Ethan and Max were excited to spend some quality time with their Cousin Lili, Aunt Katie and Uncle Scotty this month. The Starek family made their first visit to Santa Monica, and we were thrilled! They made it into town just in time to catch some 4th of July fireworks.

Eric and I had not seen Lili since she was 3-months old, so it was amazing to see how much she had grown. Though they are only 2 weeks apart in age, Lili and Max couldn’t be more different…

Lili is calm, quiet and very verbal. It about melted my heart when I first heard,”Hi Aunt Jenny!” Lili loved the beach, the ocean and California strawberries…although she was not too keen on sharing her Mommy and Daddy with her cousins. If Max cuddled with either Scotty or Katie, Lili was quick to announce her ownership of either parent “My Mommy! My Daddy!” The possessiveness was quite adorable coming from her.

In comparison, our Max is crazy, loud and ever so slowly growing his vocabulary beyond “Mama, Dada and Yes.”  He was pretty good about sharing his toys MOST of the time, but as evidenced in the photos, Max is the one climbing rocks, trying to dive into the fish ponds, chasing pigeons on the pier and playing in water puddles at the aquarium. Truly, all boy.

The kiddos were fascinated with the swarm of seagulls at the beach that decided to swoop in for some stray goldfish crackers, and bathtime with the kiddos was too cute! [See video below for a recap.]

Ethan loved having another video gamer in the house while Eric and I enjoyed having another couple with whom to share laughs, wine and gluttonously good cheesecake.

Thanks for the fun memories — we miss you already!