Cousins

I always wished I had a huge family.  Well, I do have a big family, but they live all over the place, so it's not like we have dinner together every week.  I can't even call my mom and have her come over real quick for something.  And, boy do I wish I could do that.  "Mom, come over now.  I need a drink, stat!  Walgreens closes in 10!" 

*sigh*

I have a younger brother and two cousins who lived close growing up.  We had some good times......

Like the time we made a snow woman.  With boobies.  And my grandma and her boyfriend (gentleman friend) posed in front of it for a Kodak moment.  Oh yes.  We did.  Oh yes.  They did.

Check out those babies!

Probably the best part about this snow woman was how proud it made my grandma.  I'm not sure why.  Maybe our creativity?  Our ability to build a 6 foot tall snow person?  Our spectacular team building abilities?  I don't know.  She was so proud, she mailed a copy of this picture to her friend in Maryland.  It gets better.  I guess she wasn't too proud, because she whited out me' lady's nipples.  With liquid paper. 

In another display of our creative talents, my younger cousin and I donned my grandparents glasses and clothes and mocked them in their living room.  While my grandma got out the camera and had a good laugh, my grandpa wasn't amused. 

We had a lot of fun growing up.  We liked to prank call.  My favorite was calling the Hellmans out of the phone book and asking them if they had any mayo.  Original, I know.  We also called some guys named Kermit and told them they were late for Muppet Show rehearsal.  We were 10.  What can I say? 

Even after we hit our teens, we didn't act much older than 10.  The two oldest got put in charge of hiding Easter eggs for the younger two.  Did we fill them with jelly beans like we were supposed to?  Well, some of them.  The other ones we filled with dirt.  And, we even told them to keep an eye out for the special prize egg.  The giant silver L'eggs Pantyhose egg!  We didn't fill that one with dirt.  We put a note in it that said "Haha.  You lose!"  Or something just as bad. 

One year my grandma got brave and made gingerbread houses with the four of us.  We had a lot of fun.  Some of us more than others....my brother did not have a completed house to take home.  He ate most of it.  The part he didn't eat sat around our coffee table and he finished it off one gumdrop at a time.  I think my mom would catch him gnawing on it periodically.  I have to say it survived longer than the gingerbread house my son made when he was in preschool.  I sat on it in the car on the way home.  Woopsie.

As we got older, the fun continued.....

Woo hoo!  Partay!!

FYI, someone in the top picture (below) has nearly a six-pack of Miller hidden in his shorts....we were on our way to the movie theater.  It's always good to carry a cold one or two or four to the movies.  I needed a cold one after he told me to "show the ticket guy your breast-essss-essss and get us in for free!!" in a loud voice.  In the ticket line.  Oh, cuz!

Check out my brother's Magnum P.I. 'stache.  No, we were not at Luau.

I love my cousins and my brother.  We don't live close now, but we still talk a lot.  My cousin who lives the farthest away and I sometimes have ebay contests.  Who can sell the craziest crap?  He takes the cake on that one.  Who spends $60 on an old wine bottle with junk glued to it??  His customers.  Kudos to him.  He sent my son the complete Planet of the Apes book set the other day.  I wish he lived closer so we could have yardsale contests in stead of selling our crazies on ebay.

1977 (?)



1997

 My brother and I had some fun times on our own.....everyone has the "bad paid for pictures."  We had one I really wish my mom had bought.  That was before digital cameras.  We waited two weeks for Olan Mills to get our proofs ready.  Finally, the big day arrived.  We went to the studio and as we sat down, my brother said "I cannot wait to see the one where I crossed my eyes!"  Too bad the photographer didn't whip out the camera and get a shot of my mom when he said that!

Here's what we ended up with.

I used to pick on my brother a lot.  Now he's bigger than me, so I don't.

And what about my girl cousin?  We had boys 3 weeks apart.  And girls 3 months apart.  We go to the same art fair every year as part of tradition.  Our favorite part is lunch....and Kizito Cookies after.  Check us out!

That middle guy is no relation.

With the holidays around the corner, I'll get to see more of my family.  We'll sit around and talk and laugh.  Maybe we'll get out without the kids!  We can relive some old memories.  Make some new ones.  And if it snows, and someone's packing Miller in their pants, things might get really crazy!  Just you wait.....