Family Time

A few weeks ago I went to go visit my Aunt Jamie and her kids with Ben. After a ton o cancellations and rescheduling we finally got together with them for Sunday dinner and games. I brought Aunt Jamie and Ashely some cookies from Cookie Cousins and found some super cheap ones for the boys, well because they are boys and it doesn't really matter to them as long as it tastes good right?! While Aunt Jamie was cooking dinner, I noticed Brice licking all of our silverware at the table and then placing them back down for us to pick up and use later. What a little booger, but that's what I love so much about him! The boys were all getting their haircuts and boy, you would have thought that they were sitting in the electric chair instead of a stool getting their hair cut. Poor Hayden had snot drooling out of his nose.... kind of gross, in a cute way... Once the kids went to bed, Ben and I played Cranium with Aunt Jamie and Uncle Jeremy. I think Ben got to see where my competitive nature and absolute silliness comes from. Needless to say Ben and I lost, but there will be a rematch, so bring it Aunt Jamie!

Last weekend Ben and I headed up to Jacksonville to see my Aunt Jodi and her family. I never really get to spend alone time with them so it was much needed and I miss the girls! Ben and I left late Thursday night after our classes and we got there around midnight. Aunt Jodi hadn't told the girls that I was coming, but that they were going to have a surprise in the morning. Well I heard the girls get up super early and since I was laying in Kaitlyn's bed I slowly sat up to say, "Hi!" In hindsight I realize how stupid that was because watching someone slowly rise out of your bed right when you wake up, especially when its dark and you have no clue who that person is, is probably one of the scariest things a person could see. It scared Kaitlyn, but thanks to Taylor she realized it was me and both came to give me a big hug. Ben got to sleep in the "dungeon" so he got to sleep in super late, so while he slept and my aunt was at work and I was sitting at her house along, I watched 4 episodes of gangland--intense. Once I got Ben up and we both got dressed we went with Aunt Jodi and Kaitlyn to eat lunch with Taylor at her school. Both girls are hilarious and crack me up. They remind me so much of me and Lindsey.

After lunch, Ben and I went into Jacksonville. Since we're both into historic kind of stuff we decided to hit up the Southern Museum of History. I have 4 words for you, "War Between the States." If you grew up in the south at all, you know that as a true sign of a Dixie boy, and, according to our curator, another sign of a Dixie boy is "that stompin you can't stop when you hear old Dixie playin and then you let out a good ole rebel yell!" Southern Pride. White Power. These are just a few of the things I learned about in this intsy wintsy museum. I did learn a lot though, in all seriousness. They had an extensive Civil War (excuse me, War between the states) library and the man even showed us how to look up our southern ancestors and see what battles they fought and what their end out comes were... There was only one Hornsby, and I have no clue if I'm related, but the man told me that I shouldn't want to because he went AWOL and defected to the north (the reaction on that man's face when he read it was CLASSIC!).

Once we left our little precious museum, we hit up the Jacksonville Landing. MAJOR disappointment, probably because it was Friday during the afternoon while everyone was still at work. There was, however, a big blue bridge that we could walk across and see the skyline and river, so we did that. We found a ladder up on the bridge for maintenance guys, so we climbed up it. Let's just say I got nervous from the hight. After that adventure, I had Ben drive me around to tons of different craft places and Publix so I could get stuff to make caramel apples with the girls because, IT'S OCTOBER!!! I finally found everything I needed to make them and the girls and I had a blast doing it, even if my aunt still probably has most of them still in her fridge because the chocolate and sprinkles on them were too much. I got to pick the Friday movie night movie, Hercules, and it was great!

The next morning, Ben and I took the girls geocaching. I explained it to them that it was a treasure hunt and that people hide things and we have to find them and that sometimes there are treasures in them! Sounds exciting huh?! Well the first one we tried finding was unfindable, and once we found the second one, the girls were tired and the "treasure" was not at all what they had imagined. Regardless, I got to spend some quality time with them and I wouldn't trade that for anything! After that we left and it was really hard to leave my Aunt Jodi and her girls. They were the getaway I needed! I loved spending all that time with them and I hope Ben did too... I think the girls just used him for his iPhone.

Once we left we hit up St. Augustine, one of my favorite places ever! It was rainy and Ben and I both were kind of over the day, but we decided to go see Ft. Matanzas just south of St. Augustine. Smallest fort ever! It was really cool because 1. it was free and 2. they had actors there to show you everything and they shot off a couple of cannon balls.

All in all I loved spending all of that quality time with my Aunts. There is nothing like making memories with your family members and I sure am lucky to have the Aunts that I do. They love me and I love them; what more could I want?