Aunt Nicki and Cousin Anna

My sister Nicki and my two year old niece Anna flew into Cincinnati for a long weekend visit on February 1.






We drove up to spend Saturday and Sunday with them. It was nice to have most of my side of the family together (we did miss my brother-in-law Dan.) The last time we saw Anna was in June 2007. Her hair is much longer, her vocabulary larger, she has picked up speed and her personality has developed. She is a smart firecracker. She is petite but only in stature. She clearly knows what she wants and what she doesn’t and is good at vocalizing it. When I asked her if she would do something (like give me a hug) she said “No” strongly and clearly. Dress-up and playdoh were a big hit. Rachael liked having someone younger to play with. She tried to boss Anna around but that didn't last long, Anna wouldn't have anything to do with it. Grace loved being motherly.

Nicki is a great mother – so calm. When Anna got hurt she handled it so well. To my great regret we never got all the cousins together in one picture but I did get several cute photos – mostly “action shots.” Anna is not happy about taking pictures (every one of my kids was the same way at two) so it was a bit of a challenge to even get her into a staged photo. Fortunately my three have gotten better at this so as they sit still with smiles plastered on their faces we kept trying to get Anna into the picture. It was very comical. We regretted leaving Sunday night but knew Rosa Parks Elementary, Southern Hills Montessori, The Jockey Club and the KY Economic Development Cabinet expected to see us bright and early Monday morning.