April Showers in Arkansas

 

We went to Arkansas a couple of weeks ago to celebrate Easter and some family birthdays with our family.

Friday night, we got to see Mimi and Grumpy.  We went to eat with them and some other family members…but no pictures.  It never stopped raining the entire time we were there, but Friday night was the worst.  We were at a little restaurant in this really old house out in the boonies (Monte Ne Chicken House for you locals!) and people kept checking their phones and saying, “Oh there’s a tornado on the ground in Gentry.”….”There’s one at Hyfill now…”  Of course I’m freaking out and don’t know where these towns are in relation to where WE are and then the restaurant owner started walking around the restaurant telling everyone where to go “if the lights go out.”  We were supposed to go into the middle of the little building and get under the tables.  He said “when the lights go out because that means it’s taken out the electricity poles and is on it’s way to us” and I’m thinking, “UMMMM won’t it be too late at that point?!”  I hate feeling so helpless like that and Jeff wasn’t there but I had both kids (and of course plenty of people there that would help with them) and I seriously cried.  I hate tornados!  Obviously, we were fine and did not end up having to get under any tables :)

I didn’t bust out the camera until the next day.  Saturday we headed over to Aunt Jan’s house with a TON of family members.  I think the final count was 45 or something.  I knew most of them ;)

One highlight of the day was THREE babies to see and hold and coo at!

This is Emalyn and she is the oldest at 6 months.  She is the happiest baby I’ve ever met.  (My cousin Brittany’s baby.)

 

My hand got in the way of the flash and this is the only picture I got of cute little Adelyn and her Nonna and Granddad.  Here she was only 2 months old and so precious!

The third baby was even younger, like a few weeks old I think.  She is the baby of my mom’s cousin Shawn, which makes her my second cousin and Shelby and Coleman’s second cousin once removed (I think!  I like figuring all that out!)

Here she is with her granddad Rick, who is my Nana’s little baby brother :)  Rick and his family were in town all the way from Montana!

 

More highlights of the day were seeing all the kids run around.  It’s so cool seeing the newest generation grow.  Just a short 6 years ago there were no (or very few) kids and this year there were 13 kids running around!

It was so wet and rainy that we didn’t do much of an egg hunt.  Inside, they made froot loop necklaces. (Here, McKenzie, Cole and Cooper)

McKenzie and Shelby are 6 months apart.  They are second cousins.

   

Shelby helped entertain Emalyn :)

(Hi Nonnie and Poppy!!)

Oh, another reason that the kids were in heaven:  DOGS!  Lots of DOGS!!

  

Women cookin’ and yappin’ in the kitchen, men standin’ around watching meat cook, and kids cuddled around a tv :)  It’s tradition!

 

There was also a little boy there that was Coleman’s age.  Hunter is also one of Shawn’s (mentioned above) kids.

 

  

 

April birthdays include my mom, Shelby, my Nana, and my Mimi!  It was great to get to see ALL of them and celebrate these most special women in our lives!