The Cousins

My sister and her family made the long journey from Utah to be here for Thanksgiving. Gunnar has never had so much attention or in-house playmates. He has been lonely the last couple of days. I have been actively sought out once again to play cars, trucks, and trains. When will they come back for another play date?

Sadie. Their baby. She is just a couple months younger than Gunnar, but boy can she hold her own. Her favorite thing is "lop gloss". She puts it on her lips, licks it off, and then asks for more "lop gloss". She's a girl after my own heart. I used to break into my sister's room while she was away at school and eat her lip glosses. She would come home and find literal divits taken out of them, come running into my room and ask me if I had been in her stuff. The evidence was clearly shining on my face, but I told her I had no idea what had happened. At least Sadie asks. ;)

Bethany. She is the middle child, but she shows no signs of that syndrome. She would jump off of any tall building if you told her to. She knows no fear and is willing to try anything. When she was really little she used to come over to you, put her arms in the air and say, "Hold you," when she wanted to be held. I have been endeared to her since then. Thanksgiving day she and I thought it would be fun to draw pictures on each other's arms and legs. I thought the markers were washable; we had body art on us for the rest of the weekend.

I love taking pictures of her because she sits perfectly still, and all of her pictures turn out like this one. She is a pure joy to be around and such a pleasure. Oh, and she is an excellent wrestler.

Brianna. I have felt close to Bri since she was born. She is a compassionate and loving person. She loves to hear stories and is a really great listener in return. Bri came to visit me this summer. She went with me to the summer writing class I was teaching and then we went for dinner afterwards. We ate an entire appetizer, entre, and dessert together. We talk like school girls, laughed at each other's jokes, and enjoyed being in each other's company. She is a total doll. She love books and movies too, another girl after my own heart.

This is their whole family. When I was little I wanted to be like my sister. She used to get so frustrated with me because I would say I wanted to do and be everything she did. When she wanted to be a doctor, so did I. When she wanted to go to the moon, I wanted to go to. The irony? She's a teacher; so am I. I still want to do everything she does.I love this little family so much and am thankful for them.