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Cousin Love

Maddy and her cousin, Anna, have been best friends since they were little.  Anna is 6 mos. older than Maddy and has loved her like a sibling since birth. ( I mean it when I say like siblings...love, irritation, tears, fights, smiles and all! )

My dad took these two on a trip to Sanibel Island Resort for Spring Break. 

 Needless to say, they had a blast.  They recorded their whole trip through photos (thank God for facebook sometimes...) and I just loved the images they came back with.  These photos really do capture their relationship. 

I remember being envious of friends with cousins (or siblings) that were close in age.  My closest sibling is 6 years older and my closest girl-cousin was 3 years younger...and I didn't get to see her very often. So I have really enjoyed watching these two. 

As I watch them grow, I picture them as high schoolers, then college kids, and eventually grown-ups. With their own families.  I hope they stay close!!  And I hope their daughters or sons are just as close as they are!

Spring Break!!!

Happiness is allllll around!

(and so is chocolate!)

One Word Wednesday (yeah right...)

LOVE

(today, i am looking for signs of love in all kinds of places.

i will choose to think of them as messages from the universe. even the weedy ones.)

I just remembered something that someone said about Maddy a while back. 

It think she was about 11 or so. 

She was still playing rec ball for the Y. 

 I got to one of her games a few minutes late and I said,

"What's going on?? What did I miss?" 

 And a man turned around and said,

"Well, you're daughter is slicing through their defense like a hot knife through butter! That's what's going on!"  

 I thought that was pretty awesome.

I remembered that today and it made me smile. 

One Word Wednesday

SPRING

(nothing says spring like TULIPS!)

Red Balloon

Stella's Red Balloon

This weekend, Stella went to a birthday party and came home with the above red balloon.

As I was processing photos, I was reminded of another little girl and her "red balloon" story.

When Hailey was 2 years old (she's 16 now), we went to a friend's birthday party.  When it was time to leave, she decided that she wasn't yet ready to go.  She was furious with me for making her leave.  FURIOUS.

As I buckled her into her car seat she yelled these words at me...

"I wish I was a red balloon!  I wish I was a red balloon! 

So I could go

UP

UP

UP

AND AWAY FROM YOUUU!!!!!!"

I remember thinking, "man this kid is gonna be SOMETHING ESLE when she's a teenager."

But she's really about the easiest teen in the world.

Nowadays, Stella is starting to show some real temper. 

 Can't wait to see what she comes up with!