One of the best things about our weekend away was seeing our nephews and niece. My nephews are five and three, and my niece is only four months older than Annabel. This was the first opportunity for the kids to all really interact. They came down to visit ten days after Annie was born, but the boys stayed away from her since she was so new. We DID get a picture of the girls together during that visit, and wowza:
Annie looks like an old lady who spent too much time at the tanning salon! GTL!
Now they look like this:
What a difference three months make!
Yesterday we took all the kids to a San Francisco Giants game.
Spencer is in little league and was very interested in seeing the players up close:
Danny was more interested in getting dirty:
Michaela was more interested in her pacifier:
and Annie wasn’t interested at all:
The boys LOVE the girls – they whole weekend they kept coming over to give both of them kisses (I knew Spencer would be like that, he adored Madeline). I hope they always get along. Sure, there will be some years in there where the boys’ age difference will matter to them, or girls will be gross. But long-term, I hope they are friends. Michaela and Annabel are so close in age that I’m sure they’ll get along famously, although age doesn’t always matter – my cousin Leah is four years younger than me and she is one of my best friends.
With hundreds of miles separating the kids, we’re going to have to work hard to make sure they are relevant in each other’s lives. With the boys hitting school age, the trips won’t be as long or frequent. We’ll have to figure out other ways to keep them close while distance keeps them apart.
Kate @ UpsideBackwards says:
Skype, email and old-fashioned letters and photos are great. Half of our family lives in another country, so it is hard to foster a close relationship among the cousins, but we’re trying. Kids *love* getting real mail (well, who doesn’t, really?). I know Annie’s too young to write yet, but you could send things on her behalf, the boys will love it. And soon enough she will be able to draw a picture to send them. It takes a bit of effort, but it’s definitely worth it. (Note to self- take my own advice and get my kids to send their cousins something!).
.-= Kate @ UpsideBackwards´s last blog ..An eternal mystery =-.
InDueTimw says:
My cousin who is 6 mths older than me has always been very jealous of me, but my cousin 5 yrs younger than me I was always closer to.
.-= InDueTimw´s last blog ..School Is Out =-.
Noelle says:
That’s the amazing thing about technology today: it’s so easy to keep in touch. Sure it’s not the same as seeing each other every day, but it minimizes the possibility that they’ll forget each other.
.-= Noelle´s last blog ..If You’re Beautiful and You Know It Clap Your Hands =-.
AmazingGreis says:
My cousin and I are 2 months apart and we are beat of friends, even though we grew up in different countries (he grew up in Puerto Rico). You should have no problems keeping them close in the same state. LOL
.-= AmazingGreis´s last blog ..California, oh how I miss thee… =-.
Susan (5 Minutes for Mom) says:
What fabulous photos! They all look so cute.
I laughed at the first photo when I read, “Annie looks like an old lady who spent too much time at the tanning salon!”
.-= Susan (5 Minutes for Mom)´s last blog ..5 Minutes for Books: The Threadbare Heart =-.
Sue says:
I was laughing so hard, Heather, at your remark about Annie looking like an old lady who spent too much time at the tanning salon!! I think that she and little Michaela really do resemble each other! What handsome little guys, too.They are all so cute!
Catherine Lucas says:
The biggest bridge has been built already: you guys understand the importance of family, and how neat it is when cousins and nephews have a good bond. There are always summer holidays, other holidays and skype to work out in between…
Gorgeous babies together, bless their little hearts!
I still have the image in my mind of one of the boys jumping on the bed and Madeline laughing about it…
.-= Catherine Lucas´s last blog ..The cherry trees on stage =-.
Micha says:
true, it takes some effort but it is truly rewarding. one of my best friends still lives in the US (we are in Germany) and our kids have ‘play dates’ on skype…..so funny to hear your four year old say ‘maybe we can skype you after dinner, lilly?’. real mail is the best and that’s been an important part these past (almost) three years. We only see each other once or twice a year but it is always fun because the girls do have a real relationship. so, distance doesn’t have to be a problem
charlane says:
My sister and Mother live a few hundred miles away and it is rough keeping the kids together. Weekend and vacations are spent together and video chat at least 2 times a week. THe kids are at an age now where they share by taking what the other one has and tantrum galore on an hourly basis so visits are not as fun as I always think they will be…but in a few more years watch out!
