Cousins

In just a few days we will be heading out to California for a family reunion.  It won't be a huge group with second cousins and great aunts and everything in between.  Just my parents, my sisters, and their families.  We have never done anything like this before because for so many years we were all living relatively close to each other.  But my sister Camie moved back to LA a while back now, so this gives us an official excuse to all get together as a family.

Going back to San Diego is a treat in itself, since I can count the number of times I've been back to my hometown since we relocated to the desert on one hand.  I've been looking forward to the beach, taking the kids to Legoland, enjoying cooler temperatures, and seeing old friends.  But the other day when I asked M what she was looking forward to the most about vacation, I can't say that her answer surprised me.  She can't wait to spend time with her cousin Kylie.

Kylie is probably M's most favorite person in the whole world.  Camie and I got married within four months of each other, and we had our first babies the same year (in fact, if it hadn't been for my very first miscarriage, we would have had our first babies within the same month!)  Anyway, first while we were still in California, and then while we were all in Arizona, Kylie and M were the perfect playmates for each other.

Babies!  Kylie & M, 2002

Splashin' Kylie & M, 2004

Zoo trip, Kylie & M, 2006

Now they are no longer little girls, and they live in different states.  In fact, they have grown into quite different young women, with personalities and interests that are so different they remind me of Camie and myself in some ways (we were night and day personalities, my sister and I).  Despite all this, they are still quite close-- using technology to keep in touch as regularly as they can.

It's so wonderful when your best friends are your family members.  It means you get to keep them forever!!

Not little anymore-- Kylie & M, 2014