Cousin Weekend III

As Mike took off up north at the beginning of the month to hunt for a long weekend, the cousins headed south for our third annual Hunting Opener cousin weekend. My mama was going to come too, but just didn't feel like making the trip with all the stuff she had to do to prepare for Grandma's service the following weekend (more on that later). So it was my sister, me, the three small Vs, my cousins Brenda, Anna, and Liv - and A & L's little boys, Otto, Hux, and Milo.

Auntie came down Friday night and since we hadn't gotten it together enough to do responsible things like have groceries, we grabbed a pizza on the way home from picking up all the humans. And nobody complained about that plan! It was a low-key night because at the end of a long week, we needed it. We also knew Saturday would be a big day!

Saturday morning after breakfast, we headed up to meet the cousins at their hotel and hang out in the pool with them. Milo was napping during pool time, so Em, Anna, Liv, and I were in charge of keeping everyone alive. All three of mine and Otto were little fish in the big pool. We made them wear their life jackets and they were swimming all over the place. The big pool was pretty crowded, so it wasn't Huxey's scene. I was thrilled that he was willing to let me snuggle him and put his toes in the hot tub. I got some smiley Hux time, got to stand in warm water, and other people chased my humans around. Amazing!

After about an hour, we noticed some rather gross looking stuff floating in the big pool. And with that, swim time was over (and showers definitely happened!).

We headed back to S-town for lunch and then everyone else came down after they ate. While we were definitely out-numbered by kiddos - and out-volumed by them too - we managed to finish a few adult sentences and so enjoyed watching all the kids play together. Dec, Quinn, and Otto were crazy wild and loving every second of it. Even though we don't see them as often as we would like, they are such good friends. And since my cousins are some of my best friends, it is just the best to watch the next generation develop that bond. I will admit we are all a little nervous for when Quinn and the boys are 9, 7, 6, 5, and 4. They will be quite the formidable team!

We tried to settle everyone down while I made dinner by putting on a Paw Patrol episode. We almost lost the whole crew to sleep! They were a little bit worn out from all that playing. Dinner was a hit and then we had to say good-bye. The day went way too fast and we look forward to it every year. I can also tell you that bedtime was pretty quiet here!

Oh - and in case you were wondering, Mike got two deer.

I got a Huxey smile!