Hardy Party of 4

Daniel's family spent the weekend together in the middle of nowhere Texas, but with church services on Friday night and Sunday morning, we declined the chance to join them.  I hated to pass up the chance for the kids to spend some time with so many aunts, uncles, grandparents and great-grandparents so we decided to join them, if only for Saturday. Before Daniel made it home from his night of work, the kids and I hit the road early Saturday morning for what we thought would be around a three-hour drive to spend the day at a lake with the family. But, when you don't announce your intended plan to those you're planning to join, you get what you deserve when they're not there! Ugh... 

We made it to the lake and found the campsite, but no family members were found. After many phone callsand much help from my sister-in-law working the phones with me, we located the group who was a little ways down another highway at Daniel's uncle's land, which is further into the middle-of-nowhere Texas. By this time, we only had four hours to spend with them before having to hit the road back home, but the trip was still worth our time and gas money. The kids had a blast at Uncle Stephen's land, and I'm sure we'll be headed back again soon, because they want a chance to spend more time exploring. They were absolutely thrilled with the day, even though we were gone 14 hours and spent just 4 out of the car.

Unfortunately for everyone else there, Cooper brought his Resurrection eggs and pestered anyone who would sit still long enough to go through the Easter story with him. Here he is with PaBear, Daniel's dad...

and the eggs again with Gigi, Daniel's mom, and Jamie, Daniel's cousin. 

Fortunately, Aunt Sharon distracted Cooper from the eggs to sort out some rocks and sticks. Then, she had both the kids enjoying a few rounds of Will It Float? with whatever treasure they found on the ground. If you hadn't yet guessed, Sharon is a magnificent kindergarten teacher, and the kids adore her!

Sharon's girls are also great with the kids and did their best to entertain Abigail and Cooper. I lost track of how many rounds of hide-and-go-seek Jamie played with Abigail.

Unfortunately, a storm blew in just before we left and it was quite chilly outside, but that didn't seem to phase the kids. They loved the land and enjoyed roaming and exploring. Cooper kept telling me he was going on a treasure hunt. When he found this plow (I think), he wanted me to "make it go." he he he... I'm sure even 75 years ago I couldn't have moved that thing an inch. 

And, Abigail was loving the attention from all the family members. Since she was born, we've rarely made it back to Texas, with visits being only once a year, at most. She's really enjoying our newfound proximity to family members and chance to get to know so many people who think she's adorable and will drop anything to play with her. 

The fun was short-lived and we had to head back home, but I hope we'll be back to Grace Me Guide soon. The cabin they've built is great, and the chance to be away from neighbors and relax is priceless. To give you an idea of how secluded the land is, I took a few pictures as I drove down the dirt county road leaving Steven's to return to the highway. First, we had to stop for cows standing in the road. I wish I could say they were crossing, but they were just standing. I waited them out and didn't bother them with the camera. They were just a few feet from me and didn't seem the slightest bit happy with me. A bit later, we had to stop for horses crossing the street to make it to dinner. 

Next was a herd of sheep crossing the road. We didn't have to wait long for them, they were trucking it once they saw my huge truck and grillguard coming towards them.

We still had another group of cows to stop for, but they were too quick for a picture, but I think you get the point. Ahhh... Isn't Texas great? I read something recently about the over population problem in America and how we have run out of room for people to live. I completely disagree, but I'm not going to speak up because I hope no one ever catches on to how much land we still have out here in Texas. I want there to still be enough places left for us to have our own secluded spot when we're older. It's pure bliss...