Second cousins

My cousin Jennifer and her family are on a cross-country road trip, and we were very happy that they were able to pay us a visit here in California. Unfortunately they were only able to stay with us for one night, as they had to leave this evening. Isaac was terribly sad to see them go. He had a wonderful time playing with Jen's three children, his second cousins. (This is not the first time he has thrived in their company.)

Laurel enjoyed the kids too, although I think she liked my cousin's husband David the best! Luckily we'll be able to see them all again later this summer when we pay a trip to their fine state of Minnesota on the way to Craig's family reunion.

So in these photos you see the second cousins. From left to right: Emory, age seven; Astrid, age seven months; Laurel, age 18 months; Freya, age four and a half; and Isaac, age four and three quarters (as he likes to say).

These pictures don't do justice to the way Laurel shines as a sun-tanned beacon in a sea of milky pallor. Her skin is naturally olive, and despite my applications of sunblock, her swimming lessons are making her even more brown. She looks beautiful.

Finally, if you are one of the readers of this blog who knew my father as a teenager, don't you think Isaac's sneer in the first picture resembles him? I seem to remember seeing my dad wearing the same surly expression in a junior high school class photo.