The Wetlands

We finally got everything loaded, and we are on the road!  Here we come Louisiana!  

In the middle of packing and loading, Ryland smacked himself in the mouth.  It was pretty bad, and there was blood and screaming.  He did end up losing a top front tooth, so the Tooth Fairy had to find him way out at the Wetlands.  I don't know how she did it, but she found him and left a sweet surprise.  $20 bill!  The tooth fairy must not have had change for her unexpected trip.

We all enjoyed being outdoors and spent a little time fishing.  It was nice to be outside and ride around in the boat.  Ryland reeled in a fish, and we saw a pretty large snake in the water.  Ryland also lost his other top front tooth today, so we had to send a memo to the Tooth Fairy, again.

We had a ton of fun visiting and catching up with everyone.  It was nice to see how everyone is changing as more kiddos are born.  The corn hole, skeet shooting, and beer drinking are still in full effect, but there are some more yard toys and play pins.

Reed was the ultimate frog catcher.  He loved tracking and catching these frogs as they hopped across the porch and patio.  He was very stealth-like and grabbed them quickly.  He would play with them a little while, and then he would let them go.

The inflatable water slide was a huge hit again.  Reed wouldn't take a break for a picture, and I snapped this one of Ryland as he ran over for more sunscreen.  They loved it!  Ridley threw a fit to get on it, but it didn't go so well.  She slid down screaming one time, and that pretty much changed her mind about the slide.

Ridley had a blast at the Wetlands.  She was a trooper and went along with whatever we were doing.  I did have some long, wonderful naps with her in the cool bunk house.  I love those sweet still moments.  On the way home, I picked her up this Cinderella drink when they boys got ICEEs.  She was so excited and held the bottle like a baby.  Too funny!

1st Annual Memorial

In memory of JP, a large group of friends and family gathered at the Wetlands in Columbia, LA to celebrate his life.  It was a fun weekend away from normal life with fun folks and great food.  Corn hole was a constant competition, and I am proud to say my team whooped John Chris and Trevor's rear.  Just saying.

 

 

Hundreds of pounds of crawfish to peel and eat.  Yummy!

 

We took the boys fishing at one of the ponds, and we quickly realized we didn't have enough crickets or hands to help.  Both boys caught their first fish on their first cast.  Needless to say, their expectations were set way too high after that.

 

Reed shows off his first fish.

 

 

Ryland is proud of his first catch too.

 

This is the disorganized group shot of a bunch of people who couldn't stop talking and had been drinking too much.  We are on the porch between the center two columns.  It was an awesome group.

 

The boys and Millie Marie are worn out, and they are about to call it a night.

 

We stayed in one of the houses at the Wetlands, and it wasn't roughing it at all.  The house was super nice, and the boys enjoyed taking it easy for another day of fun. 

 

Reed made a new girlfriend upon arrival, and they loved to play outside.  Here they are playing a little soccer.

As if there wasn't enough to do, the kids had a 20ft water slide to play on.  The kids had a blast on it until the adults had to come try it out.  Ryland loved it and really enjoyed sliding and splashing in the water pool.  Reed wasn't a fan and was very upset when John Chris took him down the slide.  He screamed bloody murder.

 

Some of the guys found baby alligators and brought them back so everyone could check them out.  Reed was apprehensive, but he did pet one.

 

 

Ryland didn't want anything to do with the alligators.  John Chris finally convinced him to hold one.  A few hours later, when Ryland tried to pet it again, the alligator snapped Ryland's finger.  He can say he has been bitten by an alligator and lived to tell about it.