A "Great" Visit

We ended Maddi's dance year with Nationals in Myrtle Beach again this year. We packed up the car and stopped off for a night at my Great Aunt Lynn's and Great Uncle Floyd's house in Tennessee. We always enjoy our time visiting them and it's a great way to break up the drive. This picture is of Emma in the car eating her first apple without it being cut up. It entertained her for a while. She was starting to get a cold before we left, so we gave her Benadryl to help with her sneezing, but thankfully it helped her sleep some too. Yeah! She really was a great road tripper. She learned how to get Bubba's goat...she would pull her out of her head (gross) and drop it on Cade's lap. She has/had never done that before but she realized she got a good rise out of Cade, so she kept doing it. He would say "Emma stop putting hair on Bubba. That's disgusting." To which she would reply "It's not disgusting" and do it again. I finally told Cade I'd pay him $1.00 to not complain about it anymore on the trip and sure enough, when he stopped freaking out, she stopped putting hair on him.

Maddi enjoyed putting together some appetizers with Aunt Lynn after we arrived.

Emma enjoyed being obstinate for pictures while sitting in a rocking chair outside while Daddy and Uncle Floyd were grilling.

Emalyn was very happy to be out of the car and to be able to run around. She was also pretty social, not too shy with her great Aunt and Uncle.

Emma and Daddy even played a little baseball together.

After a yummy dinner, it was time to have Uncle Floyd do his magic tricks!

Emalyn climbed up on the table and asked me to take her picture. Silly girl.

Watch the quarter...

One of the many pictures of Emma's "crazy eyes".

Now a card trick. Uncle Floyd is quite the entertainer. He hasn't changed one bit in the 37 years I've known him!

We were so happy to get to eat watermelon at the picnic table that I ate many a watermelon at during my childhood at my Augie and Papas. Apparently this picnic table has been in the family for many generations.

Uncle Floyd was telling the kids about the history of the table. Many great memories of eating a freshly picked watermelon out of my grandparents garden and eating it at that table :)

Family. Makes my heart happy.

Good watermelon!

Emalyn got to eat her watermelon like a redneck, naked, so she didn't ruin her clothes with watermelon juice.

Cade enjoyed playing around with the watermelon rinds as much as he did eating it.

Emalyn enjoyed her nakedness in the Tennessee hills!

The kids were running around throwing melon rinds. I don't know...

My children getting in touch with their hillbilly side?

Such a fun evening with family. I am thankful we have been able to see them each year we have gone to Myrtle Beach.

Sweet Lynny Lou!

Sunday morning before we got back on the road, Cade tried out his tree climbing skills.

Maddi tried out her crafting skills with Aunt Lynn!

We had a wonderful visit and are so thankful for the hospitality of Aunt Lynn and Uncle Floyd. Maddi is hoping to get to make a trip out by herself next summer to spend some time with Aunt Lynn cooking and crafting and shopping. I'm not sure who will enjoy their time together more, Maddi or Aunt Lynn :) It makes me so happy to see how they have a special bond even though they've only seen each other a few times in Maddi's lifetime.