the day the cousins came

it was a cold friday night, very late, that the cousins came to town (er, the state) on an airplane all the way from montana.

after all that sitting and traveling, they rode in grandma and grandpa's car for another hour so they could get to grandma and grandpa's house.

then, they fell asleep for awhile!

later in the morning, we went to see the cousins...

and everyone was SO excited to be there!!

auntie sarah and cousin coy played on the "laptop" for a little while

(there were lots of 'new' people, so the smaller beings were a little ovewhelmed)

the cousins bonded over trains, cars, legos and a cowboy backpack (?!)

then more cousins, aunts, uncles and relatives came for lunch.

there was a rousing game of bridge.

no, not cards... in this version, grandpa's the bridge!

there was a minor collision...

... but nobody got hurt and there were plenty of giggles.

then it was time for a nap

(daddy's missed this- can you tell he's soaking up the quiet time with his princess?)

eventually a game of round-robin was organized for the adults

mr bentley had a cold, so he wasn't feeling too perky, but the cute factor wasn't affected at all!

after a few assorted naps (kind of...), the cousins colored nicely together.

all was quiet for just a little bit.

it was back to the laptop for cousin coy... he and bob the builder spent some time learning numbers and colors.

after a long, exciting, nap-less day of running around and having so much fun with his cousins, someone's bound to get a little cranky

hiding from the camera

but still curious enough to peek...

yup, auntie elissa's still taking photos!

grandpa cuddled with bentley...

and then we went home to rest up before another day with cousins!

sunday we stayed for lunch, and in the afternoon, auntie sarah made some awesome caramel popcorn!

cole could hardly contain himself- helping in the kitchen is exciting enough for him, but when the popcorn started popping, it seemed he might explode as well.

oh, it was sooooo good!!

cole will attest to that... it was definitely worth the wait.

some of the grown-ups played farkle...

.... and madison helped grandma keep score.

yes, we were playing with all six dice... one escaped the camera.

bentley still wasn't feeling too hot, but managed a few smiles.

(just not for the camera)

cousin hugs!!

don't ask... hahahaha!

*

yes, the first few days of having everyone together again was definitely awesome... all four of us kids, our spouses, our own little ones, all under mom and dad's roof again- that's pretty special.

each time we go back home, cole exclaims, "i want my cousins!!!". i think he loves them :)