Family fun

Any time my kids get together with any of their cousins, it's pretty much a given that they'll have a good time. But I think it came as a pleasant surprise for AJ this weekend to discover he also has a second cousin who's pretty fun.

Lily and AJ are just three weeks apart in age. It's hard to believe it was five years ago at this annual Larson/Lipke/Tate Christmas meal that my cousin Joy and I stood belly to belly for a photo showing how very pregnant we both were. It's more amazing to see what unique little people these two are turning out to be.

After some initial shyness, they quickly turned into happy playmates, chasing, tickling and pretending to be everything from pirates to cats. Their adventures included getting "locked" in the sunroom, which is what caused the "uh oh" expression on AJ's face in the above photo.

But it was all in good fun. And later, AJ summed it up as "a good, fun time."