The Dunlap Daily Dish: Dallas and the Ozarks

Family Reunion

Our big family trip this summer was a Dunlap siblings reunion in the Ozark mountains. We hadn't seen Noah's family since last Memorial Day (the infamous double dragon trip). They recently moved from San Antonio to Ohio, and we couldn't imagine making the 20+ hour drive (one way!) to see them. I looked at a map and investigated the middle point between our two families: the Ozark national forest, which we knew nothing about. I did a quick search and found a cheap cabin with lots of bunk beds nestled in the rolling hills. It appeared that there were lakes, swimming holes, and creeks for playing in nearby. And the scenery was gorgeous. When I mentioned the idea to Seb's siblings, everyone seemed onboard, so we made reservations back in January for the Fourth of July weekend. Boy was it a fun trip!

Leading up to our gathering, I worried some about the cabin's cliff-side location, overgrown Poison-Ivy-laden trails, rumors of tick and mosquito problems in the South, and Arkansas' exciting variety of poisonous snakes (including Water Moccasins - freaky!). None of those things ended up being problems and we really had a great time! If we do it again, though, we'll have to stay at an Airbnb near Eureka Springs - there were lots of them to choose from with great amenities like pools, hot tubs, and lake access. Oh well! It takes a trip out there to really know what it's like. On to the trip details ...

Solo Car Trip

The kids and I left a week early to do swim lessons in Dallas with cute Sethrina and Calvin. The drive took about 13 hours instead of 9 - too many roadside pee stops I guess - but the kids were so dang good. They watched movies, listened to books on tape, played on the iPad, read books, and snacked. Our renowned horrible traveller, Hannah-Bones, didn't fuss once! In Amarillo, we stopped at a roadside diner for a delicious homestyle meal, and the entire ticket was free because they forgot to make the kids' pancakes! So worth it! I enjoyed stopping by a roadside fruit stand where we picked up some juicy sweet peaches for our hosts and sampled the sweetest plums I've ever tasted! During our travels, I concluded that Texas is very pretty and green and that Texans are helpful and friendly, but it is oh so flat and muggy. No thank you!

Oh the places we've peed!

Delicious cinnamon rolls!

What a cute bunch!

Dallas Breakdown

Sethrina planned a wonderful week for us jam-packed with fun things to do and delicious meals to enjoy! We ended each day thoroughly fat, happy, and ready to pass out from exhaustion! Ha ha! We started each morning with swim lessons for all the kiddos. They have a wonderful pool near their house with its own lazy river, a playground, beach-entry, and a couple big waterslides. Beau was feeling pretty uncomfortable the first day since he didn't know any of the kids or the teacher. The teenage staff were really flexible and let Hudson join in during Beau's lesson - he is such a helpful big brother! That put Beau at ease and made it possible for me to attend class with Hannah.

We had arrived in Dallas Sunday night. Hannah and Calvin bathed together, the boys got to sleep on cute little portable bunk beds, and I pigged out on yummy creamy chicken, potatoes, and carrots.

On Monday after swim lessons, we went to a trampoline park. It was SO MUCH FUN! The boys and I had a foam block war, we raced across the trampolines, and we played some dodge ball. Later that day, the kids played in the backyard pool and we had tasty meatball subs for dinner (definitely going to be a new staple in our home!).

The following day, Hannah and Calvin did a Little Gym class, and we had a picnic lunch afterwards. Then the boys did a Hawaiian-themed Little Gym camp during the afternoon. That evening, Sethrina and I did a little shopping at T. J. Maxx and we all enjoyed Josh's amazing macaroni and cheese for dinner.

The next day we enjoyed even more shopping fun - this time at Ikea - followed by lunch in their cute cafeteria. That afternoon, we took all the kiddos swimming and had a ball! I especially loved going down the waterslides with Hudson and floating the lazy river. We had my very favorite veggie pizza from Papa Murphy's for dinner. That night, Hannah accidentally locked herself in the guest bathroom. We tried picking the lock to no avail. Luckily, I had cracked the window that morning and was able to squeeze myself through with the help of a very kind neighbor pushing my butt up. Ha ha! He invited us all over that evening to pick veggies in his jungle of a garden!

Thursday's adventures included swimming in a lake and making fresh veggie pizzas with the vegetables we picked the night before. I used my Aunt Julie's marinara sauce recipe and it was absolutely delicious!

