A wise saying goes ”Cousins are usually the first friends we have as children…no one will ever understand your crazy family like your cousins do…”. I know my hubs agrees with this wholeheartedly. Coming from a large close knit family, one of his fondest memories are those of uncles, aunties and cousins congregating in their grandparents’ home in a small Malaysian town of Sitiawan every Chinese New Year; where each cousin would take turns to put up a musical performance for the elders before receiving their angbaos. Now that both the Patriarch and Matriarch are no longer around, the ancestral home has been sold and the cousins (including his own siblings) have all relocated to different parts of the world to set up families of their own.
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| Dana (4) and Stephanie (3) -little cousins unite! |
No matter how great the geographical divide may be, the bond that binds one as family remains indestructible. It comes as no surprise that the hubs relishes every opportunity for a family reunion. He especially misses his own immediate family – his mum (who’s in Penang), his brother (in KL) and his sister (in Adelaide). Last Saturday, his wish was granted when more than half of his extended family congregated in Singapore for their Tua Ee (eldest grandaunt)’s 70th ‘surprise’ birthday party. Dana was exhilarated to host all 4 of her KL cousins at our home for the weekend. Despite having not met for close to a year, the cousins clicked instantly. They were the sisters and brothers that she never had. Dana especially enjoyed little Stephanie’s company. She’s so adorable, like a little burst of sunshine and an energizer bunny. We were pleasantly surprised at how generous Dana was at sharing her toys and belongings with Stephanie; and how careful and considerate she was when she took care of her little cousin. It was so heartwarming to see the two cousins reunite and play like there’s no tomorrow…
Another cousin whom Dana rarely gets to meet is Oliver who resides in far-flung United Kingdom. Oliver’s 5 and a really charming little boy who speaks with the nicest-sounding British accent. It was hilarious seeing the kids interact at the party.
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| Fun-loving cousins: Dana (4), Stephanie (3), Oliver (5), Jessie (7) and Hayley (8) |
Like her Dad, Dana enjoys the company of cousins tremendously and is already looking forward to the next reunion (which would take place in Feb 2013). Till then, God speed our love to all the cousins living near and far. We thank God for blessing us with this privilege to call you our family. May the cousins carry on this family unity and heritage which their parents proudly share.
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| The universal language for photo-taking: Cheese! |
― Maya Angelou
How lovely!! Wow a huge gett together like that is awesome. You must really be one of the few families that really interact at gatherings instead of hunched over on iPhones!!
It must be really cool to be able to meet up with cousins and relatives. We too have such big gatherings once a year during Christmas/CNY and the kids love it.
so heartwarming! I suddenly missing my cousins too!!
I know what you mean! My girl only has 2 boy cousins and she loves them to bits!
So nice for the family to gather in such a manner! And I love those shots of the girls drinking milk, those memories are keepers for sure! 🙂
Good morning ladies! Thanks for your comments 🙂
Hi Adora
the hub’s family, although meets only in a blue moon, knows how to throw a good party. We chatted, danced and made merry till it was time to vacate the party venue and some then adjourned to an uncle’s house to continue the fellowship 🙂
Hi Jiahui,
I grew up with my cousins too as my grandmother was my main caregiver. Now that we have our own careers and families, we only meet during CNY which is really regretful. I miss those BBQs, chalet stays and fun childhood games we used to play…
Hi Madeline,
you know Dana hid in her room and shed tears after she bade her cousins goodbye…I guess as an only child, she longs for kiddy companionship. The euphoria they experience in the company of their little friends (and cousins) is unparallel!
Hi MamaJ
we don’t gather like these very often as many cousins are stationed overseas so these reunions are really precious (esp for my hubs). We love these shots too, taken at home, as the girls were having their morning feed. Casual, unstaged, homely and smiley. 🙂
my girl loves my nephew so much too! such beautiful pix of the kids! 🙂
Ai @ Sakura Haruka
Yeah yeah! Cousins rule!!! My family is huge and I have about 50 cousins myself – so my cousins and I try to make an effort to gather every now and then to let the kids play, so that they can form the bonds just like we did last time 🙂
Small town but my hub’s from the same town as yours! :O