Cousin Annalei

I spent the most wonderful childhood summers in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont with a pack of siblings and cousins. We loooooooved each other. Our summers were the highlight of my year.  They were magical.  At least that's how I remember them. Laying in Aunt Nancy's garden eating raspberries by the handful, picking bachelor buttons to make flower leis for one another, swimming in lakes, eating lots of delicious farm fresh food, and hours upon hours spent intertwined with the girls.  Me, my sister Mira, and our cousins, Annalei and Amalia.  We helped each other learn all of the intimate details every girl needs to learn to transition from childhood to adolescence.  And now, as grown women, most of us with our own kids, we still looooove each other, even though we don't have each summer to look forward to spending with one another anymore. But we did just get an oh-so-lucky visit from Annalei, who took a trip without her kiddos to come and spend some time with us.  Elliot loved her, of course.  We spent a few lazy days together eating, talking, relaxing, catching up.  We were happy that she was here for one of the free summer evening concerts on Mt. Tabor.  We packed a picnic (one of my favorite things to do!) and headed up for a fun night of music, food, and silliness.  It was lovely.  (As a side note... I have to say, one of my favorite parts was that I took leftover homemade blueberry cupcakes and turned them into Cupcake Jars... layers upon layers of cupcake, fruit and whipped cream.  A whole jar full.  Yum yum!)  We can't wait to take Elliot to Vermont so that he can run through the fields, swim in the lakes, lay in the gardens, and get to know all of his cousins there.  There is a special place in my soul for my Vermont family, and I can't wait to share more of it with him.