I remember when each of my four baby cousins were born. I remember where I was, who I was with, and how excited I was (spoiler alert, it was a lot). I also remember being super excited that I could see cute baby pictures for years to come. The days they were born were some of the most exciting ones of my life, and meeting all of them for the first time was incredible.

Being a big cousin is one of the biggest pleasures of my life, and will continue to be. I've been a big cousin since I was five, technically, but those cousins and I have grown up together. These little people were born when I was basically done growing up, and it makes for a different relationship. I have never been more in love with a person more than I love those tiny people. They will always be my baby cousins, even when they are 20 and I'm in my 30's and 40's (oh good lord). I love traveling to visit them, playing with them, and picking out presents for their birthdays and holidays. Whenever I go on vacation, I think about the smalls and what they'd like. I talk about them all the time to my friends. I even have their pictures on the fridge in my house, and I show their cute faces off to anyone who walks into the kitchen.

I'd like to think that I'm going to be their favorite relative when they get older because I'm gonna be that cool cousin with a house they can visit whenever they want. I look forward to teaching all of them tons of nerdy things and being a hopefully good source of advice when they need it. I'm ready for all of them to tell me what they want for their birthdays, Christmas, and Hanukkah because I'm rapidly running out of ideas on my own.

They all have such fun personalities and are all such bright spots in my life. I see them all very infrequently, but the magic of the internet has made it so much easier to keep in touch. I love seeing pictures of them as they grow up, and FaceTime is always there for me to see them. I love their funny sayings, their little attitudes, and all of the good stories I hear about them. And giving credit where credit is due, their parents are pretty awesome, too. Without them and my relationship with them, I would not be able to be a part of their lives in the way I am.

Max is four, and I see him twice a year. This is because he lives near my hometown and I'm only home twice a year. He's such a sweet boy who loves toy cars, building things, and playing with play-dough. AJ is also four, just a few months younger than Max. She's hilarious and too smart for her own good. One time she asked me if I had a dog, and when I told her, no, she said, "Well that's sad." Evie is her little sister, at two years old. She has paintbrush pigtails, a cute little grin, and when she laughs she sticks her tongue out of her mouth. She's also a little comedian, even at two. Ryan is seven months old, and literally does not stop moving. Ever. You hold him, and he shakes his legs constantly like he's jumping up and down. He also can't manage to eat a meal without getting at least a third of it in his hair and all over himself.

These four kids are my own personal army of small fries, and I thank my lucky stars every day that I get to be their big cousin.