New Mexico in June

Our visit home was just like any other visit - busy. There were so many relatives and so many friends to embrace that Sarah was shell-shocked for a good portion of the trip. I don't think she was able to fully believe that "Yes, those fifteen people that just walked by are your cousins" and "Oh yeah, you're related to the last ten people that hugged you" and "Those five people all offering you cookies and chips are, you guessed it, also your cousins".



She soon gave up on names and associations with the exception of one name, Luke. She followed her poor cousin Luke around like the paparazzi tails Bradgelina. I'm not sure he was prepared to have a girl, a small girl, at his heels full-time, but once she demonstrated her affinity for full contact sports, he handled her presence quite well.



While wrestling with the boys was a lot of fun, the highlight of the trip for Sarah might have been the birthday celebration on our last night there. Every grandkid, starting with the youngest, got a round of "Happy Birthday" and a chance to blow out the candles.

Sarah was first:


Then, Roy:


Then, Luke:


Then, Ben:


Then, Maggie:


Finally, Cody:


Do you see how long this post is already? And, I've only covered Sarah's first cousins! I'm not even going to go into the evening filled with live music on the patio. Or, aunts, uncles, great aunts, great uncles, second cousins, third cousins, tractors, cows, chickens, fresh tortillas, ringing telephones.... oh, vacations are exhausting. I wish we had them more often.