A Cousin Quest

Not every day around here is a party. The fact that we've been wearing party hats for breakfast might give that impression, but Louis actually has a busy agenda.

He has mail to open...

batteries to replace...

train shopping to do...

local train sites to explore...

 trails to hike...

trains that need exercise...



playgrounds to visit...


letters to learn (Louis didn't write his name, but if you look closely, you'll see his Ls and Xes)...



shoe organizing to do...



and Baba's birthday gifts to enjoy.

Yes, Louis has had a lot on his plate lately. And as much as he adores "Louis House," sometimes our busy boy needs a mini-vacation. So we packed up the car and took off on the not-too-long-but-not-too-short trip to Aunt Maureen and Uncle Eric's house--better known as "Julia's House."

We couldn't leave quickly enough for our boy. And once we had started driving, he couldn't wait to arrive. Luckily for Louis, there was a lot of construction along the way. There were plenty of diggers and cranes to see--and even some trains to admire. We brought along some of our books on tape--anything Seuss or Frances-related is welcome. And we packed a few snacks.

But nothing was as sweet as our arrival at Julia's house. Louis loved the playroom in our hotel in Changsha. He thought he was at least a co-owner of the playroom in the White Swan. He has certainly visited homes with exciting and different toys. And he has a few toys of his own in his beloved home. But Julia's house has oodles of toys--for both boys and girls--and more children's books than some libraries.

Even better, Julia's house has Julia.
And Gregory.
And Mary.
And Paul.

And orange juice--apparently a recent favorite.
And a playground within walking distance.



That's hard to top.


Louis takes play very seriously, and he got right to work.

He picked out a book for the kids to read with Baba.

 

He found his favorite seat, on the ride-on train like the one he has at home.

   

He demonstrated that his sharing skills have improved even since our trip to the beach.

 

He may not have paid much attention to the posted rules.


 But he happily accepted that at Julia's house, the word "broccoli" means chocolate-frosted doughnuts.

 

He accepted an invitation to watch Julia's piano lesson.



He even added a bit of his own music.




And he settled in as a member of the family.

 
Without a doubt, when Louis is with his cousins, he is just one of the gang. They may not always share and agree, but they love one another and are completely at ease together.

Julia read Louis stories.



Louis got to meet Gregory getting off the bus (though, rather predictably, Louis wanted to get on for a ride himself).



 He and Mary made up games only they (and maybe Mary's pal Sheepbaby) understood.

 

 And he and Paul tried to share Baba/Uncle John with a fair amount of success.



Uncle John has always been popular with his nieces and nephews, and Louis naturally feels possessive of Baba. Still, Louis managed to find a decent balance with sharing Baba a bit with his cousins. And that made the weekend that much more fun.

After all, Baba can read...



has a great lap...


 knows how to have fun on a playground...



and he manages to act surprised or happy or scared at all the right moments during Gregory's stories.



Every morning when Louis woke up, he couldn't wait to go downstairs and see who else was awake and ready to play or read or eat--and really what else could you possibly want to do on a beautiful fall morning?

Well, except maybe try to find a train--or a trolley--to ride.

We waited our turn.

 


We cheered when the trolley came to pick us up.

 

We found seats together.



And we joked around with Baba as the trolley clang-clanged through the streets.

What a weekend we had! Exhausted every night, exhilarated every morning, and every minute trying to decide what to do next--and with whom.

With the beautiful weather, we played outside.

And we made two trips to the playground. Louis is even more of a slide enthusiast with every playground visit.

Julia and Gregory couldn't agree on whether this was technically considered a see-saw, but they knew it was fun.

 Louis just slid and slid and slid.

 Then his "big boy" perspective kicked in and he offered to "catch Paul" at the bottom of the slide.

Before we left on Sunday, we explored the only outdoor fun we hadn't tried at Julia's house. We paid a visit to the kids' castle in the backyard. With a rake in hand, Louis made himself right at home.

He climbed.

He raked leaves.

He climbed more.

Was it as much fun as the beach? Even without the sand and the waves, it may have been pretty close.

With his parents and four of his cousins around, a thousand new toys to explore, access to a playground, and a spot in the castle turret, Louis was one happy boy. It was a weekend fit for a king.