Cousins Bond At the Piano

There is nothing like the bond that cousins can have growing up.  They can be away from each other due to distance of living in other states, but when brought together, it's like they were never apart.  My granddaughter, Nora, just lit up when she got to be around her twin cousins Dodger and Clover.  They all were born out in California, minutes away from each other.  But my nephew decided it would be better if he came back to his roots here in Michigan to be around the majority of the family here.  And we are so glad he did!  Now my son is talking about moving back in a few years so they can be closer to family too.
You can see how much fun the three of them had playing the piano at only two years of age.  They all knew only to play one finger at a time, and not to bang on the keys.  I am a proud grandmother and great aunt. 
The fun they had together, even if only for one night, reminded me of my favorite times as a youngster with my three cousins, Mike, Jeff and Marty.  The memories I have are of Grandma Bobbie always making us waffles at least once when we spent the night there.  Then her giving us money to go to the store and pick out whatever box of cereal we wanted.  How she always read us our favorite book, The Little Engine that Could.  How Togo the family Siberian Husky would pull us around on a sleigh in the snow, and sometimes  just the dirt in the backyard.  How we would eat all the mulberries out of the bushes in the back before Togo would get them.  Or how I always cried if I lost at chess and wanted to go home then.   I was devastated when they had to move to Texas because of my Uncle Rob getting a new job there.  They moved back when they were in high school, and they remained my favorite people in my world.
The bond of cousins, is a bond that lasts forever.  Whether it is a moment or two at the piano, or one of watching a basketball game together, it is what family is all about.