Cousin Days

In the past week we cousins talked a lot about special memories we have of being at Auntie Dottie's house. Of course I have tons and tons of stories having spent so many of my February and April vacations staying with them, not to mention the seemingly hundreds of family events they hosted there.

Some of our favorite memories though have been made in recent years as we "big cousins" have brought our own kids - the "little cousins" - to spend fun-filled days together swimming, swinging, playing ball in the yard, ransacking the toy closet in the den and eating our hearts out in a house where absolutely everyone feels welcome.

These "Cousin Days," as Auntie Dottie called them, will certainly continue because that's exactly what she would want us to do. And also because I think Uncle Al enjoys them as much as Dottie did! So we'll swim, drink blue juice, play in the kitchen drawer and tap dance while singing her "meatball song" so that a whole new generation of cousins become the best of buddies - just like their mommies and daddies! And for that gift we will always thank Auntie Dottie.

(This drawer in Auntie Dottie's kitchen is chock full of 30+ years worth of Happy Meal toys and small figurines. At any given time nearly half of its contents are strewn all over the floor! Every kid has their personal favorites that they search for each time. Brenna likes the mini Cabbage Patch Kids and for Molly, no visit is complete until she finds Gumby and the McDonalds fries box that flips into binoculars. The very same ones I played with when I was their age!)