Cousins

Cousins are those childhood playmates who grow up to be forever friends. (Anonymous)

A few short years ago, there were no nieces  or nephews in our family. It started with one little girl, followed by 2 more quickly and then one by one they came (and are still coming with one on the way - and for many more years to come!). Having a close cousin, someone you can play with, identify with and hang out with is worth more than the treasure in all the world. Not only are our children blessed to have their cousins close by, but they truly are all best friends.

As part of a fairly new tradition, the nieces and nephew (poor little boy!) get together and have a photoshoot, for Father's Day for Pop (shhhh ... don't tell him!). Abby had the brilliant idea last year to do this and put the pictures into a photo book. Not only does Pop get to get reminded of his prosperity, but can bring out the book, anytime to remind him of the little people in his life that love him so much.

Capturing the cousins is a wonderful way to remember (a) how many there are of them at this point in time (b) how old they are and (c) to see how much they can grow in a year. Just comparing last year to this year, you can see how much they grow (especially if they are a baby in the photo shoot) and how many were born in the last year. 

There certainly is a bond between cousins, and keeping photo memories through this tradition each year, will help us to remember how lucky we are to have these wonderful children in our lives.