Jennifer's Baby Blog: Our trip back in time!

Ok, this is going to be kind of long, so please bear with me. We started off Saturday morning loading up the truck, followed by soccer pictures and one quarter of a soccer game. Then we headed northish for a family reunion. It is always a fun time for us and literally feels like a trip back in time. We stay at my uncles house in a town that isn't even a one stop light town. They have a stop sign with blinking lights...the cross traffic does not stop. Since the railroad left the town (way before I was born, so I can't give details), it is a small town. Over time the population has declined and the downtown, well is not much of a town anymore. There isn't a grocery store or any type of restaurants. I did see a dentist and several antique stores, a post office and a gas station. I think there is a bar too, but it might have closed. There are several churches and all have some sort of attendance. Nothing like my kids are used to though. Last time we attended church with Uncle Buster the attendance the week before was 6. We went straight to the reunion grounds where the kids immediately found their once a year friends who are also cousins, or some sort of family member. They always have a blast, just as I did! The adults always head straight for the food of course. You know we all have our favorite desserts that we only get once a year! The kids played some more. At one point Hannah was picking up dirt and putting it in her hair. After an afternoon at the camp grounds we headed to Uncle Buster's. Marc whined about not being able to watch the Red Sox game. It was on TBS and noone had cable. There are only 4 channels there, so there wasn't much to watch. Now we know why college football is such a HUGE thing in the country. Marc settled for watching UT beat Missouri, then he sat in his truck to listen to the rest of the Red Sox game! LOL Uncle Buster's house is also a time trip. It is the same house as when I was a kid! The couch is actually OLDER than me. I have pictures of me as a baby sitting on the couch. One old bathroom with not much water pressure. The toilet only gets 2 flushes in 20 minutes because it takes that long for the tank to refill. AND are you ready for this? He doesn't have a/c! In October it is not usually a problem and that proved to be the case. It was a little stuffy when we arrived, but it was in the low 50's overnight. We had the window in our room open, so we were bundled under big quilts. The fresh air was nice, but drier than we are used to and a few of us coughed all night. Kid of course were up with the sun, so I started cleaning up and washing our sheets. We got back out to the camp grounds where the men bonded over food and football. The kids got back to the dirt. I don't think I have seen the kids so dirty! I think it has been fairly dry there, so the dirt is like a fine dust! Needless to say, it was all over! The kids played their little hearts out and after lunch we visited, had the raffle drawings, then left. We stopped by the Falls on the Brazos on the way out. Marc hadn't been there in YEARS and I don't think Samantha has ever been. I took the boys last year. The water seemed low, so we were able to walk across part of it. I wouldn't let the kids walk where there was water. I got the usual "not fairs" because I did it as a kid/teenager. I know we were stupid. I remember how slippery it was and how the current felt and the possiblity of snakes and momma bear comes out. The kids thought it was cool. The story I was told as a kid was that before the big bridge, this used to be how they got across the river. Very cool! I have seen it in rainy years and well, that would not be cool! LOL Anyway, now we are home. Be prepared to be overwhelmed with pictures!

Here is the "booming" town

One end of downtown

The other end

View of THE stop sign and highway.

Peek-a-boo

Hannah liked the chili!

and the dog! There were a few dogs she followed around all weekend. This is James with one of Russel's dogs.

We learned when she got cranky to give her a ride in a wagon!

Here is Caleb on the swing

Don't let the pile fool you. I really don't think Hannah and Samantha raked all these leaves.

Here is Caleb jumping on the air mattress. Marc and Samantha slept there. Josh wanted to sleep on the couch. Caleb and I were in the bed and Hannah in her pack and play. She of course ended up in the bed around 5am.

Here are the men bonding over food and football

I am not sure what Josh was doing here.

I am really glad my son had the sense to put his helmet on before trying this. In case you can't tell, he is on a skateboard holding on to someone riding the bike.

Poor Hannah wore herself out! AND yes, she is still rear facing ;)

Here is one of Miss Samantha. Go figure, she is the only one not filthy!Hannah found a friend to ride in the wagon. Poor Samantha wore herself out with this one.