I am one of the lucky ones to have cousins on both sides of my family. On my dad's side, I have cousins that are older, as well as the same age as me. They went through everything before I did. When I was a little kid, I always felt like they could do no wrong. My cousin, Kadie, would pick me up from school and I always felt so cool just because I was hanging out with her. We always bonded over our similar music taste. Her younger brother, Caleb, is only two years younger than me. This meant that we always got to go to the same schools and have some mutual friends. It was nice to have someone at school that would always have my back, no matter what.

On my mom's side of the family, I have four cousins that are twelve years old or younger. Julee and Jamee are twins, but couldn't be more different. Julee is really into art and gymnastics. Seeing her learn new tricks and watching how excited she gets to show them to me will NEVER get old. Jamee likes to sing and dance and I'm convinced she will be a star one day. We could talk for hours about what music we are listening to these days and which artists are our favorites.

Trey and Jack are the youngest and have more athletic abilities than I can ever dream of having. They can beat me in baseball, soccer, kickball, and more. As rough as they are on the field or court, they will always be my sweet little guys. Luckily, Rylee is only two years younger than me and we get closer and closer every day. We're always "beating each other up" and making jokes. Our moms always claim that they are going to stop taking us out in public, but we're just having fun!

Don't take your cousins for granted. My life wouldn't be near as fun without all of mine.