Thank god for cousins. Laura works 50+ hours a week, 2nd shift, and has a good social life but still finds the time to come up to Columbus and spend time with M&M. She called this week to tell me that her and Robert would be coming up on Friday to see the kids around 3:30 and taking them out to my folks’ farm to have a camp out. Maria was beside herself at the thought of Laura and her sleeping in a tent together. Mario was charged at the thought of spending time with his idol, Robert.

Maria called me no less than 5 times at my work Friday afternoon asking when they would arrive. When they finally arrived, I heard nothing more from Ri – she was glued to Laura’s side. It’s so funny to watch Ri when Laura talks. She is mesmerized with Laura between Laura’s tips on washing hair or her advice on boys – Maria looks up to her and will surely confide in her as she grows older (hopefully Laura will keep me in the loop!).

Robert took Mario to the library. Mario worked to impress Robert by biking the entire way. They came home and played basketball and soccer. Mario surely believed he had died and gone to heaven. Robert will be up in Columbus within a week to start his first year of college at OSU. He has promised us that he will come over and chill with us during the week – we’ll see…. If he doesn’t, we may just have to crash his dorm room, which would provide him with an incentive to come over to our house more often.

Laura and Robert left after dinner for the farm with M&M in tow in the backseat grinning from ear to ear at the thought of an entire night with their cousins.