Cousins Weekend

I love big family gatherings. Probably because my extended family in Hawaii is huge. Our holiday get-togethers easily push north of 60 people on a regular basis, and make up many of my happiest childhood memories. As a result, I was highly anticipating the Cousins Weekend we had here this past 4th of July weekend. I was not disappointed.

It seems that all of the "kids" on Nicole's side of the family got married at around the same time, and all had children shortly after. However, these newest additions to the family had never all been in the same place at the same time, and many of them had never met. We decided to hold the big event here to give us two homes to host all the families, and to give Tom and Cindy a chance to showcase their new house. Nicole's pregnancy also factored into the choice of location.

Friday saw the arrival of Tom's son Sean, his wife Rhonda, and their one-year-old Olivia. Tom's daughter Molly, her husband Frank, and their two-year-old twins Thane and Taylor also arrived on Friday. Haley had never met her cousins and had a great time with them. She reveled in being the oldest of the children and used every opportunity to practice her newly acquired "big sister" skills.

Nicole's brother Scott, his wife Pamela, and their son Tyler arrived early Saturday morning. "Baby Tyler" is the only one of her cousins that Haley had met before. She loves playing with him and he was all she talked about until they arrived. That afternoon, we all got together at our house for a big barbecue. In addition to the swing set, we setup a number of inflatable toys, a kiddie pool, the sandbox, and a playhouse tent in the backyard. We unleashed the kids on this mini theme park and they had a great time playing together. Arguably, no one had a better time than Akira, who loved having all these little faces to lick and chase her around the yard. The cat... not so much. (At least he didn't scratch any of the kids.)

Sunday we piled into several cars and trekked out to the zoo. Everyone enjoyed themselves and all the kids fell asleep on the car ride home. Haley was in a particularly good mood, passing out hugs like she was running for public office. That evening, it was back to Tom and Cindy's for yet another barbecue. (I was drowning in beef, pork, and beer by the time I returned to the office on Wednesday.) Tom and Cindy had bought the kids matching outfits, which they all donned for a big family picture. Tom's children and their families were leaving the next day, so we said our goodbyes that evening. Haley was very sad to see her new friends go, and asked about them often over the next few days. Hopefully we'll get to see them again soon.

Luckily, Scott, Pam, and Tyler extended their trip to the following Thursday. This softened the leaving of Haley's new friends and playmates. Haley took great pleasure in spending time with Tyler, but one of her favorite things to do was to share her food with him. She would sit in the chair closest to his high-chair and meter out goldfish crackers and Cheerios whenever he motioned for more. We're looking forward to their next trip out here shortly after the new baby is born.