Cousin Camp!

Lyndon & I spent the last 5 days in Arkansas. Most of it was in Conway (my honey's hometown & current habitat of his eldest sis) but there were also trips around the area. Most pointedly, we spent one day in Scott, Arkansas, to visit sister Sunny's co-op farm & eat a burger at a famous (read, Man vs. Food has taken a challenge there) place called Cotham's. Had my sweet little one not been suffering what we presume must be allergies, the weather been a tad more merciful, and --oh yea--this momma didn't suddenly have a mammoth fear of the giant bees she saw coming up to sting said little one.....we may have not gotten in the car to nurse. ;) We DID go see the hogs, baby pigs, and goats. But after that little trek it was off to the A/C in the car for us! We also spent the afternoon at sister Sunny's Little Rock home to celebrate cousins Jax & Jackson as they both embark on the grand age of seven.

Having a 3 1/2 month old did mean that we didn't participate in all the slated 'cousin camp' activities such as the water park and "dig for gold" outside, but I still felt we got the great end of the experience. A majority of the time was just about letting the 3-8 yr olds play together & nurture those special cousin bonding times while the grown ups cooked, talked, and just hung out. I loved it!

Tanner has 3 older sisters. All mothers of 3 children each. (that makes Lyndon cousin #10). And guess what? I love all 3 of those girls! They are 3 very individual, unique women. Yet I truly find things in common with each one. I love to talk music, pop culture, and gardens with Sunny, plus she has a great sense of humor. Joanna & I are both (former) teachers...and we both live in OKC so we see each other quite a bit. She goes above & beyond with offers to watch Lyndon & having us over for dinner. The eldest, Lani, is who I see the least but we always pick right back up where we left off. Until she began to homeschool, she worked as an OT so we love to talk developmental psych-ish kind of things. Not to mention her 2 teenage sons play violin & guitar, so she loves to bounce things in that realm off of me. I could go on & on with more commonalities, but the heart of it is that they treat me like a sister. I should've been nervous coming in as the first female in-law...women can be brutal!...but they never have, nor I predict never will, give me reason to feel like a second-class citizen.

If I try to look from their perspective, I suppose they instantly loved me when they saw how much I loved their brother. He is, after all, the 'baby' of 5 kids & I am sure some maternal protectiveness is warranted. But I suppose they "approved" of me long ago because my role with them fell into place quickly & naturally. That is the thing, though...they aren't the type of women that size people up too quickly. They take it as they see it & go with it.

Most of our conversations revolved around cooking, thrift shopping, kids, babies...

I am quite certain I've given them plenty of reason to think I'm strange...I am the Curl Girl, after all...but I just don't ever get treated like I am. ;)

I can't wait for Lyndon to grow up with all their kiddos.

I am so very grateful for 3 wonderful new sisters!!