Cousins

Anyone who lives in south Texas knows that the best way to survive the summer heat is to get out of town! I have been looking for a chance to make a trip to Ohio to visit Chris & Colleen and Max for several weeks, and really wanted to catch Max in action while he was playing baseball and swimming on the swim team. Isabelle wanted very badly to visit Max "at his house" so Amy & I decided to plan a trip together. Coordinating the schedules of three families to find the best time for everyone was a real challenge, but we eventually got the dates on the calendar and tickets to Ohio. Unfortunately, the very day that we were to fly to Ohio ended up being the day of Mom's funeral, so our little adventure had to be postponed. Three weeks later we were able to unite the cousins for a few days of absolute joy!

 Max was so excited to introduce Isabelle and Olivia to his hometown, and the girls were anxious to explore his world and play with all of his toys. It was music to my ears to hear Belle constantly giggling at everything Max said and did, and Livi couldn't get enough hugging him! Although we had missed baseball season and Max's final swim tournament for the summer, we were able to watch him practice his skills at his swim team practice, and join him in the pool for an afternoon. They played on the playground at Max's school and at the park, jumped on the trampoline, played wii games and board games, painted ceramics (the best part of which was the 3 kids started the projects and Chris & Amy finished them!),  went to the movie "Turbo," built a huge "hut" with blankets over the pool table, and checked out favorite foods at the "K," the deli, Bob Evans, the Donut Haus, the Breakfast Club, and Dorothy Lane Market.



What's not to love for 3 cousins who had such a great time together?!! I was just grateful to be part of the fun, and sneak in a little lovin' of my own!