Pink cake and penguin costumes

Louis may not need a reason for a three-and-a-half-hour train ride, but his parents are not extensive travelers. Only a momentous occasion can entice us away from home for a long weekend.

The occasion this time? A fourth birthday party. And not just anyone's fourth birthday party.

Louis's cousin Mary's fourth birthday party.

Louis would prefer that all birthday celebrations be his. But he never turns down an opportunity for some extra cousin time.

Whether they're just hanging out...

...working on an important project...

...finding a good use for the treadmill...

...or playing peacefully in between discussions about who gets to use the purple shovel...

...they always find plenty to keep themselves busy. And Louis is a natural member of the team.

Louis was so busy with cousin play, in fact, that he gave up napping for the weekend so no one would be disappointed to miss a moment of fun. As it turned out, with a birthday girl celebrating the whole weekend, there was plenty of fun to be had.

And there may not have been many wooden trains at Julia, Gregory, Mary, and Paul's house, but there were some wonderful toys that were new to Louis.

He happily baked "chocolate chippies."



Cat in the Hat got a ride in the "cart." "It's a baby carriage," Mary corrected him.



And the hippos were very well-fed.



It only added to the excitement when we learned on Saturday morning that not only were Andrew and Lily making a two-plus-hour drive to the party that day, but making an even longer drive were Louis's other two out-of-town cousins, John Paul and Joseph. For the first time since Louis's baptism, all of Grandma and Grandpa's grandchildren were in one place.

We were missing just one, of course, but the youngest grandchild will be here as soon as we can bring him home. (And trust me, as soon as there is progress in that area, I'll be shouting more loudly than if you take my purple shovel away.)

A few of Mary's non-cousin friends also came to the party, and they were great fun, too. But when they walked in the door, Louis looked up and said, "What cousins are these?"

Having all the cousins together meant that we had a clear obligation: a photo session--or two.

Getting nine children to smile for a camera? Impossible.

Getting them to sit still for a minute in the same place? Well...it was worth a try.

Louis may have glanced at the camera. Julia valiantly tried to set a good example. Mary is wondering why everyone didn't wear pink to her party. At least a few of the boys are thinking about how much fun it will be to see Aunt Rita chase stray balls down the street. Lily thought the whole thing was pretty funny, as you can see, though she sat beautifully before sprinting away.



As it turns out, Lily is a natural leader and the others followed quickly. Still, we have proof that they were all in the same place at the same time--and also that they all got some exercise that day.



The party had a fairy theme, but Mary has a lot of boy cousins, so although the favors included sparkling wands--perfect for swordfighting, of course--the partygoers also played tee ball and soccer and basketball and other outdoor games.

You know it's a good party when the dinosaurs are invading the dollhouse.

It was a magical weekend.

It was the kind of weekend--as we discovered the next day--when you go on a play date with friends and you become a penguin.

I am used to being upstaged by the mothers who always carry wipes and tissues.

Louis was impressed when my friend Melissa greeted us and explained this play date would be in animal costume. Her girls had picked out a penguin outfit for Louis.

Louis had never worn an animal costume, but he loves to pretend to be a bear, a robot, or whatever else comes to mind. A penguin? "Sounds good," as Louis would say.

With a birthday party, days of cousin play, and a play date with "The Frog" and "The Giraffe"...

...Louis had a full weekend.

I thought by the time he came home, he might be worn out from his overly social weekend.

 
Instead, the morning after our return, we were driving to Grandma's house and talking, as we often do.

"My cousins are at Grandma's house?" he asked.

"No, they are at their house," I told him. "Julia and Gregory had to go to school today."

"No, no!" he said. "They are not. I think they are at Grandma's house."

When we arrived, he saw that Julia's car wasn't there. He commented on it, then happily ran inside and started playing with Grandma's fire station.

But he'll surely be happy to see them again on their next visit, even if the pink cake and penguin costume are not included.