Equines and Escalades

As shown in the picture above...and everything in between! That's what you get when you head down the Natchez Trace to the middle of Mississippi to spend post-Christmas at Aunt Jane and Uncle Charlie's house...

If it can be ridden, either they've got it or we took it with us!
Needless to say, it's always a good time. We eat ourselves miserable, talk ourselves silly, and catch up on everything under the sun. When we got there last Tuesday afternoon the first thing Cate wanted to do was ride a horse. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't have happened if it were up to me. I've been terrified of horses since I almost got thrown off and trampled by one when it took off running without me knowing how to stop it. But being a mom means doing things you wouldn't normally do for anyone or anything. So here you go...
My shades hide the fear in my eyes. Want to take a wild guess as to what happened when we were on it? It took off running without me knowing how to stop it. It was like deja vu. Why a horse doesn't recognize "whoooaaaa" when I'm on it I'll never know. Cate knew something was up and immediately decided she was done with it. When she tried to get off her owl skirt fell to her ankles, which is a problem when you're as modest as she is. But Uncle Charlie assured her that it happens to him all the time and then she was fine...
I managed to keep my composure long enough to take Towns for a spin on my 4-legged enemy...
She's just like her daddy and would have ridden all afternoon had her mother not objected. Anna Grace got a horse for Christmas and this is where she spent a great deal of time...
She and Mary Catherine are such naturals...
Bethany shares my feelings about horses, so you could count on the two of us not standing in line for our turn! They're beautiful animals. They really are. But I can't help but being a little scared of something that's bigger than me.
Buggy quickly came to the realization that her Escalade was as fine a ride as any...
Somewhere along the way one of her babies misbehaved and needed a talking to...
I think she's asking Bitty Baby if she needs "vinevar" (aka vinegar) in her mouth for being sassy. Where could she have gotten that from? I honestly have no idea...

My 6 year old brother, Max, has my Pop's old BB gun and brought it along for fun. He graciously offered to give me a lesson in how to successfully take out a Diet Coke can...
I didn't have the heart to tell him that I shot that same gun when I was his age. I let him teach me his tricks and then showed him a thing or two as well. :)

It wasn't long before the girls found Sweet Pea. That poor pooch was just a puppy when we were there last year and got carried around like a baby by these two...
I'm pretty sure she's never recovered. Too bad there aren't two Sweet Peas. It's hard for two little girls to share one dog. And what Cate wants, Cate usually finds a way to get...
That same afternoon my mom's cousin Barbara drove over from Tchula for a short visit. As usual, we were all gathered around hanging onto her every word...
She's got to be one of the most interesting people I know. She's spent over 30 years doing mission work in Haiti. She's raised three boys in the jungles of Suriname where they had monkeys for pets. We've always told her that she needs to write a book. You might remember me telling you several years ago about her middle son, Matt. He and his wife were raising their 5 very young children in Haiti where he partnered with an organization that started churches. On his way to meet another preacher about a new church he was killed when his motorcycle was hit by a truck driving down a dirt road. It was an absolutely devastating time. But what a comfort to know that he was right where he was meant to be doing the work he was meant to do. Knowing Matt, he wouldn't have had it any other way. Barbara still goes back to Haiti and was actually there during the earthquake. I don't believe in consequence. It's providence that she was there when it happened. If she wouldn't have been, she would have found a way to get there. Oh, the stories she can tell!

After Barbara's visit there was still lots of time for sitting around the fire pit solving the world's problems...
And turning the kids loose in huge fields just to see what they could do...
Santa coordinated Towns and Max's Christmas gifts so that they'd be on an equal playing field...We spent some time at the barn watching Anna Grace get lessons in riding her horse...
Somehow J talked her into getting off long enough to let him ride...
I was quite impressed!

We had plenty of opportunity to consume endless amounts of birthday cake...
My mom and Anna Grace both celebrated birthdays while we were there!
Birthday cake makes for happy children...
When Towns wasn't on Bebby's hip she was attached to Mary Catherine...
She told MC that she wanted to stay with her forever. Mary Cat told her that they'd see each other again really soon. Towns took it to heart and told her she'd back her bags as soon as she got home. Bless her!
As usual, Cate was mostly interested in her babies and caffeine...
Some things never change!

We enjoyed ourselves, but there's really nothing like coming home to your own bed. We're such homebodies. Since we've been home you can usually see us doing this...
And intentionally dodging the camera...
P.S. There's nothing like a system in the back of a little girl's recreational vehicle. Wouldn't you agree? I wish I could tell you that she didn't tell me she was ready to go back to the "hizzouse" during Towns' cheer practice this afternoon. Lord help us all...