Surprise visits...fishing adventures.

Please forgive me for ignoring you all, my adoring masses. It has been quite the two weeks here in chalet Missy. My darling Monkeybutt attended his first sleepaway camp last week (4-H camp) and was NOT happy to leave. He would have happily nature hiked and canoed the rest of the summer away. Even the promise of another week of camp (this time at the highly coveted Camp Ernst - that of the giant water slide and banana boats) did not immediately raise his spirits. He did have some great stories and information to share when he returned, however, including an interesting ghost story, a recipe for something called "puppy chow", and tips for identifying a coral snake. Did you know there are 4 venomous snakes indigenous to Kentucky?
On the 4th, after a rousing bbq with some friends, we attended the local festival. It was small, and not so very interesting to the adult folk with me, but the Girl Child was pretty thrilled. She played some of the free games and danced to the country (shudder) band with several of her little girl friends (one of the lovely aspects of moving here - we actually run into people we know). We sat right by our car and watched the fireworks, which was very cool - they were right over our head. Would have been better had it not started pouring right before the finale - but we had a good time. And we needed the rain, so I can't complain.
This past weekend my aunt (mother's sister) surprised us with a visit. She and a friend drove down from Columbus on Friday. I was cleaning out my car (an attack with crayons, several snack-filled car trips, and a vomiting episode convinced me it was time) and noticed a van driving up and down our cul-de-sac. People get lost here all the time so I thought nothing of it until it stopped in front of our house. I was about to duck for cover (I thought the woman trudging up my lawn was going to try to sell me something), until I realized it was my beloved Aunt MB. They stayed until Monday morning and we spent the weekend chatting, bbq-ing, roasting marshmallows, watching our neighbors set off ridiculously dangerous, but very cool fireworks, playing basketball...and fishing. Yes, my darling studmuffin actually guilted me into waking up early Sunday morning to go fishing. Ok, well, I don't fish...but I brought my chair and prepared to watch the children fish. But they continually needed assistance (darn 4 year-old), and I even had to unravel a snagged line from a tree. There were some highlights, though...

• The girl child caught her first fish ever. Very exciting.
• She learned to cast - properly and well. She's very proud.
• Studmuffin fell in the pond trying to get a hook out of a tree. Tee hee.

GC also kept referring to the fish she caught as "blue jays". They were blue gills, of course. That is obnoxiously funny at 7AM.

My one regret is having (of course) forgotten my camera. It was early!

It was a nice visit and a lovely surprise. The kids fell in love with both of them...our big family reunion is next weekend and both were asking if they'd be there, and are thrilled that they will be. What a wonderful thing for our kids to get to know extended family - beyond the parents and grandparents...It gives them a sense that they come from something big.