A few of Emma's 50 cousins
Hudson, Joseph, Joslyn, Emma and Jasmin
Feeding the ducks at one of Kraig and Janette's ponds
Joseph was leading Hudson into the frigid water
Aunt Janette helped Emma catch her first fish EVER!!! Emma wasn't quite sure what she was doing, but Janette showed her exactly what to do and then helped her reel in her first catch! It was so fun to watch Emma's face as she saw the fish coming in. She giggled as it flapped around and she could harldy wait to touch it!
Proud of her catch! I was so happy for her!
I actually think the part she enjoyed most was letting the little guy go. It flapped itself around a few times in the mud before hitting the water! Then he was gone!
Boys will be boys.
Snuggling with three of Janette's four.
The day after we arrived at my dad's house in Ruleton, we went to my sister's house north of Burlington. As Emma and her cousins played near the water, I was flooded with memories of my childhood. I didn't realize until I was in college that swimming in dirty pond water was kind of gross. I loved that part of growing up! My dad would back the pickup up to the edge of the tail-water pit and we'd jump into the murky waters, never stopping to wonder what the heck we were jumping into!! Nobody thought to care! We were just kids on the farm, having fun! I miss those days! From Janette's house to the pond, we had to drive about a quarter of a mile, so we loaded the kids up into the back of the pickup (tailgate down) and drove down there! I can't remember the last time I was in the back of a pickup truck!! The uncertainty in Emma's eyes made me certain she's never experienced it before! Such a simple thing, but so not a normal part of life for us! I tried to convince Emma to go swimming in the freshwater pond, but the water was frigid and she was more than not interested; she was crying! I wanted her to love every aspect of being on the farm, and I was kind of disappointed that she didn't like it. . . until I took a few steps into the water. FREEZING!!! As much as I wanted her to like it, I wouldn't even go very far!
The kids played around the other pond for a few hours and then we went back to Janette's house. My sister Sharon was there and getting ready to go to a volleyball game for my niece Brooklyn. I ended up going to that game (but was too late to see it) and got to spend some time with Sharon and Sean and at least see Brooklyn. After the games were over, I took two of Sharon's kids to Burger King for slushies while she went to a parent/teacher meeting. One thing I don't get to do enough of is play the part of the aunt who gives treats. I love doing that kind of thing, but living far away from family kind of prevents me from doing it more often. Emma and I had a great time with Alexis and Hunter before we headed back to Ruleton for a BBQ at my brother Daniel's house. My dad (and his wife), Daniel (and his wife and two kids), two other brothers, Doug (and his wife) and David, and my sister Linda (with her two kids) were there. Kind of sounds like a lot of people, but it felt so small compared to what our family gatherings are usually like! My brother Daniel makes some of the best meat I've ever had. He and Karen also put up corn every year and it is the absolute best! Mmmm.
