Cousin, cousine

First of all, I have to announce that after a beautiful home birth yesterday, my sister and her husband welcomed their first baby into their arms. A girl! I'm ecstatic that the birth went so perfectly and that she is here. A girl!! I love my nephews too. But there have been fewer nieces in the mix. We are filled to the brim with joy and gratitude. I'll be posting more about her soon, since she is all that I can think about.

In more local news, all of the cousins from Nicolas' side (except of course baby Henry) are on spring break this week, which is really cool considering they live in two different cities. So we got to have all four here at the farm with us for the week. It's been great. The main endeavor, a group effort, has been the reconstruction of the fort that they worked on last year.

Clementine definitely shares her mother's love of and expertise in Japanese design. There are several peaceful bamboo areas in the fort. This "meditation area" (named by Clementine) is her favorite room. It could be very useful for the farmers on challenging days, or for picnics.
Later that day, I was sent for supplies. The list included food for the eating room (I made muffins), Gillen and Jesse's guitars, a sheet and clothespins for a door, and a speaker for their ipod shuffles.

We who live here are committed to preserving this fort - named "Bird Song" by Julian and "The House" by Clementine - for years to come, or at least until they return with new plans. I'd like to think that the baby cousins will one day be able to take the lead in reconstruction, that the farm and the fort will still be here when they are grown.