Tennis

Brynn and her doubles partner had a great tournament together and brought home a trophy.

Halloween

We had a great time at the church's Fall Festival!

It started with clouds overhead and ended with rain pouring down on us!

We enjoyed our annual Stu-Intire Halloween dinner and trick-or-treating on Halloween night.

The 3 big kids had fun at Pumpkin Palooza at the church!

Tennis & Honor Society

Brynn has enjoyed her tennis matches and tournaments.  She's done well in her doubles and singles!

Barrett was inducted into the National Honor Society.

Time Well Spent

"A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society." -Billy Graham

Headed Home

This morning we packed up and loaded up, ready for the 400-mile drive back home.

We had an easy day of travel and were excited to see Blake and Quinlan when we got back home!

Route 66, Wilson's Creek National Battlefield & Bass Pro Shops

We started the day on Route 66 at an old family restaurant for breakfast.

The portion sizes were huge and the food was delicious!

From there we went to downtown Springfield.  We visited the Route 66 Visitor Center.

There are more than 154 Bass Pro Shops in the United States, and the location in Springfield is the "granddaddy of all outdoor stores." 

For 13 years, Bass Pro Shops was no larger than the 8 feet of counter space Morris used in his dad's store.  It wasn't until 1981 that Morris opened his first brick-and-mortar store in Springfield.

Wilson's Creek was the first major Civil War battle fought west of the Mississippi River, and the site of the death of Nathaniel Lyon, the first Union general killed in action. 

The Ray House is a farm house that served as a temporary field hospital for soldiers after the Battle of Wilson's Creek on August 10, 1861. The Ray House is the only surviving dwelling from the Battle of Wilson's Creek. The Ray Springhouse is the only other period structure on the battlefield.

We came back to enjoy dinner at the camper and warm sugar donuts from the camp store for dessert.

Laura Ingalls Wilder - Historic Home & Museum

Good Morning from Missouri!

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Historic Home & Museum

Where the Little House Books were written.

Mansfield, MO

We enjoyed the museum and gift shop they've built on the property.

Rocky Ridge Farm

Home of Laura Ingalls Wilder

Laura, Almanzo, and Daughter Rose arrived in Mansfield, Missouri from South Dakota in 1894.  They purchased this 40-acre farm.  Over their years here, they built their home, adding on rooms and acreage as they could afford it.  This is where she wrote the beloved "Little House" books.  They lived here until Laura died in 1957.  Almanzo, Laura, and Rose are buried in the local cemetery.

Almanzo and another man finished out this portion of the house by hand.  Laura called her windows "living pictures" and positioned them so that the outside world was visible.

They built the bedroom on the south side of the house so that it would catch the summer breezes.

Laura's desk where many of the "Little House" books were written.  Her blue shawl was kept handy on the back of the chair to warm her shoulders.

Laura opened her mail in the dining room each day.

"A farm kitchen must be more than merely a kitchen; it is a place where the house and barn meet."

There was a 3/4 mile walk from the farmhouse to the back corner of the property where Rose built The Rock House.

In 1928 Rose Wilder Lane came home from her travels abroad and wanted to build a retirement home for Laura and Almanzo.  Picking a spot on the back of their property, Rose had The Rock House constructed.  The Rock House then became Laura and Almanzo's home for the next 7 years.  Laura wrote the first four Little House Books here before she and Almanzo moved back into their farm house. 

I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all." 

- Laura Ingalls Wilder