The Cousins: Day One

If memory serves me right (which it doesn't always), I last saw my brother nine years ago, when his first-born, Ivana, was one year old. Since then, his family has welcomed three more children, and I have had two children of my own. Until today, the five cousins had never met.

Today, it finally happened, and I dare say that, for my kids at least, it has been one of the most memorable days of their entire lives. There was a light shining in their eyes when they went to bed which I am not sure I have ever seen before (and this not just because their aunt knit them the COOLEST hats and matching stuffed toys EVER...but those certainly contributed).
I don't have the mental wherewithal to think through everything that happened today, but I also don't want to let the pictures accumulate. So, I'll attempt a daily account in photos first, to be followed later on by musings on the Larger Meaning. (The photos I took were sporadic, as there was too much going on to focus exclusively on chronicling.)

 

We spent the morning hanging out at home and then headed out for lunch at Google.

 

The adults found themselves walking mostly in the back, and the result is a ton of photos of children holding hands.

 

Starting early on and continuing through the day, the groups split mostly along gender lines.

a Google conference bike, for those wondering

Velin and Sava hit it off pretty much in the first five seconds.

While girls tried to break in occasionally, it was a boy's game throughout the day. They share a sense of humor, a passion for building, and a general feeling that there are more important things in life than hanging out at the kitchen table. We watched them skedaddling to do things on their own throughout the day.

They also, apparently, share a love of chess,

and a love of gadgets.

Lunch was more or less appreciated by all children, but what really seemed to matter was the chance to be together.

 

The thing that really blew me away, even though I knew in my mind that I would witness it? The level of linguistic fluency of Ivana and Velin after only a year and a half of attending school in the United States. The kids talked like equals.

Had I not known it, I would never have suspected that these children were not born here. Stunning.

In the evening, everyone seemed to find their groove at home, too. While the boys played chess, the girls drew, played doll-house, and read books together.

Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.