Family fun in Mississippi

Mike and I took the boys south this weekend for a quick visit with my Uncle Bill and Aunt Lida and family. Uncle Bill is my dad's older brother. I find it incredibly interesting that these two men, who haven't lived in the same state in more than 40 years and who rarely see each other, are so MUCH ALIKE! It is quite funny actually. They are both incredibly intelligent men with incredibly dry senses of humor who refuse to take any sort of medication for pain and who stay up half the night watching television because they are insomniacs. They drive the same model (and maybe even year) trucks: Ford Expedition. They bleed crimson and cream, both being die hard Oklahoma Sooners fans. They dislike crowds and stupidity. They have two grandsons that they spoil rotten. And, as my cousin Rene put it so well, they are both total SUCKERS when it comes to those grandsons.

My Aunt Lida was a huge hit with my boys. I mean, what 5 year old boy wouldn't LOVE a great aunt who will eat blue snow cones and then show off the end results? She is such a fun, energetic soul and being in her home was wonderful. She took us to Uncle Bill's nature center, which was awesome, and to the zoo and bowling. The boys had a ball!


The thing I enjoyed most was seeing my cousins and watching our children become instant buddies. My cousin Rene has a 6 year old son named Will. Alec and Will became thick as thieves after Will walked into Uncle Bill's house wearing a Star Wars t-shirt. That's pretty much all it took to break the ice. Zach was older and wiser than Will and Alec, but I think he enjoyed big-brothering them both.

My cousin Edith Lynn has the sweetest little man in the universe. His name is Jay Ethan and I'm sure you can see he's a little bit of heaven! Poor little guy developed an ear infection while we were there, so we didn't get to snuggle him as much as we would have liked. Edith will just have to bring him to see us soon! My favorite memory of these girls was when I stayed with them for a week right before I started high school. We giggled and laughed and they introduced me to "Death by Chocolate" at Bennigan's restaurant. Such fun times, and reconnecting with them this weekend was a blast! Below from left: me, Rene, Edith. See any family resemblance?
What a great weekend!