Weekend with the Williams

Last weekend we took the Williams family to Llano with us. Ricky and Jason wanted to go kayaking on the Llano River and I told Katy we could take the kids to the parade and possibly the rodeo on Saturday night. We all met up at Chick-fil-a(yummy...we miss that place) and headed to Llano from there. After a quick stop at my parents' house to get a few necessities, we finally got to the cabin around 9pm. After we got everything unloaded, all the beds made, etc it was time to TRY to get some sleep! Four out of six kids slept on the floor on mattresses while Jason slept on a bottom bunk, Katy and Deacon (2 yrs) on a small couch made into a bed, Cohen (3months) in his pack and play, and us in a bed on the screened porch! Ricky and I have always loved sleeping out on the porch, but it is hot this time of the year so we were expecting to be pretty sweaty. We put a fan right at the foot of our bed and surprisingly we were actually a little too cool by the middle of the night. Everyone seemed to sleep well so we were ready for a full day on Saturday.

Ricky and I cooked a big country breakfast...scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage, and biscuits with gravy. It was all very good!! After breakfast Katy, my mom, and I took all SIX kids to find a good spot in town to watch the parade. I remember as a little girl sitting on the curb in front of the PCA office where my Granny used to work...and that is exactly where the kids sat! It was neat to see history repeating itself. The kids loved the parade and it was fun to see so many people we know in town. After the parade we rode out to Valley Spring for a surprise retirement party for my Aunt Joni. She had just finished her 38th year of teaching. My cousins did a great job decorating the back yard in a luau theme and had delicious finger food for us to enjoy. We left after a nice swim in their big pool to cool off. Jason and Ricky really enjoyed their kayaking venture down the river and their lunch at Cooper's (go figure). We were all exhausted and hot by the time we met up with the guys back at the cabin so we decided to just let the older three kids (Seth, Kalyn, and Sheldon) go to the rodeo with my parents that evening. We also decided it would be best for us to stay at the house instead of at the cabin so we could shower and get a good night's sleep before church the next day. Before we loaded our stuff, we roasted hot dogs with the kids which was lots of fun! They all really enjoyed doing that. We got the three older kids all dressed for the rodeo and off they went while we packed up our stuff and headed to the house. It was N-I-C-E to take a cool shower and relax in the house with good old air conditioning. I don't know how in the world people lived without that in the old days...whew! I was also beginning to not feel well with a sinus infection so that probably made it seem worse for me. Ricky and I really enjoyed getting to know Jason and Katy better while we snacked on yummy homemade cookies and good ole Dr Pepper. My parents and the kids finally made it home around 10:30 and had a great time. It was Seth's first rodeo so it was really fun for Kalyn and Sheldon to introduce him to it! We all were in bed and fast asleep before too long.

Sunday morning came around way too fast. Ricky cooked pancakes and bacon for our breakfast and we all enjoyed every bite. We all got to church just in time for class and we enjoyed introducing our friends to everyone. After worship we ate in the annex for a potluck which is always the best I have ever had. That church is full of GREAT cooks...and many are in my family as well! :o) We are so blessed. It was time to go home after lunch so we said our goodbyes and were on our way.

Jason, Katy, Seth, Kenna, Deacon, and Cohen...we had so much fun getting to know your family! Our kids played so well together and I loved getting my "baby fix" for the whole weekend. Cohen is a sweetheart and such a good baby. We look forward to building our friendship you all!