Cousins Can Be Heroes

When I was growing up, I was never given the opportunity to visit and gain a relationship with my cousins very often. In the "olden days", there were no 70 mph speed limits, my dad worked 7 days a week, and New Jersey just seemed so far away from Long Island, New York. Today, we would make that round trip in one day. I am so blessed to see the relationships between our grandchildren. Emma just got back from a two week visit to Henderson, NV to spend time with Kaylin and Maren. They loved every minute of being together; and Emma not only enjoyed her time with Kaylin and Maren, but she loved being with Jocie and Blake, too. Here in Beaumont, Gabi and Braydon act like brother and sister. They play, they tattle, they play, they fight, they hug, they push and pull; it's a joy to see cousins enjoy each other and care about each other.

Emma and Hayes were here in Beaumont from Thursday to Tuesday and I saw something that just melted my heart and made me proud to be a Grandma. Hayes was always out numbered by the girl cousins. The order of birth was Kaylin, Emma, Maren, Hayes, Gabi, and.................then came Braydon. Hayes was so excited to have a boy cousin, but I think he was a little disappointed because this new baby boy cousin did nothing but sleep. Hayes still had nobody to play with, except THE GIRLS!!! Of course, then came the twins, Jocie Bel and YAHOO another boy for Hayes, Blake. But, oh no, not again, another baby boy and Blake can't play.

Fast forward four years from 2005 to 2009, and now Hayes becomes a hero. Hayes is Braydon's hero. There is a six year difference in age between Hayes and Braydon, but Hayes is so patient with a four year old cousin. They build Legos together, they watch Phineas and Ferb together, and Braydon loves to watch Hayes play his Nintendo DS. But, the picture below shows what a good sport Hayes is towards Braydon.

Matching outfits? Hayes wasn't too sure at
first. "Aren't I a little too old for this?"
(Look at their feet)

You can see from the photos that Hayes loves
Braydon and vice a versa.

"I love to watch Hayes play the DS"
They can even make the same funny faces.

For all of you who know Hayes, there had to be more than just standing,
kneeling and sitting. Hayes' life is full of movement and laughter.


So, I dedicate this blog posting to Hayes who is
a fantastic grandson and a hero to his cousin Braydon.