Memorial Day Weekend

Dale and Anna came up from Colorado for Memorial Day weekend, and we thoroughly enjoyed the extra family time together.

Caroline counted the days leading up to their arrival and could hardly talk or think about anything else.

Each time he sees his cousins, Davy does better with handling all the extra people and commotion. He is old enough now to really play with them, and especially loves having a “big boy” to follow around. Johnny is usually very patient and gentle with him.

Betsy did quite well most of the time. She is more of a people person that Davy was at her age.

Baby Nancy is getting so big, she’s really not a baby at all anymore! She acted a little strange at first, but warmed up to us a little more by the end of the weekend.

It was so good to hang out and talk long over meals and in the evenings, for three whole days.

On Saturday, they were given a tour of the new Big House, and some of us girls went to a yard sale together, picking up some fun vintage things, and stopping at the Weiser Candy Store on the way.

Of course, the main event was Monday. Josiah & Alexandra came up the evening before, so we were all together for a short while. Daddy smoked brisket, and Grandma brought over birthday cakes for the two of us whose birthdays were coming up.

We had lots of delicious food for lunch. It can be hard to put together a fancier menu for that many people, but I was pleased with how well we succeeded.

While we were eating, Dustin spotted a dying honey bee on the porch floor, so he restored it with some raw honey. It was so cute to see it clutching the honey with its little feet (for all the world like Betsy does with her hands!) when Dustin shifted the spoon. After a while it flew away.

Afterwards we scattered a bit…some visited the cemetery, others played various games. Mama set up badminton, which was a hit with Davy. He called it “bad mints” and tried so hard to hit the birdie.

A lot of time was spent on the big back porch. Thankfully our cool and rainy weather (April totally was switched with May this year!) let up just in time for the weekend, so we enjoyed some lovely days. We went right from jackets and even fires one week, to fans in the windows and summertime heat a few weeks later.

The children went on ranger rides, had a picnic and a tea party, made a movie, watched the horses, helped with the chores, and generally spent a lot of time out of doors the whole weekend.

Davy and Susie, who used to have a running feud, get along quite well now. Here they got to sit on Gus after Bobby rode out to check the horses. Both of them were pretty thrilled!

Colorado is still a long ways away, but we are so grateful we get to see the rest of the family a few times a year, and make memories together.