Cousins and Aunt and Uncle, Oh, My!

My sister and her family visited the first week of July, and we all had a wonderful time, despite temperatures that broke 100.  Although the photos make it look like we were in constant motion, we actually spent quite a bit of time relaxing at home.  It was a nice "staycation" for Don and me, since we put our to-do lists aside when family visits and just enjoy our home and the local area.

Sarah revelled in having a full house and soaked up every minute of attention from her relatives.  The first couple of days were a challenge, as she went into control mode and was quite defiant (most requests from Mom and Dad were met with "I'm not going to!").  Once she got used to all the hub-bub, though, she relaxed and was pretty easy to get along with, although rather bossy (after dinner one night, she went around the table pushing all the chairs in and asked Auntie Heather to get up so that she could push hers in).  We avoided bedtime brawls, for the most part, and she slept a solid 11 hours every night.

Here's the week in photos....

Our friend Ken took us fishing in his pontoon boat on the M*ssissippi :

We visited L*RK Toys again, where Sarah enjoyed the carousel as much as ever and played miniature golf for the first time:



Forrest, Don, Sarah, and I braved the heat for the 4th of J*ly parade in G*lesville (no horses, no bands, lots of candy and even free toilet paper from a sewer services company):

We celebrated my birthday:

We canoed the Bl*ck River near our house, and Sarah joined the boys for a swim:

And we played and relaxed in the backyard, enjoying kickball games and watermelon:

There were also early-morning fishing trips on the river for the angling enthusiasts among us (resulting in a yummy fish-fry for all) and the requisite visit to Fl**t Farm ("the man's mall").  These visits are precious to all of us, and we will treasure the memories made.  There's never a dull moment when the house is full of H*ntleys!