.-= charlane´s last blog ..I love this neighborhood… =-.
Erica says:
Hi Heather,
So pleased to hear you had such a great time visiting with family and that the cousins had lots of fun together. The photos are great. I remember you writing about how special Spencer thinks his cousin Maddie is.
My family is spread all over, we’re in Luxembourg, my brother and his family live in New York and the rest of the family is in the UK. The cousins have only met twice but we keep in touch with lots of phone calls, e-mails, letters. It is hard at times being so far apart from family but then the time we do spend together is so precious, my little girl had the most wonderful week last summer when her two cousins came to stay. We also have lots of photos of family around so my little one knows who everyone is, she has photos of her cousins in her bedroom and says goodnight to them every night.
Annie will have lots of fun with her cousins and Spencer will be able to tell her all about her big sister Maddie.
Sending you all lots of love from afar
Erica
tanya says:
The pictures are super adorable!!
.-= tanya´s last blog ..Affair =-.
Kelly says:
Annie looks like a big girl now with her cousin! Super cute pictures. My youngest and my youngest niece are almost exactly a year apart, and they are the best of friends. My sister and I never had cousins close to us in age, so we both think it’s awesome that they are so close. Then again, at almost 4, and almost 5, they find all kinds of naughtiness to get into!
.-= Kelly´s last blog ..Setting an Example. =-.
Elizabeth says:
Those pictures are so cute! And I think Annie now has been to the same amount of MLB games as I have the great thing is that you know the importance of family. I’m sure you all will find a way to keep all the kids connected
Lynn from For Love or Funny says:
Almost nothing better than sitting in beautiful weather, watching a game, with the people you love!
.-= Lynn from For Love or Funny´s last blog ..It’s all your fault. =-.
Lindsay from Florida says:
I have a cousin who’s only three weeks younger than I am. We were like soulmates growing up, and it didn’t matter how many months or even years passed between family reunions. I’m sure Annie and Michaela will be like that too!!
Jen L. says:
That’s fantastic! We have nephews who are 1 year older and 2 years younger than my son. He loves playing with his cousins! They live halfway across the country, so we use Skype a lot.
.-= Jen L.´s last blog ..The state of Mom =-.
Kristin says:
Those bonds the kids form while they are young will last and it’s a wonderful thing. Beautiful pictures.
.-= Kristin´s last blog ..A Call To Arms =-.
Java says:
Its great to have cousins as friends…its like a bonus! I grew up with my cousins and now my kids live in the same neighborhood with both my sisters kids! That’s 9 cousins all within walking distance!
.-= Java´s last blog ..Italian Ice? =-.
Lyndsey says:
I think you’d be surprised how well kids can maintain friendships over distances! When I was growing up my favorite cousins lived in Texas and then North Carolina (I was in Ohio). They would come and visit every christmas for a week, and sometimes for a week in the summer. That was it. It was my favorite time of year!! And now as an adult I still keep in contact with the two that were closest in age to me, and visit them whenever I can.
Lisa says:
I love when cousins get to spend time together and are friends. When I was little I was really close with my cousin, we spent every summer hanging out together. Maya and her cousin live hundreds of miles apart. They have a blast when they get to spend time together but it isn’t very frequent. Skype and email are awesome in those situations.
Looks like you guys had a lovely trip.
.-= Lisa´s last blog ..First Haircut =-.
Mandi Bone says:
I know that they are still little but maybe Skype is the way to get them to interact. And the cheeks on both the girls are just asking to be nomed on.
Jenn says:
Hi Honey,
Both girls look a like. My sister and I live 18 hrs by car away from eachother but he sons and my kids ADORE eachother. The funny thing is….we did nothing for that to happen…it just did! It will for your family too.
Thanks for your support last night….meant the world to me!
