Another week has passed, and so, another blog post! This post brings us to Fort Smith, Arkansas. We were drawn here because it was conveniently on the way to our Halloween destination. It also seemed like a nice campground with a pool and pirate ship for the kids. Dustin had fun paddleboarding in the mornings on the Arkansas river (launching directly from the campground). While paddling, he saw an alligator gar jump out of the water, and on a separate paddle, an alligator swimming under the water. Those were the wildlife sightings for the week!

The best thing about this campground? The friends we made! About an hour after we got here, the kids went to play on the pirate ship playground. Then another set of kids came over to play with them. When I arrived, Reya and her new friend had their Gabby Dollhouse toys all set up. Kai was upside down on the rings. After chatting with their dad, we realized we’ve got a lot of similarities, including having a son named Kai! He’s a stay at home dad too, so Dustin and the kids got to spend a lot of time with them during the week, at the playground, at the pool, and at each of our campers.

Once we were here in Fort Smith we realized that there was a Fall Festival taking place, so of course we went to explore! We went with our new friends so Reya had a great time. We started at an art museum and the kids got to do a small scavenger hunt (really more for the adults) and decorate little pumpkins. Then we got to explore the Fort area. The kids got a kick out of seeing the gallows! There was a small market area set up with inflatable bounce houses that all the kids had a great time on as well. We didn’t stay too long, but it was fun.

We also got to explore a huge nearby playground that the kids had fun with. Kai met a group of older kids that he played tag with (he was super speedy) and then did really well being brave on the track ride and monkey bars. Additionally, we did a long family bike ride during the week and we were able to get a few packages from the local UPS store, so it was a productive stop as well. Especially since we picked up our new Lectric kickstand to replace the one that broke – no more leveling blocks for transit!

While spending time with our new friends, Reya got her first friendship bracelet! She wore it every day and wanted to make more, so we got a bead kit from Walmart and got to work. She made a REYA bracelet to give to her new friend and then she made a MOM bracelet for me! Overall it was a week of family time, new friendships, and explorations. May we meet our friends again!