How we Do It...

This past week-end, the two largest Hoolies and Kev went on their annual "All Boys, No Girls Allowed" Fishing trip with some friends where they were fish slayin' maniacs and where they could run wild in all their glory.  Before they left, Jesse talked to me on the phone and said:  "I miss you, Mama.  I really wish you could come...but you know the rules.  No girls..."

To which I replied:  "No worries, Love.  You go and have yourself a blast during this week-end of predicted torrential rain."  And they really did.  I however, was quite thrilled with the fact that I am indeed... a girl.

So, me and the two littlest Littles kicked ourselves up to the County for London's debut of a rollicking redneck good time.  I shall now give you a documentary - in mostly pictorial fashion - of how we do "fun" when we kick ourselves up North:

Well, first of all, and of utmost importance....

All of my babies have to be initiated into the the four-wheeling nap time ride of wonder.  Back when Jesse was an infant, this was the ONLY thing that would get him to stop his screaming.  Every single one of my babies has been lulled to sleep on one of these things.  It's a Booker tradition.

This is not how she rode, by the way.  I either wear my babies in snuglies right up close to my body, or I hold them in my arms while on back of the wagon.  And all of my babies have also fallen asleep to the tune of my Mama saying:  "I sure hope they don't get brain damage on this thing.  ROYCE!!!!  Slow down!!  We've got a baby on back of here....."

It's how we do it.
And I love it.
It's one of my very most favorite things in the whole. wide. world.

London was just having a little snooze there while we were getting some sustenance:

Another thing that we do is we always stop along the trail somewhere for a redneck snack of glory.  And this snack always and most certainly involves:  grapes, sharp cheese, crackers, and sardines.

Kevy-Poo is not a fan of this redneck snack, and my Dad teases him something awful.  Kev will eat just about anything in the whole wide world - but smoked sardines and oysters are not his cup of tea...

This is how we do it:
And it's delish.

Dainty finger foods of yum....which also give one wondrous breath, might I add.

On this four-wheeler ride, we decided to ride a couple of towns over to where my Great Grammy Simpson lives, so that my wee little baby girl could meet her Great Great Grammy face to face....and so that I could hug and kiss this sweet woman and have her hug and kiss me and mine.

I think they liked each other.
Grammy kept saying:  "She's such a nice baby.  Isn't she awful nice?"

We think so...
Great Grammy is One hundred and two.  And a half.
She rocks.

Okay.
Another fun thing that I like to do when I go up Home is to go and visit my big brother Clay and see what sorts of shenanigans he's been up to.  One never knows what this man has up his sleeve.  Like a little while ago, he got his two kids a puppy each.  And then a few more months later this happened:

And then...just recently they decided to buy this:
I love her, and I want one.

 I gave her kisses and hugs...and she's going to have a baby.
And I would like one of those, too.

This is what we like to do on rainy days:

Tea parties with lots of treats.

And this is what happens to my three year old when he so desperately wants to go an adventure to find turtle eggs with Grampy....but it's naptime...but "I'm not thleepy 'cause I'm a big boy..." :

Needless to say...he didn't see any turtle eggs...but we didn't either, so he didn't miss much.
Oh, you like Dad's truck?  It's how we do it up there.
You never know what you might need...

And this is what a really rockin' father looks like when he knows his only-est daughter is coming home...and there is only one thing in the whole wide world that she craves and that she is completely addicted to.  His and only his homemade brown sugar fudge.

And so he made it.  Campfire style:

 Rachael Darrah, this is the picture that I tried to text you...

Ooooh Baby... this stuff is amazing.
My dad doesn't use a recipe, however - so his fudge is impossible to replicate.  His instructions go a little something like this:  "Cook it till the tadpole stage...then add the rest of the ingredients...and stir it till your arm gets tired."

Very detailed, Daddy-O...
It's how he does it.

This entire pan was consumed in two days.
No joke.
It's how we do it.

And this is another fun thing that we like to do:

This is Dad's homemade trap that we set with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to catch us some skunks or  coons.  The boys love it.  We didn't catch anything this time.  But, if we did, we'd load it on back of Dad's truck and take it on over to "Skunk Hill" to let it go.

Redneck fun.  I tell you what...there's nothing like it!

This visit, most of the weekend was super cold and rainy.
Very un-summer like.
So, you want to know what we did?  We made homemade coffee ice cream!

Obviously....

Because, doesn't everyone make homemade ice cream on cold, dreary days....especially after eating a double batch of brown sugar fudge?  It's how we do it.....

But, I think one of the things that I most love about going up Home to see my family....is my family itself.
I especially love cousins who are more like brothers who stop by for lunch and baby snuggles....
And I love that our house is always full of loud and people and crazy and fun...

I love other cousins who come over at the drop of a hat when they find out that there is a new baby cousin to hold...and other cousins who make a special effort to stop in just to hold the baby for a second before they head downstate for the weekend...and still other cousins who have already been downstate and are totally and completely pooped - but they still stop over just to say hi.  I love that.

That's family love.
And that's how we do it.