On Friday morning, Sebastian arrived. I had a heck of a time finding him at the airport. For some reason, I messed up the phone settings and Google Maps took me to the middle of a random neighborhood! Needless to say, I was late picking Seb up and then had a hard time getting out of that huge place! That morning, we went to Legoland Discovery Center. I'm not the biggest fan of huge amusement parks, but I think the kids enjoyed themselves: we rode on a couple rides, watched a 4-D movie, and played with giant Legos at the splash pad. That evening, we got ready for the big Arkansas trip - Sethrina and I treated our clothing with bug spray and I went food shopping while everyone else went swimming. We had more pizza for dinner!

Cutie boy Calvin!

This place was one of the highlights of our Dallas visit

I had a ball attacking the boys with these foam cubes

My and my Beau Buddy

Backyard fun

Can you spot the little naked buns??

Hannah's face sums up her feelings towards Calvin for much of the visit - those two did not get along!

An impromptu lake visit

Love this hammy girl!

Beau mastered the starfish float!

Loving her time in the water

What a sweet little man

Wonderful summer fun!

Don't drown kids!

Our morning cereal mow down!

Sethrina took such good care of us!

Our four swimmers

Hannah being so shy with her instructor

We love this pool! Doesn't Hannah look enormous here?

Naked boys wearing their towel togas

Sharing a book on tape on their portable bunk beds!

The Ozarks

On Saturday morning, we caravanned to the Ozarks! I was amazed at how gorgeous that area of the country is! The all-encompassing rolling hills and leafy green trees felt like we were in the middle of the Amazon Rainforest. Our rustic cabin was pretty remote - at least an hour from civilization - and the dramatic cliff-side dirt roads made the drive up pretty exciting. When we arrived, the adults bustled about picking sleeping locations, filling the refrigerator, and unpacking our cars. The kids took to the bunkbeds like monkeys, laughing and chattering away. Seb and I cooked hamburgers for dinner and the adults played Codenames after the kiddos hit the sack.

Day One: Hiking, Freaky Snake, Swimming, and Cousin Fun!

The ladies pre-arranged the cooking situation so that each family took on an entire day. The Ohio Dunlaps were assigned Sunday and started our morning off right with pancakes, sausage, and blueberries. After breakfast, we nerded out in socks-over-cuffs attire for a morning hike around the rim. Laura outfitted the kiddos with bug catching jars and we took turns discussing safety topics ("DON'T TOUCH THE SNAKES!"). The kids were already pooped just minutes into the hike (it was pretty muggy), so it took some creativity to keep their little feet moving. I had the kids pick their favorite plant, and when when we saw their plant, we'd sing a little ditty and do their special move ("I see an Esther plant!"). It was a nerve-wracking hike - a few steps off the trail could lead to sudden death by falling of the cliff - but the views were gorgeous! At the end of the hike, Laura helped Beau scoop up some frog eggs into his bug jar.

Noah and Laura spoiled everyone with steak tacos for lunch. While they prepped their meal, the kids and I did play dough. While the babies were napping, I visited the neighboring campsite and talked with the couple who lived onsite. They were observing a Rat Snake that was slithering through the brush. It was heading towards our cabin, so I ran back inside and called the men and kids out to take a look. Boy that snake was menacing - all black and about 5 feet long! He tried slithering into Noah and Laura's wheel well, so Noah threw a rock at it to scare him away!

While Sethrina and Laura napped with their babies, Josh set out to climb the highest peak in Arkansas. The rest of us went searching for a good swimming spot. On the drive, I popped into an old cemetery and checked out the super old headstones. In the middle of the cemetery, I found a huge turtle - about the size of a serving platter. I picked him up and ran him over to our car to show Hudson (the others were sleeping). We also noticed that the grass was alive with tiny little frogs! We ended up finding a beautiful blue swimming hole (part of Hurricane Creek) with pretty gray pebbles and rocks forming the riverbed. It flowed under a bridge and a couple families were daring one another to jump in from the top. I am so glad I decided to swim in that cool water and that Seb did too. It was one of my favorite parts of the entire trip. The water was beautiful, sweet, and refreshing - and the thought that there might be snakes lurking between our legs just made it all the more thrilling! Ha ha!

We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows for dinner followed by dutch oven pineapple upside down cake. Esther and the boys made a giant sleeping nook by scooting three bunk beds together and arranging their sleeping bags, pillows, night lights, and lanterns on the top level. They had a blast reading books to each other and listening to books on tape. All of their favorite memories from the trip were made in that little bedroom. One night, they put couch cushions on the floor and jumped from pillow to pillow. They made up stories, played "Hide the Book," Hide-and-Seek, Charades, "Catch the Moth" (with real moths!), Hide the Rock, Telephone, Telephone Charades, and Doctor-Doctor. Cousin fun is the best kind of fun!

