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Friday, August 29, 2014

Cousins

 


This is my sweet little niece Julija with my little Addison.
They are almost exactly one month apart.
 
Seeing them here reminds me of my sister Kristin and me when we were little. We are two and a half years apart, but most of the time, those years didn't make a difference. We were and still are the best of friends. Julija is Kristin's middle girl (Kristin has an almost 4 year old, an almost 2 year old, and an almost two WEEK old!). Shortly after my Gavin was born, Kristin was expecting her little Amelija. Gavin and Amelija will be close friends some day, but Amelija will be four in a month and Gavin is almost six, and for some reason, they nearly pull each other's hair out right now. I have a strong feeling they'll rely on eachother one day and will be so appreciative to have each other for cousins.
 
Julija and Addison are just a month apart and get along so well, although they don't see eachother more than a few times a year. Here they are, over a year ago, before Addison could even sit up on her own.  
 
 
Julija and Addison.
 
 
Addison and Julija.
 
 
They couldn't be more different.
 
 
...but they sure do seem to love each other's company!
 
I have a cousin that I sort of "grew up with". She lived over 4 hours away, so I really only ever saw her once or twice a year and she was a year older than me, but we wrote letters back and forth for years! We still keep in close contact even though she still lives over 4 hours away, in a different city. Her kids are in college and mine are in daycare, but that doesn't seem to matter. I often would spend a week at her house in the summer time when we were growing up as my parents traveled down there a few times each year. It just so happened that she is a cousin on my Mom's side of the family, but lived in the town where my Dad's side of the family lived. To make it even more convenient - my Mom's family and my Dad's family both had summer family reunions, a week apart! So, I would see her at my Mom's family reunion and then I'd go home with her family and stay for a week until my parents drove to her small town for my Dad's family reunion. I have many, many memories of those summer "vacations" with her. I don't have very many really "old" friendships as I moved away from the area I grew up in right after high school, but this one stands the test of time! Cousins (and siblings) can often make the very best friends!  She is still one of my best friends and one of those unique friendships where you can literally pick right up after not talking for nearly a year, as if you just spoke yesterday. 
 
Do you have a relative or friend like that?

 

1 comment:

Kristin said...

Aww, I love it! I hope they can share as many memories as you did... Summer vacations, going to the pool, building forts. They are sweet together.