Ann says:
Annie has the same hair my son had! It all seemed to fall out and rub off around his head EXCEPT for the top! She is adorable.
rachel cortest says:
I laughed out loud when I read your comment about Annie. I did not even recognize her. I thought that there must be a newborn niece in the family. SO FUNNY!! Those two little girl cousins look so much alike. What a beautiful family! Thanks for making me laugh in the dreaded month of May.
Jen at Cabin Fever says:
As soon as the kids are able to get on the computer, what is that nowadays…age 3? They will be able to keep up with each other’s lives. There may be distance, but wires and webspace will connect them soon enough
Cabin Fever in Vermont
.-= Jen at Cabin Fever´s last blog .. =-.
CarrieB says:
I’m one of four but we don’t have any cousins. My dad’s brother was killed in WW2 aged 20 and my mum’s brother never married.
Between us my siblings and I have 10 kids, all pretty close in age, and because we felt the lack of cousins growing up we work hard at making sure they see plenty of each other. We usually holiday together in the summer. My son (almost 16) is extremely close to my sister’s 17 year old and counts him as one of his best friends. It’s a lovely relationship to experience, if only by proxy.
.-= CarrieB´s last blog ..Full circle =-.
Pieces of a Sometimes Extraordinary Life says:
Excuse me while I melt…
—
Annabel Spohr, breaking hearts across the internet…
(My daughter’s six weeks old now, and she still looks completely GTL-ish, complete with periodic fist pumping. Here’s hoping she soon looks a tad more babyish…Such, such cuties.)
Momma Lioness Michele says:
I just wrote about a forever friendship I have with a girlfriend, despite the long distance between us, and my hope that my son makes strong friendships too. A cousin bond is already strong, so in this techno world, with a little effort, Annie will be tight with her cousins. Love the photos – wow, 3 months really does make a tremendous difference! So adorable. Glad you enjoyed the visit!
maya says:
Distance aint nothing!
.-= maya´s last blog ..Yes, I’m Still Here- Just Under a Ton of Boxes =-.
Nikki says:
My cousin (who is 6 days older than me) and I grew up together in Iowa. We moved to WA when I was in 5th grade and yes, it was harder to stay in touch. But now, as adults, we are best friends again. She lives in Illinois and I am still in WA. As we speak, we are packing our family to go see her family for a week! Yikes! I can only imagine the madness!!!
Veronika says:
Wow, what a difference in just 3 months! I love those round cheeks. Annie is so lucky to have a same age cousin. I never had any cousins close in age and neither does my children.
Trisha Vargas says:
Wow! Annie is sneaking up on Michaela quickly!
Breastmilk FTW!
(((HUGS))) Florida
lindsay says:
yup. she’s a dodger fan. ha!
although i saw my cousins almost monthly while growing up, it wasn’t until we started taking ski trips together every year that we started getting close. so 20+ years later with distance and a growing family we still make every effort to take the trip.
Gale @ Ten Dollar Thoughts says:
Annie has an award-winning chin. I love chubby babies. They just make me smile. Looks like it was a wonderful trip!
.-= Gale @ Ten Dollar Thoughts´s last blog ..The Purge =-.
Kelly says:
So cute-Annie is getting so big. I was at the game on Saturday, which was Little League day. so much fun to take the kids to games and see their reactions!
.-= Kelly´s last blog ..I did it . . . =-.
Katie in WI says:
I wasn’t close to my cousins ….. but my children are and I love it and try to facilitate it.
Such sweet, happy pictures.
Rebecca says:
I’m pretty sure that weekly installments of Ask Annie or Annie Tells The World segments or something of that nature posted on your blog…maybe the cousins can get in on the act and post replies to the Annie segments. Those are fun fun fun!
.-= Rebecca´s last blog ..Sunday’s In My City-Nature Reserve =-.
mrs chaos says:
Cousins are so special.
And as a side note, I LOVE Giants games…one of the best fields to see a game. Glad you guys had a good time.
Faye says:
I love, love, love that first pic of Annie. You are the best at captioning photos.
christen says:
Wow… Michaela & Annabel favor a lot! It will be so sweet to watch them grow up together! Can’t you just get them to move to LA, so you can all be close together? What?? Is that unreasonable?!?!