There was a wild and crazy rain storm that night. The water rushed around the cabin in deep fast-moving rivers. I was afraid the water would come in the front door and sweep us away! (Okay, not really, but it was pretty insane!) We enjoyed the cooler weather and played Farkle after the kids went to sleep.

Morning rays of sunlight from our back patio

What a spectacular view!

Kids are all ready to go!

The Flash family!

What a gorgeous bunch!

Noah and Noelle hitting the trail!

Hannah hitching a ride

Breathtaking views!

The whole crew (-Josh)

Everyone (-Jessica)

The landscape was all encompassing and majestic!

A cool wild turtle

Whoa baby! I want to keep him!!

These two love each other so much!

What a ball!

Beau gets right in there and joins in on all the fun!

Wild monkey cousins!

What goof balls!

The best of times!

Eruptions of laughter, giggles, and chatter coming from this bunk room!

Memories to last a life time

Silly faces

Oh to be young again!

Hannah helping with dessert preparations

Day Two: Nasty Swimming, Movie Night, and Woofems!

Josh and Sethrina took on day two of our meals and they did not disappoint! They started things off with a bang serving up German apple pancakes, bacon, and fresh fruit! Mmm! That morning, we went on a nature hike in the front yard (to avoid the cliff's edge). Laura let each of the kids borrow a field guide and gave everyone a list of items to cross off. The rain had really done a number on the scenery - everything was wet and muddy! We decided to try swimming at Shores Lake that morning. To be honest, it was pretty dirty and gross! The beautiful swimming hole from the previous day had transformed into a raging brown river and the shore we had stood on before was totally submersed in water. Shores Lake was murky and the beach was covered in goose poop. Ugh! The kids still swam, though, and some of us floated on the kayak, paddle board, and inner tubes. We had meatball subs back at the cabin for lunch and painted rocks on the back patio. Seb and I thought it would be fun for the kids to have a movie night, so we stowed away all of the chairs in the back of our van and covered the floor with blankets and pillows. The kids piled in and had popcorn, apples, and cheese sticks while they watched a few cartoons.

Josh and Sethrina made dutch oven chicken and peach-cherry cobbler for dinner. When the kids fell asleep, we made Woofems around the fire. Noah and Laura had special Woofem sticks and showed us how to wrap the ends in biscuit dough, cook them over the fire, and fill the little cups that were formed with pudding and whipping cream! So fun! We were visited a couple of times by a nosy little raccoon who ended up getting in a tussle with Rocky (Noah and Laura's dog). We ended the night with more Codenames!

Lots of fog after a night of rain storms

What a sight! And I'm not just talking about my beautiful morning face!

Me and my eternal sweetheart!

Enjoying the nasty beach!

My souvenir rock

Movie night!

Look at all those cute faces!

Enjoying some TV time!

So fun to be with cousins

Silly bowl-head Calvin!

Gorgeous little Noelle

Day Three: Lot of Goodbyes, Eureka Springs, and Blue Spring

Sadly, Josh and Sethrina had to go home the morning of the Fourth. After we said our goodbyes, it kind of felt like we should all be leaving. The area had really dirtied up with all of the rain and it was hot, muggy, and a little boring without any cool amenities on site! Ha ha! What great campers we are! What really drove us over the edge, though, was poor Noah's sleeping situation. He had the baby, Noelle, Laura, and Rocky all in bed with him. He awoke in a puddle of pee - not knowing whose it was! Ha ha ha!

We decided to all pack up and spend the rest of our time together exploring a nearby town called Eureka Springs. The ADORABLE Victorian town was tucked away in the hills, with lots of little bridges and winding stairways connecting the streets. It seemed like the perfect fun spot to get lost in! It was raining pretty hard while we were walking around - so hard in fact that Esther's shoe was swept away in the rain current. Noah and Laura bought giant hot dogs, funnel cake, and fresh lemonade at a roadside shop. We all had lunch in a little cafe then went souvenir shopping. We visited a candy store and a toy shop.

After parting ways and saying our goodbyes to Noah and Laura's family, we decided to check out the haunted Crescent Hotel! We marveled at the piano playing by itself and knocked on the doors of the "most haunted" rooms. On our way out of town, we stopped by a place called Blue Springs. We walked around in the pouring rain, we saw a cute little pencil thin bright green snake on the trail, and everyone had a taste of the fresh spring water. The rain was a little annoying, but in truth, it made everything all the more memorable. We stayed at an Embassy Suites that night in Oklahoma City and enjoyed the breakfast buffet and pool in the morning.

It was a long, smelly ride home (everything was wet, mildewy, and dirty) with a stop at 575 Pizzeria in Amarillo. We sure miss everyone but are grateful for the fun memories we get to make in an attempt to stay connected.