Cousinly love

Hi everyone,
Sorry it's been so quiet around here this past week. Our niece and/or cousin Miranda was in town for 9 days, so we kept her busy playing Game Cube, swimming, going to the mall, watching "Pride and Prejudice" (hey, she liked it!), and beating us in cards.

A favorite memory of her visit is that one of her few requested activities for the week was playing "Apples to Apples" with my parents. This may have been a first. For any of you who've had the ... good fortune (??) to play a game with my parents, let's just say it's an experience. Anyway, we ended up having a good time and she was a good sport. Hey, she asked for it!

Evan and Bennett were especially sad to see her go, but it helps that we are off to see lots of other cousins tomorrow! At approximately 4:30 a.m., we will valiantly drive away from our house, head to the airport, and fly to the Land of 10,000 Lakes. For those of you who've never been to Minnesota, this is not an exaggeration. Case in point ... we are headed north to celebrate my Grandmother's 90th birthday. Guess what her town of 300 people is called? Of course. Round Lake ... because the actual Round Lake is a mile or so outside of town. I'm excited for Matt and the boys to see the town that plays such a huge part in my childhood memories!! Plus, I'm going to see cousins that I haven't seen since I was in my early teens. Weird.

Anyway, just wanted to explain why things will be quiet for the next week or so. But we will return with a vengeance with lots of stories from the Midwest road.

Love to you all!
Natalie