Cousins.

This morning, I had the privilege of watching Emma and her cute little brother Jackson. Jackson will be one in about a month, and he and Rudy had a good time sitting together and being all tiny and friendly. And then every so often, Rudy completely melted down when Jackson reached for her Elmo slippers or the random, empty, and suddenly precious cup she was holding. When I got out a basket of Sesame Street friends for the both of them, Rudy went right for Zoe and Abby, and Jackson kept going back for Bert. Good choice, Jackson. This, I think, means that he and I are going to be good pals.

Meanwhile, Marley and Emma were racing around the house with Beanie's new favorite Pink Panther doll. And setting him up on the chin-up bar Marley got for Christmas. I actually have to take the bar down at mealtime because she's tempted to swing between bites.

Marley doesn't stop moving. Unless she's watching Pink Panther on television. I need to emulate her methods for storytelling, for example, because I think I'd be in much better shape. Yesterday afternoon, while she was recounting some sort of adventure for Todd, she did so while lifting first one leg, then the other, onto the kitchen cabinet doors. She hopped around the room. She was in constant motion. I tried it later while I told Todd something like what we needed at the grocery store, and I got a little out of breath. So, it's easy to see why my Beanie is in tip-top shape. Keep it up, Marley.