The Number Field

For us, Memorial Day weekend meant spending lots of time with Elena's cousins. We may not be living here for much longer, so we're trying to soak up all the good cousin time that we can. On Saturday they came to our apartment and we all went swimming, then on Monday we went down to their house for a Memorial Day cookout.

The pool at our apartment complex is perfect for little ones. It isn't very deep, so older kids don't like it very much. Because of that, it's never too crowded. On Saturday afternoon, we only had to share it with one other family. While her older cousins worried about how cold the water was, Elena plowed right in. Ainsley didn't mind the water either, kicking around in her little inner tube contraption. After she got tired, she graciously allowed Elena to borrow it.

On Monday, I took special notice of how nice the cousins' yard is. They just finished putting in some beautiful flower beds in front of their house, but I was more struck by the soft green grass, which is a rarity around here, because it requires more care than the standard turf. Elena enjoyed the grass, too. In the backyard they have lots of fun outside toys, including a playscape with two different slides on it. The big one was a little bit fast for Elena, but she enjoyed taking the risk.

In both locations, the highlight is seeing how much fun Elena has with her cousins. Without fail, Gavin can make Elena erupt in peals of laughter. Now that Ainsley is crawling, we have to do our best to prevent conflict between these two rough-and-tumble girls. When they're older and more aware, I'm sure they'll be good friends. Warren does his best to be a good example and watch out for his little cousin, even if that sometimes means that I can't bounce very high on the trampoline because I have Elena with me.