Mark's brother, Kevin, and his family live in Mississippi. When we started planning our trip, we knew we had to include a stop to see them because what are the chances we will pass through Mississippi again? Graham and Nellie were extra eager for this stop on the trip. Graham remembered having so much fun with Lizzie and Maggie at our Winters Reunion three years ago. Nellie doesn't remember anything from that reunion, but she couldn't wait to meet her two-year old cousin, Ellie. That's right. Nellie and Ellie.
Soon after we arrived, Kevin made dinner for the kids, and then we left Aubree in charge for a couple hours while Kevin and Katie took Mark and me out to eat (we made sure to check with Aubree first, and she didn't complain because they were allowed to watch TV the whole time we were gone).
Our desired restaurant had a 30 minute wait, so we took an impromptu tour of Old Vicksburg while we waited. Kevin and Katie have really done their homework. We felt like we had personal tour guides! Vicksburg has a fascinating history.
When our table was ready, we made our way up to a rooftop restaurant. Not long after we were seated, they even rolled the roof back! Pictures just can't do this view justice. It was gorgeous! The weather was perfect, the food was delicious, and the company couldn't be beat. The peaceful, natural setting was such a juxtaposition to our morning in New Orleans. I'm sure this will be one of my top memories of our trip.
We got home to find the kids equally contented. Lizzie and Maggie immediately decided they really liked Bryce (they jokingly called him "Brycicle") and spent the rest of our visit randomly coming up and latching themselves onto his arm.
I awoke Sunday morning at 3 am because my phone was buzzing with an emergency weather alert: "Tornado Warning until 4 am in your area. Take shelter immediately!" Uh oh! That's certainly a first for me. I expected to hear Kevin and Katie hop up and take control of the situation. I imagined waking up 8 children and crowding into center room. But they never came. I thought about knocking on their door, but instead figured, "if they're not worried, I probably shouldn't be too worried either." I tried to go back to sleep, but every sound made me question, "is that the sound of a tornado?" When 4 am came, I allowed myself to relax back to sleep, but a severe thunderstorm hit a few minutes later. Southern thunderstorms are no joke!
Church didn't start on Sunday until 10 am (a benefit of having only one ward in the building), which gave the storm a chance to calm down. We had plenty of time in which to get ready. In fact, I was able to do Lizzie and Maggie's hair in matching criss-cross braids, and do Ellie and Nellie's hair in matching pigtails. Katie let Nellie wear one of Maggie's too-small dresses (a special, hand-made by Katie dress). Nellie was so excited! Aubree was a little jealous. "Nellie's the only one who gets to wear different church clothes!"
My kids were shocked at the small size of their church building. They were especially surprised to find that the cultural hall doubled as the chapel and that there were no pews. One of the youth speakers mentioned that this was his 3rd time speaking in Sacrament meeting since January; that kind of thing doesn't happen in our ward! We also got to hear Lizzie sing a special musical number with all the Activity Days girls (four of them).
Since many of their primary classes were combined, Thane went to class with Lizzie and Graham went to class with Maggie. We gave Nellie the choice of going to Sunbeams or going to nursery with Ellie. She chose nursery and had a great time mothering all the little ones.
An unexpected bonus was a sneak preview of the new youth program the Church is implementing next year. Katie's ward is one of the 11 pilot stakes.
In the late afternoon, when the kids started to get stir-crazy, we took a walk to get a sneak-peak of the Vicksburg National Military Park. It was hot, hot, hot! Nellie walked part of it, but she frequently coerced Uncle Kevin or Mark to carry her.
But, we persevered and were rewarded with beautiful views, an impressive monument, and worn-out kids.
Bryce was rewarded for his efforts with terrible allergies. I guess Mississippi pollen is just as bad as Texas pollen. Poor kid. He felt a bit better after some allergy medicine, water, and rest.
Sunday's dinner was a special treat; Katie made us traditional, Southern shrimp n' grits (on Instagram I said she made us "grits and shrimp" and got called out for getting them in the "wrong" order. I'm clearly not from the south!). Everything was scrumptious!
And if that wasn't enough, she made beignets for dessert. I suppose we haven't experienced real Southern food unless it's fried, right? Nellie loved the fried doughnuts so much that she cried and cried after she'd had three, and we told her no more.
Monday was Thane and Katie's birthdays, so that extra special day will get its own post. Tuesday morning we got up and out the door by 7:30 am, partly because we had a long day of driving, and partly because that's when Kevin and Katie and their kids left home. Lizzie begged us to stay "just one more day." My kids were fully on board with that plan. The good news is that we will get to see them all again in a month! They are starting their own epic road trip (only they're braver than we are because they are doing a lot of camping and taking a 2-year old) and our paths cross in South Dakota. I'm so glad, because saying "see you soon" is infinitely better than "good-bye."
2 comments:
Hey, they weren't allowed to watch TV the WHOLE time we were gone to dinner! It was just after Ellie went to bed. I think we left around 530. Ellie was supposed to go to bed at 700/730, and we got home by 800pm. :)
We are so glad you came to visit!
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