gone country

We had such a fantastic holiday weekend. I try not to do a lot of "weekend play-by-play"-type posts, but sometimes it just can't be avoided. I mean, this kind of weekend is what I dreamed of for a whole lotta years. I don't want to forget it.

Since my Nana and Poppie were coming all the way from Texas, my sister (+ husband + baby) came up for the weekend, too. My brother ( + wife + baby) already live in Augusta, so they were around a lot, too. So it was basically like one big long family party all weekend.

We started the party off right- with a Saturday morning hot tub date for the ladies.

You may recall a similar scene at Christmas time (only indoors and with a lot more bubbles)...I guess our interests haven't changed too much! Laney and Millie were thrilled with the hot tub (which we kept at 99 degrees- as in, not very hot) and the chance to swim and play with toys! 

So what if I like to skinny dip? What's it to you?

My brother and his family recently moved out to the country, about 25 minutes away from where they were living. We spent Saturday afternoon out there, introducing Millie to country living. Please imagine a banjo playing while you look at these pictures.

We took a 'buggy ride' down to visit the horse and the chickens. I spent the entire ride grappling with my own hypocrisy regarding car seats and safety and how I just carried my baby in my lap in an open-air vehicle (going about 8 miles an hour across a field, but still). 

Millie was pretty impressed by the chickens. Or maybe just intrigued. Or bored. It's kinda hard to say, really, but at least she didn't cry.

Look, I even got close to them!! Look at me, two feet away from a bird. Country Erika is much braver than regular Erika. Also, cages help.

Later that evening we went fishing. I haven't been fishing in probably 20 years. Matt has never caught a fish!! Not surprisingly, Millie hasn't done much fishing yet, either. In conclusion, we were all really jazzed to head to the pond (on yet another buggy).

While Matt baited up, Millie and I got eaten alive by mosquitoes and played on a blanket. And by "played on a blanket," I mean that she tried to eat all of my discarded (read: snotty) tissues (because buggies kick up dust and grass and allergies) and the bug spray container and completely ignored all of her actual toys. Babies.

No doubt due to my helpful tips, constant encouragement, and pleas to get a win for our family!!!!, Matt caught the first (and HIS first!) fish!

It was very exciting and emotional and Matt was surprisingly squeamish about touching the fish to get it off the line, so that was hilarious. Much to my brother and BIL's disappointment, Matt didn't fall for their claim that the universally-accepted traditional way to celebrate a first catch was to bite the fish's head off and eat it raw. He tossed it back in the pond instead. Oh well. It was still a win for our family.

Millie and Nana were a little wrapped up in each other and missed the whole thing. Nana does a mean "ride little horsey," it seems. Millie was a big fan.

My sister decided to show the boys how it was done and quickly caught two (or three? can't remember) in a row. Thatta girl.

And see my mom back there fishing with my niece's Barbie fishing pole? Yeah. She definitely caught a few using that bad boy!!

After awhile I decided to see if I still had my fishing mojo of the early 90s.

Turns out, I don't. Wah. I might have been the only person who didn't catch a fish. In my own defense, I would like to point out that I think that by the time I started fishing, all the fish had been caught/released and scared away.

Back at the house, we enjoyed some amazing BBQ my brother spent the entire day smoking. Not surprisingly, Millie was his biggest fan.

Not pictured: the moment(s) when she ran out of BBQ on her own plate and (despite having plenty of other foods to choose from) reached down to steal more pork off her cousin's high chair. And when Laney protested, Millie gave her The Look. It was glorious and hilarious and I don't know where she learned to mean mug like that over food...

It really was a perfect weekend. I am so thankful that Millie got to spend time with my grandparents (and her grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins) (and parents!!). I don't take for granted that we even had the opportunity- with a thousand miles and over ninety years separating them, I wasn't sure they'd ever have a chance to meet. What a blessing that it all worked out.

Four generations of the S family, no two people looking in the same direction. Seems about right. Seems about perfect.