Backyard Barbecue

Yesterday we ended our afternoon and into the night with our Montana Second Cousins.  My husband's Uncle and Aunt take their grandsons for two weeks during the summer.  Our calendar's finally matched and the four of them came out to see us for an evening of fun.  The kids have only met on very quick occasions in the past, but after some barbecue in their bellies they became non-stop chatter of activity.

The evening was a switch for my daughter. She is used to always having lots of girls around; from friends in the neighborhood to lots of girl cousins. She found out quick what it was like to be solo at a party. But she didn't seem to mind, as she enjoyed hanging with the adults like an extra big kid.

The three boys play golf, so we got out the clubs and let them hit into the practice net. My daughter decided to give it a try and giggled and acted like she "didn't know" what she was doing. The boys, of course being boys and younger, decided to give her some friendly kidding. Until ... she chipped it perfectly into the bulls-eye red ring of the chipping net. The boys were not only quiet, but they scattered quickly to the swing set. It was classic and my daughter felt pretty cool; being a girl about to enter Middle School and all.

Dessert time around the fire pit brought out endless rounds of the telephone game. The cousins were hilarious at trying to get the message sent. I think a few times the older of the two would actually just switch the message to keep the game moving, because his little brother couldn't spit it out fast enough.

A great evening reconnecting with family by enjoying lots of stories and laughter.