Fourth-cousin fun

This most recent trip to western Pennsylvania coincided with the ninth birthday of my cousin, Ashley, which Sammy and I were only more than happy to attend--hey, we both like cake and ice cream.  (I actually sat down and figured out the familial relationship that's going on here in these photos--technically, Ashley, Madison and Sammy are second cousins, twice removed, but in the interest of simplification, we just refer to each other as cousins.)  The party was held at my great-uncle John's house; to say my uncle has a green thumb would be a massive understatement.  His house sits on about an acre and a half in town, and nearly every inch is covered with flower and vegetable beds; the girls had a blast showing Sammy the finer points of how to play in the dirt (there were only a few flower casualties).

In return, Sammy taught them how to Vogue:

After impressing everyone with his awesome dance moves, Sammy then decided to show off his new walking skills, while I held my breath and watched (after all, his black eye was still fresh on my mind).

We then headed down to the chicken coop to check for the day's eggs; Sammy had never seen chickens in real life before and was transfixed as they scratched about the rows in my uncle's garden.

Before we knew it, it was a certain someone's bedtime so we said our goodbyes and started to gather up the various camera and diaper bags that I can't leave home without, but not before the birthday girl managed to squeeze in one last Sammy hug: