Cousins Unite

My cousin Barry grew up some 7,000 miles away, as a missionary kid in the Phillipines. I saw him about every four years, when his family furloughed in the U.S.

Now he lives in Denver with his lovely wife, Alyssa, and their sixteen month old daughter, Kendyl. We are lucky enough to see them much more frequently than I saw Barry growing up. We love Denver. They love Spokane + Priest Lake. We love them. They love us (we think?!). We're bound to get together more often!

The last time we saw them, Clara was four months old and Kendyl was five months. Here they are then...

Now the girls are fifteen and sixteen months. They are all over the place! Especially Miss Kendyl, who flew all around, looking as if she was on the edge of wiping out constantly (yet never did). She ran laps around the Claranator. She may have been walking a bit longer but I'm not sure Clara will ever quite catch up.

We enjoyed some time at my parents' pool. This first one captures Kendyl's personality completely. She laughs and smiles so easily.

And here is her serious cousin, Clara. It looks as if she is contemplating something important.

Clara experienced her first bath time buddy.

Then we took off for the lake. Here are the girls w/ binkys ready for the late night car ride up to Priest.

We enjoyed one perfect sunny day before the cooler weather came in. Both girls loved the beach and all the sand toys. Plus climbing in and out of the blue "butt".

When it cooled down a bit Saturday, we decided it was the perfect day for a hike. I don't remember the trek being quite as grueling last time. Alyssa said it was a "Hook style hike", but I'm not sure what that means ;). Both girls liked it eventually, but Miss Kendly may have prefered walking. She wasn't too thrilled with the initial prospect of the unfamiliar hiking backpack.

For every challenging hike, there is always a reward. Ours? A lovely view of the lake. They don't call it the Lake View Trail for nothing.

And alas, they don't make up cheers for you in high school (like, "number nine is sweaty") for no reason either. I did wear a pack + a gray t-shirt (devistating combo), but us Hooks are a sweaty bunch.

What is a trip to Priest without a waffle cone with Huckleberry ice cream (for Alyssa & Barry at least - I still have a hard time passing up the chocolate variety)? We used the ice cream as bait and let the girls run around the golf course greens, chasing us for their next bite. Here are the girls after a full day and ice-cream induced commas.

What a lovely time we had. Thanks for making the trek, Meisels. We love you and can't wait to see you and precious Kendyl soon!