The Dather Family: In laws...

Monday, March 21, 2011

In laws...

While most people try to steer clear of their in-laws, I happen to enjoy being around mine very much. Caleb and I used to hang out with them as a couple when we were dating/newlyweds. Seriously...we would watch American Idol, play cards, battle on the wii, ring in the new year, or even just sit around and talk until it was wayyyy past our bedtime. Now that we have our sweet Mia though, times have changed. Our curfew is now around 8:00-8:30 if we want to have any sanity by the end of the night. So we usually try to hang out with them during the daytime.

My mother-in-law is always inviting the family over to eat (and boy can this lady cook)! The only time we ever turn her down is if we absolutely just cannot make it. I love when March 16th rolls around, because I know that she is going to want to cook for my birthday, but I also know that her birthday is the day after mine which means we will get to celebrate twice!!!! Talk about fun, right?

We all got together to celebrate another year of her life yesterday. We had pizza, TCBY, and the kids had ice cream sundaes. (Can you tell that my father-in-law was in charge of the meal this time?) After we filled our bellies, we headed outside. Well...MOST people headed outside. Christi, my good friend and sister-in-law, and I found ourselves sitting at the table talking while our AMAZING in-laws entertained our kids. :) It was GLORIOUS!!! Seriously... I didn't have to worry about Mia at all!!! And when we finally did make our way outside, it just made me smile.

Papa was driving Mia around on the golf cart while Noni hunted for frogs under logs with the kiddos. Then next thing you know, Noni, the kids, and the dogs come trudging through the woods with a "blob" of something they found by the swamp. (They think it is frog eggs, so they put them in the pond.) The kids picked up worms, Mia ran around everywhere, got to swing, the kids played and played, all while Christi and I sat on the deck and chatted. AHHHHH! Can you picture the bliss?!!! It gets even better, people! They continued to feed us until we FINALLY left around 8:30. Spoiled? Umh...I like to call it "blessed". :)

This is just a snapshot of ONE DAY with my in-laws. They are constantly serving, feeding, and entertaining us (and our kids). Could life get any better? As far as in-laws go, I'm going to have to say "no".

I think Mia would agree. She LOVES Caleb's parents and cries when they leave her. Below is a picture of Papa reading to Mia on the swing. He was working on our pergola, but Mia spotted him and had to have some alone time with him. :)