They’re finally here! My Uncle Geoff, Aunt Jet (short for Henriette), and cousins Lonneke, Max and Swenne pulled into the driveway at about 8.30 this morning, only about eight hours behind schedule. (Their train got delayed, and my parents, who left to pick them all up at nine last night, were stuck in Seattle overnight as well while I babysat) But ‘it’s all good,’ because they brought four dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts along. It was Lonneke’s 11th birthday, so we had a huge breakfast to celebrate, and then I don’t really remember what happened, because I took a four-hour nap. (I’m still really tired, I stayed up way to flippin’ late last night and I should be in bed now.)

It’s funny to watch my dad and his twin interact. They’re identical, have almost the same voice and very similar mannerisms. It’s still a little unnerving, because I can’t always tell which one is my father—I mean they even wear the same clothes, that’s just not fair! Geoff is a little smaller than my dad, and his hair is a little curlier, but that’s about it. They even think and talk the same way, carrying on their own conversations about technology and bikes and whatnot that the rest of us can’t understand, and it’s bit like having two of my father around.

I’m looking for a picture of all of us cousins together, because we all look like siblings.

We ate hand-made pasta tonight; we’re practicing for when we make it on Whidbey in a few days. Then we had two birthday cakes for my cousin, ate lots of ice cream and opened gifts. It’s great how laid-back everyone is, especially considering that my parents spend all of last nigh ‘sleepless in Seattle,’ our relatives spent the night on the train, and I and my siblings stayed up way too late cleaning.
I think I’m noticing a trend: when I blog late at night like this, all I can think of is sleep and lack thereof. Maybe I’m trying to tell myself something . . .