Labor Day Weekend Photo Extravaganza

Instead of wimping out like I normally do and breaking my enormous number of pictures into several posts, you're getting the whole weekend all at once. Bam. 108 pictures. Be warned. You might want to make sure you're in a comfy chair before you commit to this.

I love Orianna and Elliott balancing phone handsets on their head in tandem.

These are very blurry, but it accurately depicts the energy level of the first night of the cousins getting together at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Me holding little Gillicutty. He is one holdable baby, let me tell you.

Rilla got into the swing of things, sliding down the slide and picking through choice gravel.

The Cotten and Taylor Pig Slayers, starting the fire.

This was to boil the pig for a few minutes, to scald the hair off. I think. I know it was to remove the pig's hair, but I'm not sure if the hair was actually supposed to scald off or it just make it easier to remove later.

Vaughans were haying that night. Owen gave Cheyenne and Elliott a ride.

Then Orianna and Lily climbed in, ratcheting up the potential for adorable photo ops.

Lily is breathtakingly beautiful.

See what I mean? And I love how Elliott is peering around her.

The New Vaughans.

Wow.

Then there's my beautiful redhead.

And the blond with the flowing tresses.

Olivia took most of these pictures. Kudos to her, cause they sure are worth looking at.

Scene of pig violence.

Dipping the (already dead) pig in the boiling water.

Getting the hair off later. The water didn't work like it was supposed to. Unfortunately, I don't think there is a picture of the pink disposable Bics they eventually used to shave the hair off.

The flashlight brigade, providing illumination for the pig operation.

Ashley, giving her nephew a place to snuggle. No wonder she's one of Elliott's favorite people when we're up there.

Cheyenne had to monitor this all, even though she was already in her pajamas and robe.

Truck, guys and fire. The testosterone flowed.

After the pig's bathtime was over, the fire was useful for sitting around. Gail held Marilla (clad in her rubber boots, of course).

The firelight was also useful for posing manfully.

And for taking cool pictures.

Tori, Ashley and Gail. Ashley was sketching a sign for the neighboring farmer. It's cool having an artiste in the family!

Orianna, chillaxin'. (Is that word not so TOTALLY several years ago? Love it!)

Now she's going to eat Owen's knee. Ashley seems pretty okay with this.

Owen will reciprocate with eating Lily's nose.

Snuggle buddies.

"Oh, no! I didn't realize you were taking pictures, Aunt Clover! Allow me to squinch my eyes closed tightly."

My gorgeous son.

Mom and Mom, peeling epic amounts of apples for apple crisp. (Recipe coming soon on my recipe blog!)

Ashley, peeling away, too!

Cheyenne, doing her part by munching apples with her breakfast.

Gail, rocking the Turban Style!

Olivia again did duty as official photographer for many of the following shots. She's mighty useful. Especially when I was busy sending Dana on 13 errands for ingredients I had forgetten.

Rilla loves being outside at the farm.

Three girls on the swingset.

Cool shot of the kickball through the grass. The poor kickball was Lily's cool hat by the end of the day.

Owen and Mick, through the grass.

Lip action is essential in horseshoes.

Mick. Evan likes playing horseshoes, but those Cottens severely outclassed him. Evan is used to playing with people who are pleased when at least some of their shots hit the sand!

Dawna and Justin.

Rilla, in a Daddy snuggle.

Owen, with the mighty barn in the background.

Cool shot. I should really start calling this blog, "Olivia's Forced Photography on Clover's Camera."

Tim and Owen check out Mick's form.

Loy, smiling for once. (A little sar, there).

The Cottens with the serious roaster.

Sodas in the stock tank. Nothing like a pig roast with stock tank sodas! Classy!

Rilla observing the action out the window. This loveseat in Mom and Dad's living room gets lots of action as the kids' jungle gym. It's so handy for seeing out the window and climbing onto the windowsill.

Ashley cutting the pineapple.

Loy...

and Mick playing ping-pong. Don't you like the canopy over the spectator section?

Elliott spent the entire day either on this tricycle or riding in the little Cozy Coupe car. No wonder he slept from 9:00 Saturday night until 11:30 Sunday morning.

Reaching into the heat, to put the roasting ears of corn in.

Some serious heat in there! It was charcoal heat, and the pig side had a rotisserie spit.

Lily.

Andrea handled the boiled corn.

Scott and Dad, discussing matters of great importance. (I'm sure).

Hot corn heading into the house!

Dad, Jeff, Dana and Chris.

Justin, Bob and Dale.

David and Rachel. Not sure what they were thinking, walking somewhere without three kids in tow!

Natasha, Monica, Lily and Alex.


