Cousins.

There is so much talk lately about gratitude and thankfulness because it is that time of year after all with Thanksgiving being just one short week away. So today I am grateful, very grateful, for family and cousins. We are super lucky to live by so much of our family and since we do the kids get to see their cousins on a regular basis. This is how it was when I was growing up--you got together with your aunts and uncles, you went to your grandma's on Sunday and got to play with your cousins. Holidays were so exciting being from such a big family--so many other kids to play with! When your mom has 14 brothers and sisters that's a lot of aunts and uncles and a lot of cousins. Some of my very best memories come from holidays at my grandma & grandpa's house, everyone opening presents and waiting to see what gift you got from the gift exchange, playing up in the attic, sliding down their huge flight of steps on cardboard boxes....so much fun. Although my kids don't have as many cousins as I do they do have cousins close in age that live close by and I think they have the same excitement about seeing each other as we always did. This is one hope I have for my kids, to always be close to their families-cousins, aunts and uncles, great-aunts & uncles and grandparents. And I hope when they grow up they still have the same sense of excitement about going on shopping trips, going camping, going out to dinner, taking trips together or whatever else they find themselves doing with their cousins and their extended family.

That would make me very happy.

*Cousins*

October 2009