Cousins

Our day became interesting when we visited a local coffee shop before leaving town this morning to go see our cousins.

(I always liked buildings that have bars over the doors- gives them a kind of "homey" feel, don't you think?)

This coffee shot purportedly contains some really garish art, houses flies in the pastry case, hires rude people who refuse to have anything to do with Starbucks, and sports an ugly mural on the side of the building. But it also serves some of the best coffee in the area. Not that I drink coffee- but I do believe the rumor. Ugly apples generally taste the best, after all. I've heard wonders about the beans they sell- and if I was a coffee aficionado I'm sure I would appreciate this place.

Our cousins have chickens. The suburban chicken-craze has hit the Northwest, folks.

Gabriel only wishes the chicken-craze would hit our little part of the Northwest. 

This is Bob. No one knows whether it's a boy or a girl. Kind of a moot point though, come to think about it. I can't help but notice the rockin' feather-do.....

My four-year-old cousin likes to chuck chickens up in the air. It startled me at first, but then I came to realize that chickens are essentially like balloons and come peacefully back down to earth.

Most of the time, that is.

And then there was the guinea pig....

....Or "Ghee pig," as Jerome dubbed it. 

It got a bath:

But no hair-bows this time.

I tried to get a picture of the boys. In typical boy fashion, this is how they granted my wish. "What? You don't want a picture of us stuffing plastic dinosaurs in our mouth and blocking our faces with pillows?" 

This is fine portraiture, people. Fine portraiture.

My aunt and cousins are incredibly talented and inventive when it comes to making stuff out of fimo clay, not to mention all the other adorable crafts. So some of use decided to try making animals:

We then played a name game, which soon morphed into a contortionist exhibition.

Or a yoga class. Not sure which.

It got a lot weirder, I assure you.

As you can see from this picture, Gabriella did not like Jerome as much as Jerome liked Gabriella.

I know my posts tend to be on the long side- but all these pictures make me smile. And thus they were posted:)

Natalie-