Cousin-mania, part II

We're in Seattle now and Luke and Zach are awash in a sea of happy, sticky, noisy cousin love.

Eight years ago, my parents started a tradition of renting a big house and getting the whole family together for a week in the summer. Our group has grown from just three siblings and their spouses to a mob of 14 with (currently) six kids age six and under(in order: Antonia, Sam, Luke, Helena, Lily, Zach). My parents somehow continue to volunteer themselves for this every summer and remain amused and entertained by the crazy chaos that unfolds every year.

This time it's Zach's turn (or as Helena calls him, Zacker) to be welcomed into the fold, and so far he's been remarkably calm about being hugged, grabbed, dripped upon, and generally manhandled by his cousins who are currently arguing about who gets to hold him next. He's adjusted extremely well to his first new sleeping location since leaving the hospital: The first night he struggled a little with a stuffy nose from the cold he caught from Luke, but then last night he surprised us all by sleeping "through the night" - from 11 pm to 5:30 am.

Now that the whole group is here (after a hellish two-day plane delay for our East Coast crew) we have a whole week's worth of adventure planned: a day at the beach looking for starfish, a hike, a harbor cruise, more trips to the fish market, and many, many park dates. "I'm so glad we have lots of friends in Seattle," sighed Luke as Dave tucked him into bed last night. Little does he know, the fun is only just beginning.