and then there were 7... [edited]

My nephew, Justin, arrived late last night.

(He's spending the 10 months with us while his mom is oversees with the marines.)

He's SO cute, and a bit in awe of our crazy family.

I asked him how he liked being here and he said,

"Well, I wasn't really expecting the beatings." *

(I think he was referring to Anna and Ellie's love taps as they went out the door this morning... they were laughing and saying, "I can't believe you made us KISS him...")

leah just came in my room and said, "Mom, where's cousins?"... then she went out and shouted, "COUSINS!!"

Oh, sweet justin, welcome to our home!!

the beatings are just beginning...

*[note- i was telling someone at school this story and justin said, "Not Beatings, MEETINGS." He was talking about our morning devotional. hee hee... yup. he wasn't really expecting all the meetings... and we DO have lots of meetings! and beatings... and, our traffic lights go from side to side and traffic lights in Virginia go up and down. and, poor thing, he hasn't learned "leah language"... he's always asking me to interpret. i have no doubt that by the end of the summer he will know that when leah is asking for some spice, she really wants some of his soda... hold your nose justin, you're in for quite a swim!]

justin and anna are the same age-- only 2 months apart.

don't they look like cousins? i bet they could pass as twins... (wouldn't boy and girl twins be so cute?)

my sister and i don't look that much alike, isn't it funny that our kids look so similar?

even in the picture below, with ellie who always stands out in our family as the only blond, they all blend don't they? see- if my kids look like justin, then they have to look like me somehow...

Notice anna's "bangs"... a friend at school cut them for her because her hair kept falling in her eyes when she was trying to do her art project. love it.