People snacking up. The pig was obstreperous and didn't finish cooking until 2:00, so there was munching ahead of time.

Awaiting the unveiling of the pig.

In all it's cooked glory. It was QUITE yummy! Plus the other 57 salads, sides and desserts everyone brought!

Fiona, with her gorgeous eyes.

This picture is totally washed out (not sure what Olivia did! :-) but it is still cool.

Chris, with Cody's hat and Cody's car. Not sure there are too many wannabe-Codys out there!


Evan forgot any of his ball caps this weekend, so he stole this hat from his dad, after crisping the top of his head most of the day. There aren't many 30-year olds who can pull this hat off-- good thing Evan is so dashingly handsome!

Orianna, Tatiana, and Nathan. Nathan was definitely the Cool Kid with his shades.

We had a bonfire Saturday night. Here's Aunt Ashley, in high demand again.

The potential bonfire.

Marilyn and Elliott.

Rilla, firmly clutching her hymnbook, even as she was melting down from exhaustion.

Laura, recording events.

The fire, after my moronic husband doused it with gasoline. Not diesel. Gasoline. Not smart.

By this point, fashion considerations were overruled by need for warmth.

Not that this towering inferno wasn't putting off some heat.

Which is why we're all standing WAY away from it.

Starting a hymn sing.

Rilla sitting on Dad's lap. Elliott had a pretty cushy spot, too, in between Owen and Ashley. He pillowed his head on one of them and used the other one to prop his feet. Comfy! We left after a couple hymns, since the kids (and me!) were pretty tired by that point!

A couple attempts at a family picture. Marilla was not a happy camper by that point in the day, though. And my hair was all skinned back because I did it while it was soaking wet. One of the problems of LOTS of people taking showers Sunday morning!

Orianna with her cool cowboy boots. And Auntie Loy.

Orianna had just awakened from her nap. A little prematurely, by the look of it. Those Cotten girlies always wear awesome clothes-- you've probably noticed that by now!

I love my neices! And I surely wish my Alaskan neice was there, too. And my two squinchy Alaskan nephews.

Cuddling with Grandma after his epic 14 1/2 hour sleep.

Little Ethan. I got him to fall asleep that afternoon by walking him around. I felt special.

Ethan with Daddy. I'm not sure what David is cradling more carefully-- the baby or the coffee.

Rachel. By the way, these guys need to move closer to us.

I think Bet was excited about me taking this picture. Oh, and she doesn't have a weird tumor-- that's Gilbert in the Moby wrap. And Elliott is STILL cuddling Grandma.

While Laura stalks some of the 6042 flies that found their way inside that weekend.

Mighty Fly Warriors cross flyswatters!

Blockus for the brainy among the group. (Marilyn, Ashley, Scott and Dad).

Dana, improving his mind with Tintin. Tintin is great.

Hearts. Owen attempted to shoot the moon on every round, I believe.

My mighty husband won, though! Isn't he great?

The one picture of Monday's trip up Azure Mountain. It helps to charge your battery after two straight days of taking pictures. Maybe we'll remember that next time. So the camera didn't actually make the trip up the mountain-- this is just the parking lot congregation. Anyway, the energetic and unfettered among the group went hiking. Looking at Cody and Owen's rocks, I'm thinking I should probably be glad I was one of the ones who stayed home to watch kidlets.

Speaking of watching kidlets-- that didn't work out so well Monday. Mom, Marilyn, Bet and I were all at the house Monday. I was hanging out wash, so I wasn't culpable, but Bet heard Rilla wake up early from her nap, crying, and went down to the basement to investigate. It turns out that the occasional giggles we heard over the baby monitor as Elliott, Orianna and Lily played downstairs were harbingers of more sinister things. They had gone in the Dark Room (the exciting name given to one of Mom and Dad's guest rooms) and found some powder and strawberry-scented deodorant in someone's luggage. They carefully swiped the deodorant on the spines of the encyclopedia set, the ladders of the bunk beds, the bookcases. It was with the powder, though, that they really let themselves go. There was powder EVERYWHERE! Not being content to sprinkle powder in their own hair and on the bookshelves, mirrors and carpet and in people's suitcases, they opened the door to the room where Rilla was napping and went and sprinkled powder on the sleeping Marilla! She didn't stay sleeping for long. And I spent a good half hour on my hands and knees with the vacuum trying to get the bulk of the powder up. So, yeah, we're not the most observant parents, Bet and I.

It was a wonderful weekend, and it was great to finally meet Bet's in-laws. Hopefully, this is just the first annual Labor Day Vaughan-Cotten Pig Roast!