Family Thanksgiving 2012--Redneck Style

"There’s nothing that makes you more insane than family. Or more happy. Or more exasperated. Or more . . . secure.” ~Jim Butcher, Publicity and Advertising

Well you already read about the hard part of Thanksgiving and about the excellent horseback riding adventure.  But there's lots more to the weekend recap.  My mom's entire family invaded as they do every year for lots of food, family and fun.

This year's family Thanksgiving theme.

We put Cousin Swiss Mister in charge of feeding the neighbor's horses and mucking out the stalls.  Clearly he took his job seriously.

On Friday morning, we preg checked the cows.  Cousin Swiss Mister was NOT prepared for this activity.  Here was his face when he got a glimpse of the first cow.

We couldn't get him to try one.  He said it gave him the creeps.  City boy.

And then all of the other crazy people arrived it it was time for the annual family shoot out.  Check out these pictures.  If this ain't redneck, I don't know what is.

Everyone shoots.  Men, women, children, teenagers, foreigners from Switzerland who come to visit.  And we shoot it all.  Shotguns, rifles, pistols, revolvers.  You name it.

 

We even drag first-timers into the fun.  Aunt Black Belt's sister came to family Thanksgiving for the first time.  When the shooting began, she repeatedly said, "I've never seen so many guns in my life!"  But then someone gave her a beer and a little later, there she was, crazy like all the rest of us!

 

The award for funniest shooter definately went to Aunt Delta Dawn.  Every time she would shoot she'd get a really mean, angry look on her face, fire the gun, and then drop her hands down by her knees.  It was bizarre.  She also had two excellent quotes.  When trying to look through the scope on a rifle, she says, "You know, I was never good with micrscopes either, that's probably what it is."  And when her grandson told her not to worry, that her last shot was close, she replied, "What?  Really?  How can you tell?"

After a day of riding and shooting, it was time for some eating.  So we all invaded the restaurant in Logan.  Poor waitresses.

On Saturday, we ate some more.  We really enjoy that.  We talked a lot.  We enjoy that too.  And then we played some baseball, some silly string wars, and watched some football. 

Silly string victim.

Speaking of things we enjoy, Cousin Kevin loves it when he has to hold hands during a prayer.  So, after seeing how much fun he had with that during grace before the meal, I made sure to get a picture so he could remember how much fun that was.

 

Cousin Kevin and Cousin Swiss Mister--two of my favorite people.

Poor Cousin Swiss Mister is a bit of a germo-phobe and does not deal well with double dippin.  So his sweet sister, knowing that my family would make him miserable, sent him his very own no-double dippin bowl.

After most everyone headed home, Coach A bought Gbaby over for a little visit.  How the that tiny little baby has turned into the almost-walking kid she is now is beyond me.  She's the cutest thing ever.  And she loves cake, just like her Godmother.  A kid after my own heart.  This was good practice for Cousin Swiss Mister and me...we're discussing getting ourselves a timeshare baby.  You know, since neihter one of us are getting any younger and all.

So, there ya have it.  Our big, fat redneck Thanksgiving.  I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.  They say that you can't choose your family, but I don't need to.  I was blessed to be put exactly where I would have chosen to be.