Annie is looking so cute! Maddie would be so proud to show off Annie to her beloved cousins!
Mindi says:
Hi Spohr’s,
What a fun weekend! I just wanted to share that I returned home this weekend from my oldest niece’s college graduation. In a weekend full of celebration and and lover one dissapointment…the fact that her 6 cousins could not travel out of state to be with her. I have 8 nieces and nephews. They are soooo close…they are each others best friends and we (the adults) marvel at how much fun they have together, how interested they are in each other’s lives and how much the genuinely like each other, love of course, but really, really like. I cannot wait for summer when I will have all 8 of them back (4 are in college) hanging out togther at our family beach home laughinhg, swimming and having a great time. I wish this and more for the 4 Amigos…your Annie desreves such love and friendship wherever her precious life takes her!
Kay says:
I have alot of cousins, the older ones (Im the 7th of the 13 grandchildren) are 15, 13, 8, 6, 4, and 2 years older then me, and the younger ones are 2, 3, 5, 5 6(my brother) and 9 years younger then me, and though I love them all, Ive always been closest to the boy who’s 8 years older, the boy whos two years younger and the girl 9 years younger. Dont be surprised if in a few years (and it could last a long time like it did for us) spenser and Danny arent so keen on Annie. Thats how my olde rcousins (the ones 2, 4, and 6 years older) were. Now, we get along famously, but until amybe two years ago (Im not 18) they wouldnt speak to me because I “cramped their style”.. just the natural course of things I think
Kay says:
*now 18
Ray says:
Such beautiful photos of all the kids. Annabel and Michaela will definitely be the best of friends. My cousin and I are 6-months apart (she's older) and she's my best friend. ;o)
So great of you to want to keep all the cousins together. You'll all find a way to make sure that they're all very close, for years and years to come.
Katy says:
Hey Heather,
I lived in GA and my cousins from California would come visit in the summer without their parents for a month and it was some of the best times of my life and we are still very close so I know exactly what you mean.
DEFINITELY keep that up
Savannah says:
Cousins are the absolutely best things in the world. =) I have been blessed with many and they are among my best friends. We communicate many times during the week over email and this is thanks to the effort our parents made to see each other even though they lived in Canada and we were in the States.
It’s wonderful that you will work hard to ensure they always see one another. =)
Michelle Pixie says:
Those girls look like they could be sisters with their big beautiful eyes and chubby cheeks! ADORABLE!!
.-= Michelle Pixie´s last blog ..Monday Minute & We Have A Winner =-.
Ashley says:
I just have to say…again, Annie is adorable! She reminds me very much of our second daughter in her sweet cheeks!
Molly says:
So sweet! My daughter has a cousin who is nine months younger than she, and both my brother’s wife and I are due with #2s just five months apart. I love how the kids have brought us all closer and that they’ll have family for life!
lisa says:
Annie is so gorgeous! She is going to be a stunner, something about those crazy jowls lets me know she is going to have crazy high cheek bones, just like you.
Bec says:
Oh my gosh! She’s grown so much!
Krissa says:
Such cute kids. Looks like a fun day. .. Saw the other post about the food poisoning. Yikes! Feel better soon.
Maile says:
My uncle and I used to be pen pals when he was in high school. We are only 7 years apart. Annie can send pictures to her cousins until she learns to write (omgawd i dont even want to think about our baby girls being that big…((Isabel just rolled herself over for the first time this morning!!)))
.-= Maile´s last blog ..A Purple Kind of Day =-.
Mary says:
Annie is getting to be such a big girl! Hard to believe she is already 3 months! Of course her cousins love her! Who wouldn’t?!
My brother & cousin are only 20 days apart & have always been thick as thieves from infancy into their (now) early 30s. And then there was my sister~2 years younger: they picked on her, BBQed her Barbies, tried to ditch her, would absolutely nail anyone else who would even dream of harming her. They’re still that way. We all feel as though we grew up with another sibling who happened to live in another household. Cousins are the next best thing to “actual” siblings!
.-= Mary´s last blog ..Spending Time with my Girl =-.
Al_Pal says:
Awww, great cousin photos.