Thursday, February 22, 2007

Cousins, Dear Cousins





I took Hazel and Parley up to Rock Canyon Park with Grandma Lisa, Katie, and Atticus today. They played happily on the playground for a long while, only distracted by the other park children's fruit snacks and Fresca. Upon wandering a bit off from the park, Hazel found a piece of heaven--bushes and trees that had openings just big enough for her and Atticus to walk through. Soon, we couldn't see them, but we could hear them ("I got a weaf for ya, Atticus!", "Atti bonk head!").

As I watched them, I couldn't help but remember my own bushes fort made with my cousins on the side of the Van Buren's house. We spent hours hollowing the bushes to create rooms for ourselves. In my remembering, I longed to be there again, with a pack of saltines, Jesse, Nick, Ryan, Katie, Steph and Mike.

I have 41 cousins on my Clark side, and 6 cousins on my Brimley side. While age and/or differences separate me from some of the 47, most I claim as very best friends. My time spent with these cousins, while growing up and still today, I cherish more than words have a way of telling well.

I grew up across the street from my Steve Clark cousins. They are like another set of brothers and sisters. I spent most of my time there with Jesse. I imagine that my relationship with Jesse is what it would be like to have a twin brother.
We shocked fellow classmates by holding hands in the lunch line or if we really wanted to sock it to them, he'd kiss me
on the lips. Jesse advised me and arranged for my relationships, and would occasionally petition my help for his (not that he needed it). It meant the world to me to impress Jesse, and if truth be told, it still does.

The Van Burens moved into the circle across from my family when I was in 4th grade. The VB's backyard opened to a wide field where we spent hours swinging on the world's greatest swing, making apricot fruit leather, traveling to Courtney's dear friend Tara's house, dodging water from the cement frog water spout, making movies produced by the great Professor Chris Clark, and letting deer free from traps that were meant to take them back to their mountain home.

We spent Sundays at Grandma and Grandpa Brimley's house with Lindsey and Russ. We put on terribly boring plays which we insisted our parents and grandparents watch. We pouted when they giggled at the wrong parts or chatted with each other instead of watching. Lindsey and I sent Russ and Katie upstairs to the bedroom to talk through the vents with us and bring us more Lorna Doones. When our parents called for us to go home, we'd hide in each other's cars in hopes that we might get to have a sleepover at the other's house.

Casey moved down from big-hairville, Ogden in 8th grade. We were the primary babysitters for our parents during Cougar football games and spent many a Saturday at the Oakridge playground. We were lost without each other when Casey moved to Timpview territory, and after a sad first freshman semester as rivals, I got her back as a Bulldog. Between tanning on her tramp and sending in modeling photos of ourselves to 17 magazine (yikes!), we were a busy pair.

As I watched Hazel, Atticus and Parley today, I caught a glimpse of what I hope their lives will be like together: bush forts, swings, sprinklers, trampolines, boring plays, sleepovers, baseball with big red bats, sledding accidents, Secret Stores, plastic pools, and many many packs of saltines and Lorna Doones.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

your cousins were mean to me when i first got to provo high. and after that rotten jesse stole emily kawasaki from me in fifth grade, i swore i'd never forgive him. and i never have.

secretly, though, i was always jealous of the clark dynasty. it just wasn't fair that the brimley side was so cool as well. share the wealth, cool-hogs!

Lindsey said...

Oh Jayne, that made me laugh so hard and those pictures kill me! Dang, we were hot!

I always remember watching those Chris Clark movies...the scary one where one of the Clark kids "levitates", and when you yell to everyone for more "apple pie and twisters".

And as for the Brimley cousins and I just regret every day that I had to be the mean and bossy cousin.

Lindsey said...

Oh, and isn't that top picture the day we sold those cherries with the white worms in them?

Mmmmm.....cherries with white worms.

C. Jane Kendrick said...

Sweet post Jayne. We were/are so lucky.
Lindsey we just watched "apple pie and twisters" last week at my parents. We had talked about it so much to my husband that he could almost quote the whole movie. Jayne with that accent and all...
Jed come by sometime and bring Jayne with you. Hazel and Parley are invited as well. We'll have apple pie and twisters. Whatever twisters are.

jayne wells said...

The embarassing part about that movie is that I keep my lip under my gums so I can keep the accent. Was a sweet accent though.

Twisters are cherries with white worms in them.

Anonymous said...

Jaynie, what a darling blog. And I have 47 nephews and neices that are so dear to me! I always secretly wanted to HAVE my sisters' kids I love them so much. All of them. I knew that if anything ever happened to my sisters that their kids would be mine. We were so blessed to grow up with your cousins as your best friends. It was so fun when the Van Burens and the Jim Clark's lived in our ward! Those summers were so fun for you guys. I remember Steph running here to tell me that Katie had fallen on her bike and had a big sore that had stuff coming out, Mike crashing on his bike in front of the house, several cousins falling on the red scooters, Ted coming to tell me that Chuck was hanging from a tree at his house and couldn't get down, Courtney running away from her mother past the Fuhrimans house, Lindsey telling me that when she grew up she wanted to have big feet and big breastes just like her mom. She got her wish...doubled! Oh...you kids are all so cute and great.

Lindsey said...

HEY!

Anonymous said...

I hope you know that all of us Brimley girls are jealous of you Linds!

Anonymous said...

By the way, Jed..when I first saw you and your cute sisters I thought that you all had the cutest chins and smiles and were all so talented. So, I thought the Wells family was awesome! Now Hazel has that same cute chin and smile! I love it!

Lindsey said...

Jayne, I just wanted to let you know that my dear Dad happened across your blog (vis a vis a link from my blog)and he loved seeing the pics of us all as young'uns. I just thought I'd let you know that.

jayne wells said...

Stu! Thanks for visiting my blog. Sure do like those kids you've got.

Stephanie Aurora Clark Nielson said...

jayne

what a awesome blog. some of those pictures i have never seen! i wish we lived closer to you.

Anonymous said...

Close as you all may be, I am a little bit offended by the child nudity posted in one of the photos. Can you keep it PG in the future, Jayne? ali