Josie's on a vacation far away

We returned Monday night from five days of inside jokes, performing water stunts until they nearly killed us, and watching Lindsay laugh until she cries. You guessed it... the annual Patterson Cousins trip- where showers are optional, but fun is required. We returned to Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota this year, and again Bob and Gretchen (with four month old twins Jacob and Robbie in tow) were our excellent hosts.

With six children all under one roof this trip, life didn't slow down for anything. It stays light a lot longer that far north, so we threw bedtimes to the wind and schedules out the window. It is a lot of fun to watch all the little cousins together (no, I'm not talking about you Bob). Four of the six kids that were there were under two, leaving Jack (8) and Ella (6) heads of baby activities and seeming like teenagers. Everyone had a great time in the controlled chaos, and you know I loved holding those little twin boys. Every time they smiled at me, I swear I felt the earth move.

We loved meeting Bob and Gretchen's fun friends Rick and Kate, who graciously put up with our screaming babies and child like banter; and for some crazy reason returned day after day, night after night for more. The first day I addressed Rick as Rich for at least three solid hours, and he didn't correct me once. I guess he figured it could have been, as Ella says, "Awk-ward!" Once I realized my mistake, I decided to come clean, and then proceeded to purposefully call him Rich for the rest of the trip. He reciprocated by calling my Josie. The nicknames stuck, until Ella announced that she thought his name was Rex. Thus, T-Rex was born. At the end of the weekend I invited Kate and Rick/Rich/T-Rex to Marin's wedding. The reunion is sure to be sweet. We missed Mike, Elizabeth, Drew and Ollie this year, but we were so glad to get to visit with them when they were here in June.

Every year this is a great weekend made up of one part relaxation and two parts hilarity. Late one night as Bob and Gretchen were putting the twins to bed, Jason and Don decided to decorate Bob's yard for Christmas. It seemed a fitting thank you for offering their house up to our mess and destruction for five days. We attended a Sierra Nevada beer tasting one day, survived two tornado warnings (complete with sirens and golf ball size hail), stayed up way too late talking, saw a fireworks show, hit up Lord Fletchers- our favorite waterfront dining spot, and ended many a day with a sunset boat ride. Color me happy; that's the recipe for Josie's perfect long weekend.

Marin rode behind the boat for the first time, and officially earned her sea legs. She and Daddy boarded a raft together and Don pulled them behind his boat at a snail's pace. Marin giggled and waved the whole time. The rest of us left with plenty of scars and bruises, the mark of a truly good time and effort to perform tricks we've never before attempted.

Marin also strung her first two words together on this trip- "my shoes". That girl has a serious love for her footwear, and she's gonna let you know. I'm very proud. She also learned how to say "mine" from two year old Elise, and now everything is "mine (this)" and "mine (that)". She did pretty well with letting me hold the babies, but she did say a few times, "mine mommy". She really loved taking care of Jacob and Robbie- bringing them their bottles and pacis as well as giving them plenty of love and hugs.

Another weekend highlight was getting to see our friend Kelsey and her boyfriend, Andrew. Kelsey is Molly's sister, and since she lives in St. Paul, we invited her out to the boat for the day, and didn't waste any time initiating her to the world of hurt that is being pulled by Don behind his boat at 35 mph on the tube. She and I rode together, as did Andrew and Jason and we all nearly died at various times when we hit a huge bump and flew 3 feet in the air, or when we rolled off the tube and literally bounced off the water, but we laughed the whole time.

In fact, it seemed as though laughing was a theme for the weekend as is always the case. It was another great trip with wonderful Patterson cousins. These trips may only come once a year, but the memories will last a lifetime. (That's what she said.)