Cousins

We are very excited about thanksgiving and going to Grandmas farm with all the Rasmussen cousins. Jackie especially has been counting down the days. She has decided that she wants to bring her "kid's flute" ( a recorder) with her, and she doesn't want to forget it. She decided that the best way to ensure that happens is to sleep with the flute in her hands every night. For three nights she has done that and now there is only one sleep left. She cried this morning when I said we might have to leave on Saturday,instead of Friday if Dad didn't get the van put back together in time ( the heater core was leaking again). It was not the right thing to tell her before she had had her breakfast. She cried and cried and said " It is not ok to skip going to Grandma's on Friday".

As thanksgiving approaches I am remembering all the blessings I have that I am grateful for. Family tops the list. I am so grateful for my hero of a husband, and for " my girls my girls, my prescious pearls". We truly are blessed in the extended family department as well. Andrew and I are both so lucky to have such great parents and brothers and sisters. My kids also have the best cousins in the world. We wish we could see all our cousins this thanksgiving. Here are some quotes by cousins or about cousins, aunts and uncles. Happy thanksgiving.

A quote by Jack (8 years) that Erin shared: " we are so lucky...we have had lots of grandmas and grandpas come and visit us, we are related to Pocahontas and we get to see the prophet in our house! ( after watching conference on TV)
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Jackie (after hearing that Elise would be a Grandma's house on Sunday): "We are cousin friends, and once you are cousin friends you are friends forever!"

Yes, I have a feeling that Elise and Jackie will indeed be friends forever - Who wouldn't want to be friends with Elise, she is so much fun!
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Jackie at dinner: "I do not want to try those noodles with that white sauce!"
Me: "You don't have to try it, but Ella loves this kind of sauce."
Jackie: "Well, I guess I will try it, since I DO want to be like Ella."

It is true, I am not above using positive peer pressure on my children. But Ella does like that sauce.
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OK - this one isn't about cousins - it's about Grandma's house

Alice: I have been thinking and thinking and I can't remember what yellow Grandma's basement looks like.

Me: "I think I know why that is. Grandma Rasmussen's house doesn't have a basement."

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This one is about uncle Greg. Alice said this out of the blue, we had not be talking about Greg or Rachel or anything at all related.

Alice: If Uncle Greg marries someone other than Rachel, will we get to see Rachel, or will we have another Aunt?
Me: Whoever uncle Greg marries will become your Aunt.

Alice: Right, Well I hope he marries someone nice like Rachel. I like her a lot.

So Uncle Greg, Alice and Jackie would like you to vet any dating related decisions through them, I hope that is ok.
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This next quote is not family related but I want to write it down before I forget. When Alice came in to my room this morning to wake me up she said: "I have finally figured out this sleep thing. Now I know the secret of how to get to sleep."

Me: " What's the secret?"

Alice: "You lay down, close your eyes and wait for sleep to come to you".

If only that were always true for me. I've been having a hard time sleeping lately. The funny thing about this is often I have told Alice to lay down and close her eyes and her usual response has been something like: "Mom, I never close my eyes when I sleep, because I do not like the dark " So this really was an epiphany for her.