After five years since my last visit to the farm, a lot has changed. Now, all of my cousins are married with two kids each, and life with littles is busy (to put it mildly). My aunt and uncle have the most fully equipped grandparent pad. From their very own playground out back to a decked-out playroom upstairs, there’s no lack of things to keep grandbabies occupied. Aunt Debby even has a fully stocked diaper changing station in her den, and wow! She’s fast at changing those diapers while buzzing around cooking and taking care of everyone to boot.

Although we had only a couple days in Maryland, Aunt Debby hosted two big family dinners so we could hang out and catch up. Aunt Sue and Uncle Brett even came over from Delaware one night. It was so much fun to see our kids get to know their gang of second cousins. Nine kids ages six and under are an active group.

Silas desperately wanted to teach the older girls how to play checkers, but ended up playing Uncle Matthew instead. Brynn would have given high-fives to Uncle Chuck all night if she had the chance. On the other hand, I couldn’t get enough snuggles with Gemma–look at those chubby cheeks!

I was disappointed, at first, that my cousin Laura and I didn’t get a lot of time together since she wasn’t feeling well the first day we were in town. Thankfully, the next night, she texted to see if I was up for a late night chat after our kids went to bed. I didn’t think we’d be talking until the wee hours of the morning (think, 2am!), but we had so much to say. We’re kind of blog pen pals (if that’s even a thing). But even with keeping up via our blogs, there’s so much we don’t share online–things close to our hearts that are best shared in person. That talk was one of my favorite parts of the trip. Love you, Laura!

Another special event was taking my kids to meet Aunt Eunice who is 93 years old and still spunky. Okay, so she’s technically my first cousin twice removed, since she and my mom-mom were first cousins. But “aunt” is just easier to say. (I get some nerdy satisfaction out of knowing the technical descriptions for my relatives.) Aunt Debby took us over to visit Aunt Eunice where we sang Christmas carols for her and gave hugs all around. She is such a treasure!

Our visit to the eastern shore of Maryland was worth all the miles and long hours in the car. Aunt Debby and Uncle Calvin are unwavering in their faithfulness to God through good times and bad. They model Christ-likeness in their love and forbearance. It was wonderful to spend a few days with them and the whole gang.