new cousins

When my sister got married a while back, two little girls joined our lives and family in addition to a new brother-in-law. I admit that at first I didn't know how to react to having two new nieces overnight. But it is turning out to be even better than any of us (adults) could've hoped. Elisabeth is so thrilled to have two new cousins so close in age (my husband's nieces and nephews are all a lot older than our children), and it has given my sister and me something new to share with one another.

These shots are from a recent afternoon when the younger of the girls spent the afternoon with us while my sister took the eldest to a birthday party.

It feels like it has been such a long time that I have been doing the "mama thing" while my three younger siblings have been going to college and doing the "20's thing." So it's been really fun to reconnect with my sister at the zoo, over sprinklers (that the kids are running through), and through naptimes and bedtimes. Her experience as a (new) step-mom is different than my mothering experience, but there are a lot of things about the day-to-day joys and challenges of being with children that we share.