Country Cousins

How do you make 8 dozen chocolate chip cookies disappear in 5 minutes flat? Invite 17 hungry children inside and offer them fresh cookies still warm from the oven and cold glasses of milk. Meet some of the cousins from Joseph's side of the family.
His brothers still living in Fallon all decided, in typical Wadsworth fashion (at the last minute), to come up for the day on Monday. All the men and some of the kids went on a 4-wheeler ride to the mountains. The rest of us, meaning womenfolk and children, stayed and visited with one another. While the older children and my sisters-in-law helped one sister-in-law wax and clean cupboards in the house they'll be moving into, I took the six little girls (at the bottom of the photo) to my house to play. I had just finished baking cookies when Joseph called to say that all the older cousins would be showing up on the 4-wheelers.
Their timing was perfect! I was just taking the last batch of cookies out of the oven. They showed up talking and laughing and joking with one another. They were really having a good time being together. As we visited I observed how they interacted with each other. I contemplated on the wonderful relationships they all have as cousins. There are no bad feelings between any of them. They get along well with one another and enjoy being together. It was a joy to realize they all felt comfortable and loved coming into our home. And the best part was realizing that they could all feel that way going to any one of my sisters-in-law's homes. All these cousins take their cue from their parents. I don't know of many families that can work well together day in and day out and still have such love and respect towards one another. Oh,there are the occasional riffs for we aren't perfect. But they honestly are few and far between. We've teased Joseph's parents before, telling them they must have done something wrong. Usually you hear of children growing up and moving away from the farm. Yet all these boys want to stay on the farm. What a testament to their parents!

(There are 12 cousins that aren't in the top photo. I laughed when I realized that we had laundry hanging on the line behind them. Typical rednecks! It's Marie's week to do the laundry and she loves to hang up the clothes instead of using the dryer.)