Cousins

Bean loves her cousins. My nephew is exactly eight months older than Bean. They love each other so very, very much. They talk on the phone often and beg to visit each other. Unfortunately, my sister and I live 3 1/2 hours apart so our kids don’t get to see each other as often as we (or they) would like.

Last Saturday was my niece’s first birthday. Smarty and Big Al had a baseball game so Bean and I traveled to North Carolina alone to attend the party and spend the night at my sister’s house.

Bean and Nephew were so happy to see each other. He came running out to the van and, as soon as Bean’s feet hit the ground, they embraced in a huge hug! They really enjoyed their time together, even though it was quite short.

Nephew LOVES motorcycles. He took Bean for a ride on his motorcycle. Why do I have the feeling they will be doing this again in about 15 years with a real motorcycle?

Bean wanted to take it for a spin herself. I was surprised that she even knew how to ride it, considering that she had never ridden anything like that before. But, she did well and she really enjoyed herself.

Nephew didn’t really care for having to hand his motorcycle over to his cousin, though. Things were better when Bean took him for a ride.

Have I mentioned how gorgeous my niece is? She is.

She really enjoyed her birthday cake, too!

I *heart* her curls. I have stick-straight, fine, limp hair. I really, really love her curls.

The kids all had a blast playing together. They played and played and played some more. By the end of the day, they were too exhausted to even give us a good smile for a picture. This was the best of, like, ten pictures.

They took a bath together. They had a blast wearing washcloth hats!

At bedtime, they decided they needed to both sleep in one bed. Nephew volunteered to “read” Bean a story. She got up for 10 drinks of water and ended up sleeping with me instead.

On Sunday morning, they went out to play before Bean and I had to get on the road. Nephew hooked up the bike trailer to his bike and took Bean for a ride. They are so adorable together!

It was so sweet to watch Bean and Nephew spend time together. I hope that one day we can live closer to each other. Until then, short weekends and quick visits and phone calls will have to do. It doesn’t seem to hinder their bond.