Cousins!

by guest blogger David Brantz

One of the things I love about my family is the close relationships that I have with many of my cousins, especially those that are closest to me in age.  I have many fond memories of playing together when we were young, sharing holidays/weddings/etc., and growing up through each stage of our lives.  The same goes for Carly and her cousins too.  We both feel that the cousin bond is special.

For the last 10 days our niece, Lucy Auld, has been visiting Colorado while my sister and brother-in-law are on a trip to the Galapagos Islands.  My parents get tons of credit for taking on primary babysitting duty, but Carly and I did take Lucy for a few nights (with the girls’ help, of course).  And, even when they weren't all sleeping at the same house, the three girls all got a healthy dose of play time during the day. 

It has been a real treat to see the cousin bond grow between these girls.   They are starting to become individuals together.  I smile big watching them scamper down the hall to go play “monster” or to take a “cousins bath” -their favorite.  Samantha (4 ½ years) is the careful nurturing big cousin/sister, with Carina (2 years) and (Lucy 1 ¼ years) both just one step behind.

We’ve loved having Lucy in Boulder, and we hope the cousins will get many more chances to grow their family bond!