Cousins are the best!

Last weekend we had a mini family reunion at our house and filled up each room with as many cousins, aunts and uncles as we possibly could! It was a BLAST! The planning for our family party was a year in the making and when it came down to it, we needed no fancy stuff...just a comfy chair and a lot of coffee for those long nights where we'd stay up until the early morning hours just catching up. Oh how I love my cousins! Family came from as close as up the street and as far as Ohio and all parts in between!

The last time we'd been together like this was 21 years ago and while some of us have seen each other off and on in those 21 years, this was a time of celebration instead of a time to mourn the loss of a family member or a quick few hours passing through town. It was beautiful. We spent time together at the aquarium, then the beach, the forest and church, around the dinner table and the front yard fire pit too!

Saying goodbye was so hard for all of us so we just decided to say "see you later" instead and you know what, we will see each other later no matter what and that just gives me such comfort! Regardless if it's going to be another 21 years or 21 days, our connection as cousins will never fade...we are forever friends and our childhoods have connected us for a lifetime. I think the most amazing thing for me was watching our children make that connection with their cousins! The last time we were all together like this we were children and childless but now we have flourishing families and have passed on that friendship of cousinhood to our children...it's priceless!

One of the best parts of the weekend was sharing memories from childhoods generations back. My mom brought over tons of photo albums of our lives from birth until yesterday. We laughed and we cried. We talked about our grandmother's love for us all. There's even a picture of me somewhere wearing her house shirt...I need more of the pictures taken folks!!! :) And while reminiscing about the past we worked hard on making new memories for the little lives we've brought into our family...someday they will come back here and see this and remember this great weekend together.

"A cousin is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost."

M. Garretty

There wasn't a moment more precious than this one above...hand in hand cousins will walk through life, from generation to generation. This is what family is all about!

4 comments:

Kim says:

9:52 AM

AMAZING....
Love the photos.. looks like you had an amazing time.. Love you tons...

Peace for all.... says:

10:22 AM

I LOVE my family!!! xoxoxo,m

Half Gaelic, Half Garlic! says:

8:38 AM

That's a whole lot of cousin fun!!
I love all of the photos... and the special moments you captured. Lots of memories to last a lifetime!!!

xoxoxo,

Lisa

Catherine says:

3:24 PM

What wonderful photos of a time filled with cousin love! So glad you were able to get together!

There are times when Hannah is with her cousins and I'm watching her run, listening to her giggle or, seeing her head to head creating a plan with one of them that I step back and realize she would have had none of this in China. It took me time to realize that not only would she not have had brothers or sisters, she also would not have had cousins. I love my cousins as does she. As do you.

SO thankful for the extended family that God has given each of us!