I feel for my Little Mama. Sure, she’s happy, content with life overall, free of any cares in the world. But there’s something in her life that is missing – something I always had surrounding me during my entire childhood, something I wish so desperately she had in her everyday life.
Cousins.
She has about a gazillion of them, but they’re all spread around the continent, with a few on the other side of the world. If we had it our way, we would spend every single day with them, but because of distance, we can only see them a few times every year or two.
And now it’s that time of year where we take advantage of an already scheduled work trip to New York to visit cousins in the mid west.
Wondering why this little travelista is running off the plane at lightening speed?
For a little bit of this…
Cousin love.
Here are the 5 reasons why we fly thousands of miles every summer to visit cousins…
1:: WHY WE VISIT COUSINS EVERY SUMMER – Nothing Beats Cousin Love
Our families are growing so quickly. The challenge of living so far away from our family is that we miss most, if not all, of the milestones we would have otherwise taken for granted being in the same city. We miss baby showers, gender reveals, first words, first steps, first loves, first heartbreaks. All the big stuff. So when we fly in, the first thing we do is play catch up. We squeeze in as many snuggles, kisses, and hugs from our cousins – big and small. There is nothing quite like it.
2:: WHY WE VISIT COUSINS EVERY SUMMER – We Share A Love For Music
Music runs through our veins. We love listening to it, dancing to it, and definitely making it. It doesn’t matter what genre, if there’s a beat, any and all of the kids gather together and join in on the fun. This week, we made sure we got our fill of milkshakes and burgers while enjoying the best of retro tunes playing straight from the juke box collection.
3:: WHY WE VISIT COUSINS EVERY SUMMER – They Throw Amazing Parties
This past weekend, one of our tiniest of cousins celebrated his 3rd birthday. Fittingly, his theme was superheros, as he’s definitely super cute in the superhero department. It’s also no big secret that my Mini-Fashionista-by-day/Tomboy-chic-by-afternoon Little Mama, has nothing but love for capes and super powers. Needless to say, she had the time of her life shooting water pistols across the yard while protecting her 3rd plate of superhero cake. So much fun to be had by all.
4:: WHY WE VISIT COUSINS EVERY SUMMER – They Covet Potential Hand-Me-Downs (and vice versa)
Cousins are awesome when it comes to hand-me-downs. When we’re able (i.e.: I haven’t already maxed the 50lb baggage limit), we bring a huge lot of hand-me-downs for the wee ones, only to return two months later with our bags filled with hand-me-downs from the older cousins. We have never turned our back on closet shopping opportunities. And the best part is that it’s the never-ending cycle of give and take. When it comes to threads, we’re all about keeping it in the family.
Meanwhile, how cute is our newest addition staking her claim on her big cousins’ woven fedora from none other than Born To Love Clothing? Looks like good taste runs in the family too. Might as well start ’em young!
5:: WHY WE VISIT COUSINS EVERY SUMMER – They’re Our First Friends, and Our Friends For Life
We’re so lucky to have friends that have become family where we live. And we’re certain they will be just like family for the long haul. But just as exciting for us, is knowing that our cousins will be as much our friends as they are family – forever. We want to make it a point to ensure this next generation nurtures their relationships with one another and continues to grow throughout the years. Thanks to Skype, snail mail, and of course, frequent visits – we can help make this happen.
We love that Little Mama is now at the age where she can appreciate the value of a good ol’ fashioned face-to-face reunion. These two were giggling and squealing for hours the moment they realized they were finally in the same city. Nothing warms my heart more than a loving embrace between two little kiddos who genuinely love and LIKE each other!
It’s a wonder why we haven’t packed up our bags and moved to where our cousins are for good. But alas, all good things must come to an end, and in a few weeks – it will be yet another challenging goodbye. For now, we’re just going to immerse ourselves in the wonders of cousin love.
And speaking of moving, don’t forget to visit our fabulous co-host of #5faves at The Koala Mom for her list of favourite kids books about moving! We would love to hear some of YOUR five favorite things too. Link up below! 
Cousins, quite simply, are the best,
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jen recently posted…{five favourites}: I’m With Her