daily RAD Battles.  Mama is wishing that she could put Little Miss on an airplane and send her home to Papa.

Please keep this in your prayers.

Day #20: Caddo Mills, TX (It's HOT here!)

You know it is  HOT when ...


...  you are sweating by 8:00 am,
     while eating breakfast.


...  you visit friends for lunch,
     and when you return to your van
     you discover that the glue holding
     on your rearview mirror has melted,
     and your mirror has fallen off the windshield.


...  when you arrive at your friends house,
     you go to give them a big hug and they say,
     "Sorry ... I stink".


...  you go swimming 3 times in 1 day,
     for a total of 4+ hours,
     and you wish you'd had more time in the pool.


...  you go swimming at 9:00 pm,
     and 5 minutes after getting out of the pool,
     you are dried off, without using a towel
     (except, of course, for the profuse
      sweating that never stops).


...  at 11:00 pm, the temp. has "cooled down"
     to only 87 degrees.


...  at 11:00 pm, you are sitting within inches of the fan,
     and you still have sweat dripping down your face.


...  you are glad that tomorrow will be "cooler";
     as it's only supposed to reach 99 degrees, 
     rather than this afternoon's 107.


...  you can't believe you have to wait until 9:30 am
     to go swimming again, and you think the 
     campground pool should be open 24/7,
     because you might actually go swimming
     at 3:00 am.


...  you wonder who came up with the brilliant idea
     to go camping in Texas in August 
     without air conditioning.




Seriously ... NOT complaining tonight, just laughing at how ridiculously HOT it is here in Caddo Mills (NE of Dallas).  While it was HOT in Oklahoma the past 2 days, it did cool down a bit faster in the evenings.  We were able to sleep by midnight.  So, tonight, we just sit here waiting for the "cool down", hoping that we might be able to sleep from 2 - 6 am.

Days #18 & 19: Bloggy Friends in Oklahoma

Day #18 ... Drive ... Drive ... Drive ... Drive ...


Mama drove 600 miles, and Kati drove 640.  It was a long day ... a very long day.  We left the Carlsbad KOA Campground at 9:00 a.m., and pulled into the Oklahoma City (East) KOA Campground at 10:30 pm.  (We changed time zones, so it was actually a 12.5 hour drive, rather than 13.5 hours.)


But, overall, it was a good day.  The kids traveled really well, for such a long day.  We found a really nice park to stop at for lunch.  We splurged on Subway sandwiches for dinner.  (Can't beat the $5.00 Foot-longs, shared between 2 people.)


Even though we pulled in LATE last night, it was HOT and MUGGY.  Oh my!  (It had been 99 degrees here earlier in the day, and it was still HOT at 10:30.)  But, we were so tired that we all fell right to sleep, and slept well.


Oh yea ... yesterday was my wedding anniversary, too.  Papa and I have been married for 28 years!  Oh my!  Didn't have time on my 600 mile day to write a sweet and romantic blog post about all of the ways that I love dear Papa.  But ... I think that, by now, most of you know that he is one amazing husband and father, and the Lord has BLESSED our 28 years together.






Day #19  ...  A FUN Day!  Yeah!


We all slept in a bit, and then had a leisurely breakfast.  The children enjoyed the KOA swimming pool this morning, while I caught up on emails.


At 11:15, we hopped on the freeway and headed North a ways ... destination the Smith Family Farm.  We met Linda and family on our Road Trip last year, and were so excited to be able to visit with them again.  Charlie grilled up a yummy BBQ lunch, and then Linda and I visited all afternoon, while the children swam in their pool.  (As we were driving away, I realized that Linda and I had been so busy visiting, that we hadn't taken any pictures of our children playing with each other.  Oh dear!  So sad!)


Back to the KOA for dinner, and more swimming afterwards.  Mama even put aside her computer work for awhile and joined the kids in the pool for an hour or so.


After the young ones headed to bed (VERY tired after a HOT day in the sun and 3+ hours in the swimming pool), Mama and Ben headed to the KOA Laundry Room.  It was definitely time to get caught up on the dirty clothes.  We enjoyed a quiet evening in the air-conditioned lodge, editing pictures, catching up on emails, talking with family on the phone, and taking care of the laundry in and amongst all of the other "stuff" we got caught up on.  Overall, it was a very productive evening.


I must head back to my hot tent now, to get some rest.  It's 12:30am, and we have a driving day tomorrow.  However, in the middle of our driving day ... we are so looking forward to lunch with the Riggs Family.  Then ... off to Texas we head, to visit the Blocks ... and on to Louisiana to visit the Wright Family.  Yes ... this is Bloggy Friend Week for our Road Trip.


I am writing in Real Time, now.  Hopefully I'll have good internet connections for the rest of the trip, so I can keep up-to-date with my blogging.


Lots of blog posts running through my head ... just need a few hours to write them all down.  But, sometimes we Mamas just need to jump into the swimming pool with the kids, rather than writing blog posts.


Hope you are all enjoying following along on another one of Mama's Crazy Adventures.

Day 17: Carlsbad Canyon Nat'l Park, New Mexico

Another WOW day!

In 1 minute,

an elevator took us

750+ feet down into the earth,

to experience life in an

8 acre Cavern.

We were sad, though, that the "Bat Show" was cancelled

at the last minute, because of lightening in the area.

Every night, 100's of thousands of bats fly out of the caverns.

I've seen it before, but was so looking forward to having

Kati and the younger kids see it.  (Elijah and Josiah

were just 4 & 6 when we were here in 2006.)

More Junior Ranger patches were earned.

Another stamp was added to our new

National Parks Passport Book.

So cool!

Our kids had a good question for me today, 

so I told them to ask a Ranger.  

Do any of you know why some places 
are called National PARKS, 

while others 
are called National MONUMENTS?  

Yesterday, we were at White Sands, which is a Nat'l Monument.

Today, we were at Carlsbad Caverns, which is a Nat'l Park.

The answer is quite interesting.

Day #16: Sledding in New Mexico

Don't worry, I didn't skip a day.

Day #15 was "Do Over?" Day.

While not on our itinerary ...

YES 

... we went SLEDDING.

Oh my!  So fun!

Have you ever gone sledding

in 95 degree weather?

Wow!!!

Did you read the sign?

It says, "White SANDS".

Yes ... 

we were SLEDDING ...

on SAND DUNES.

We have never visited sand dunes before.

It was simply amazing!

More Junior Ranger patches were earned.

Have any of you ever visited White Sands before?

Did you go sledding?