Tree-Tied
07-12-2003, 10:43 p.m.

Today was Stephen's family picnic. This is something that we look forward to every single year. Stephen has such a big family, lots of aunts and uncles, lots of cousin, second cousins and so on. This is the one time a year that we see many of them (some we see more often, but a lot of them not so much), and even though not everyone comes every year, I would have to say that there is easily about 100 people there each year. Stephen Aunt Geraldine (the one we go to Vegas with every year) pretty much runs most of it and has for a lot of years.. and she does so much. Every year, there are hundreds and hundreds of prizes for all the kids, and tons of games for them to play. I am not even kidding.. Chrissy and June easily came home with about 15 prizes each today, and would have gotten more if they didn't spend so much time romping in the woods. They also do egg tosses both for the kids, and the adults, horseshoe tournaments, pinata's, and so much more. It is just really a fun fun time. But the best part is just being with family. I love Stephen's family, and especially this side.. they are great people, and it was a great time today. I could just go on and on about it, but I think that says it all, hehe, and besides it has been a long long day, and I am really so very tired. I guess that I spent some time romping around the woods with the girls too, and that really takes a lot out of a person. I will tell you one funny story though...

The boys were up to something, and I knew they were. I asked them what they were planning, and they didn't want to tell me, but when I saw them carrying a rope into the woods, I pulled them aside to make sure that they were being careful and noone was getting hurt. They assured me that they were not doing anything bad, and I pretty much knew what they were up to.. they like to tease one of their cousins, and I heard them talking about tying him to a tree... okay, whatever, boys will be boys, I told Eric's mom and she said, ah, they won't hurt them, let em be... but then they got another idea instead....

A while later, June comes running out of the woods.. Kevin and I were standing there, and she told us to come right away.. turns out that the boys ambushed the girls in the woods, and tied Karolyn, Chrissy, Amy and Kimberly to a tree! How the heck they got them all at one time I don't even want to know, but only June got away. I was laughing, and I wanted to get some pictures of THAT, but they got out before we got there. They are now thinking of ways to get even.

Chrissy and June are spending the night at my MILs tonight. She invited them to spend the night, and Karolyn, Kimmy and Amy are there too. She gave them all money to go up to the carnival that is being thrown this weekend by our church, so they were out of there as soon as we got there, but we stayed and visited for a couple of hours. Mom and Dad didn't go to the picnic today because dad is still healing from his surgery, and so we decided to catch them up on it all. Nicole and the baby came over too, as well as a few of Stephen's cousin's, so it was just like a smaller group, hehe, and I enjoyed that. I am missing the girls lots tonight though, this is the first night they haven't been here in almost 2 weeks, and it just seems so strange without them. It's going to be rough taking them home tomorrow. The only good part about it all is getting some alone time with Stephen.

Man, Stephen... he has been so loving lately. Usually, we go our own ways at these things, I mean, we don't ignore each other, but he plays horseshoes with his cousins and uncles, and I play with the kids, and talk to his other cousins and stuff, and he did that today too, but everytime I turned around he there to give me a hug and kiss. I like it when we are in moods like this, hehe... never going to see me complain about it.. at least as long as he isn't tricking me to try to tie me to some tree, giggle.