Cousins!

The girls just love their cousins! Which warms my heart since we don't see them that often...

First example: Labor Day week-end, Moncton, New Brunswick.
Heather had the fantastic idea to meet for a week-end, because we all agreed that to wait until next summer to see them in Quebec was way too long! So Emily and I met Heather, Alain and Casandra for a two nights-three days family package at the Ramada Crystal Palace. (By popular vote in the Maillet household, it was determined that everybody would enjoy the trip better if miss Ollie spent quality time with Daddy at home. The vote was unanimous!) Despite the obvious fun that we had in such a location in such great company, the week-end revealed some pretty precious moments: a mother-daughter road trip that did in fact bring us closer (complete with an extra night just the two of us at the Delta. Gotta love Air Miles! And I also mean litteraly closer since sleeping with her is like having an octopus velcroed to your body... legs and arms become tentacles in the night, I swear!), a fantastic evening where (miracle of all miracles!) three kids enjoyed a swim for over two hours under our eyes letting us two gals catch up and talk like we haven't done in a long, long, (very) long time, and the following photo... (If I needed a single reminder of why that week-end was important, it would be this picture.)


But don't worry, Olivia got to enjoy a cousin too a few weeks ago. Sarah came from Fredericton to spend Thanksgiving week-end with us. The way the girls were getting excited at the mention that their cousin was coming, I was afraid that they were expecting another kid to play with. So I reminded them that she was a grown-up. I guess the lesson hit home with Olivia, since she woke up on the Friday morning and asked "So, when is my own grown-up Sarah going to be here?" And once Sarah was here, I think she was sitting down for no more than a few minutes before miss O made herself right at home on her lap, as shown on the picture. Position she occupied quite permanently during the week-end!

And the next day, while getting ready to go see a movie, Olivia looked up at Sarah and instructed her that she needed to sit next to her at the movie because she (O) loves her (S). Nothing like a very stern and direct love declaration by a 3 year-old! And within minutes of getting up at 11h am (and was I proud to remind Sarah that she used to think that I slept a lot when we visited them 10 years ago...!), Sarah was informed by O that it was about time she got dressed. She can be such a loving little dictator!