Cousin-tastic

As much as I enjoy military life, one of the hardships associated with relocating every few years is that we don't see our families as much as we'd like. *Sometimes* that's a good thing, but for the most part, it's not much fun. Especially for Caroline. Craig has great memories of spending tons of time at his grandparent's house. Memories of family gatherings and large holiday dinners. My family is on the small side and, like Caroline, I did not grow up with grandma down the street. I feel badly that Caroline is missing out on what Craig had and also that she hasn't had the opportunity to spend every holiday with our extended family. She doesn't know what it's like to grow up with cousins, who seem more like siblings than relatives. That's life, though. Of course, I'm sure those who live near their families and have relatives all up in their business 24/7 would think we're pretty lucky.

As I mentioned, my family is pretty small. Caroline is the only grandchild on my side, but one of thirteen on Craig's side. On this particular trip, we were lucky enough to spend a lot of time with Craig's sister and her seven kids.

They have a pool, a swing set and a trampoline, so it's safe to say that a good time was had by all.



The cousins created a bubbling fountain

relaxed by the hot tub

participated in poolside shenanigans

had a tshirt fight

traded Silly Bandz

ate chocolate cake

Rebekah LOVES sweets

can't say that I blame her

tried to play Monopoly

but little people kept getting in the way

there was a dart gun war

and side by side DS playing.



It was hard to get good pictures of the bigger kids because they move at warped speed. I tried my best, but ended up focusing on the little people; they were much more cooperative subjects.

Hooray for cousins!