cousin

As a child, I was quite suspicious of adults who told me that the holidays were about family. I mean, did they forget about PRESENTS? But just as the passing of time has taught me the immense value of dark chocolate and good coffee, I am content to say that the highlight of the holidays this year was time spent with family. In particular Ally learned the word cousin and now regularly asks for her cousins by name! On Christmas day she was able to play with her teenage cousins and in particular loved playing in her kitchen with her cousin Michelle. Then on New Year's Eve her younger cousins taught her the great joy of running in circles in the basement. They can relate to each other in such interesting ways I could never have predicted-- which is I suppose why kids like to play with each other rather than their boring parents once they become a bit older and wiser.

Here is Ally with her younger cousins, Ryan, Katy, and Olivia, from whom she has inherited her sense of style.