Waking up to beautiful PA is a treat. We had heavy dew and chilly nights. The kids instantly went to bike riding and so did I. We went to the water, around the camp ground, and up and down a lot of hills. We enjoyed relaxing in camp, watching cousins play and talking with sisters.
My family has always been mostly girls. I had 3 sister’s and really didn’t get to know any of my step brothers growing up. We had mostly girl cousins on my moms side of my family and on my dads side my cousins were closer to my dads age than to mine so we didn’t know them very well. We had all 4 of us sisters and only two girl cousins for many years. Then there came the cluster of boy cousins, but I wasn’t around them very much because I was either in NY state or out of the house. Then my sisters started having kids and all of them were girls until W came around. My sister also has a step son that was in the picture but we didn’t see much of. Needless to say when W came along it was new territory for me.
When we get together with a’s side of the family the girls are always outnumbered. When we see our side the girls are the greater number. It always makes me really happy to see J playing with my youngest neice A. A has Downs. She is such a special girl. Watching them play dolls or give kisses makes me so happy. A sometimes is over loved. She gave C a zerbert (raspberry) and just giggled until C and J both on either side of her started giving them back. Her face changed to say “what did I do?”. She is the happiest little girl until she doesn’t get what she wants and then she can put up a stink. She is 4 years old and has great attitude and sass but puts on the lovin like the best of them. I am so glad for the mayhem and memories that came from our little A.
A’s brother is H. He learned how to ride a two wheeler this week. He loves passionately and is rather funny at times. He mostly goes around very serious about life. He is 6 right between the ages of my C and D. Its pretty neat the stair step cousins we have. Before D in age is S. She is my oldest sister’s daughter. S likes things done a certain way and when they aren’t its heard about. She was often found leading W around arm in arm or racing him trying to outwit him to the finish. We loved seeing W and S walking around in conversation about who knows what. But when two cousins get together that like things a certain way things turn into madness at times and Mayhem was often the name of the game. But who really remembers those moments? Its the moments of roasting marshmallows, kayaking, riding bike and enjoying life together that fills our memory bank. Riding back to the campsite in the rain with my niece V. Watch my niece K flip her kayak, seeing the joy in my niece T playing with C and making him belly laugh. Seeing my kids enjoy playing with my moms dogs who are now cared for by my sister M. Those are the things my memory banks. Madness Mayhem and memories end up all being great memories that last a lifetime.
Signing off from one woman to another.
Dirty, camping, and happy.
Jenny Ren.