The best laid plans (or something)

So because of the tornadoes, we decided we'd better leave in hurry. So once we got to Glenna's house we looked at the maps and made a plan. We would drive west across Arkansas and then straight north to Kansas City.

My dad had gone for an early morning swim. So as soon as he was changed and ready to go, we set off. We were not five minutes into our trip when a torrential downpour made our visibility almost zero. So we turned around and went back to Glenna's home.

She graciously fed the children oatmeal. One of their favorite foods, which they don't eat often due to it's high fiber content.

Then the children played for awhile with the few toys Glenna had. The lights flickered a few times. But we were well insulated from the storm.

Once the storm had passed, we set out again. We had the girls and were heading to Mansfield, MO to see the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home. Nana and Papa had the boys and were heading to Ava, MO to visit the Monastery where they had stayed on their honeymoon (long story).

Unfortunately, the diaper bag with the pull-ups and extra boys clothes was in our van, and not in Nana's car. Since the boys don't have that many accidents that didn't seem like it would be a big deal.

On the way to Mansfield, Paul's cousin, Lisa called. She was concerned since she knew we were in the area. The tornadoes had passed close enough to them that she could actually see some from their home. So it was a relief, in a way, that we had not been in Mountain Grove as planned. Her daughter was still sick with the flu, but was beginning to get better.

When we arrived in Mansfield we followed the signs to the Wilder Home. The sign on the gate said "Closed". The hours indicated it should be open. Just then a nice lady pulled up in an SUV. She got out her cell phone and called the people who run the museum and discovered that because of the storms the museum was without ALL utilities. Then she showed us around the area, and told us some stories about Laura. And she showed us the stone cottage nearby that Rose Wilder Lane had built for her parents. It turns out that this lady's mother had personally known Laura. (But her mother was ill, and not able to meet us).

Then the kind lady directed us to the Mansfield Historical Society just up the road. It was also closed, but we could see through the window some of Laura's things (a dress and such).

Then we hopped back in the car heading toward Kansas City.

Meanwhile, when Nana and Papa arrived in Ava, they discovered that both boys had wet their pull-ups. When Papa took them to the restroom he removed the pull-ups and threw them away. Leaving the boys with pants on, but no underpants. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal. But given that they had both eaten oatmeal that morning, the result was disastrous. Nana and Papa had to find a place to stop and buy them some more clothing. Oops! I felt terrible when I found out.

We drove through some interesting areas, and continued on until dinner time, where we stopped and had a picnic at Truman State Park. After dinner we walked around and picked up rocks. I taught Abby a science lesson about how rocks are formed. And we had a little nature hike. Then we left the park and went to look at the Truman Dam. There was man there who had worked on the security for the dam and he explained a little to us about how the dam worked.

Then we continued on our way, arriving at Grandma Pat's house about 10:00 PM.

Nana and Papa arrived a couple of hours later, thanks in part to the mess they had, had to deal with.