Cousins

Our kids have awesome cousins. Ok, technically, they're first cousins once removed. Sacha had to explain this to me for the ten millionth time right before I typed this, and I'm sure she'll have to do it again and again, because I just cannot for the life of me remember the difference between once removed and second cousins. I mean, I do NOW, but I won't in ten minutes.

Anyway, due to my mom's youngest brother being much younger than she, he and his wife are only about 15 years older than Sacha and I, and their kids are now 9 and 12. Somehow, this turns out to be the perfect age gap for cousins, at least so far. The older kids are old enough to want to play with the little guys but not so old yet as to be too cool for that. And, of course, our kids just idolize the older ones.

They came over yesterday and I took some photos of the carousing, shrieking and giggling that ensued. The part which I photographed involved some elaborate game of the bigs wrapping up the little like burritos in blankets. And then unwrapping them. And then hysterical giggling, and then repeat ad infinitem.

Things got really uproarious when Talia started putting a fire hat on Simon's head and then throwing it off again. That girl has the funniest belly laugh and she only pulls it out when the situation really calls for it, at least according to her.

The whole thing was just about the sweetest thing ever. Clara is taking a babysitter class this summer and we're ready to snatch her up as our mother's helper/future babysitter as soon as she's done with it.

And, I have to say, that seeing these guys together makes me excited for when our kids are the older cousins to whoever the next young ones are to come along. Because that's the way it is in our family. Due to several large age gaps within generations, the line of siblings and cousins just continues in a relatively unbroken way over decades. Just like me and my siblings, our kids will technically be the oldest of their generation, but they're really just 6 and 9 years removed from the youngest members of the most recent generation. Crazy. Anyway, my point was, it was fun to watch them play! I can totally see them all hanging out as young adults, although there I go living in the future again. I'm trying to concentrate on the now, darn it! And here it is: