Cousin Nathaniel is a snuggle bug. Several times I walked into a room to find him nestled up next to a big cousin watching them do some work or calmly having an interesting conversation with them. It made me smile. Those squishy cheeks also make me smile.

This summer the road to our very favorite little swimming hole is closed, which means to get there you have to hike in a good three miles, and we simply haven’t been that adventurous. Instead, we’ve been frequenting a different but still excellent swimming hole that is more popular and…