Cousins

Today, Grayson went to the park with his two cousins, Logan and Brynn.  Grayson went on a swing for the first time, and he went down his first slide (in Daddy's lap, of course).  After the park and some naps, the cousins came over to our place to splash around in our kiddie pool.  The water was frigid, fresh out of the hose, but the kids seemed to have lots of fun.  Nana and I made dinner for everyone, and we watched an Elmo movie on DVD.  It was a great day!

I can already tell that all three kids are going to have tons of fun as they grow older.  Even though we don't live in the same state, the cousins come up often enough that they will see each other a handful of times every year.  Logan, the oldest at three and a half years, is already interacting with Grayson, and G is fascinated with an older version of himself.  When they play together, they have the same laugh.  As they grow older, I know that they will be trouble!  I can only begin to imagine what they will be like as teenagers up at the lake chasing dogs and frogs, fishing, swimming, and generally terrorizing the neighborhood.  Brynn will fit in nicely, sandwiched between the two in age; she is already trying to do everything her older brother does.  No fear.

This doesn't even account for Grayson's older cousin in Illinois (Belle) or any future cousins he may have.

I'm jealous.  I only have two cousins.  The one that is closest in age to me has never really spent time around my side of the family; divorce was the primary culprit there.  My other cousin is much younger than me, and she lives in Ohio.  Even though I saw her once or twice a year, we are something like 13 years apart in age, so she wasn't exactly a partner in crime for me.

I've heard that cousins are your closest friends growing up.  I can already see that with Grayson and the gang.  I'm looking forward to the next 18+ years of watching them grow and play, and challenge each other and their parents.

Today was just another glimpse.