I love taking pictures, so whenever my extended family gets together, I’m always sure to have a camera in my hand to capture all the precious moments. There’s always so much to photograph--the older grandma’s playing with their newborn grandchildren, the younger kids attempting to play a board game, the older kids making movies and small skits, the men doing the dishes in the kitchen as the women are preparing the dessert, and the list goes on. These pictures are some of the very few that are golden. The girl is Deema and the boy is Omar--they’re both siblings. Part of me feels bad for putting these pictures out, but the other part knows it’s necessary so that everyone reading this blog post can put a smile on their face, and can (hopefully) feel the happiness that fills my heart everytime I see them.
Deema is 7 years old. She’s quiet and sweet when she’s around people she doesn’t know, but at home she’s aggressive and sassy. Deema also thinks she’s a princess and goes around acting like it, so, naturally, all the adults treat her like one and leave the other cousins to fend for themselves--she has everyone twisted around her 1st grade finger. This picture was taken at my house on Eid. Eid is a Muslim holiday, and it’s tradition for my family to all get together and celebrate, so I usually have the camera out. Deema had been whining for someone to put her dessert because she couldn’t reach the table and put it for herself. I saw my perfect opportunity to snap a picture when all the other cousins were playing a game of hide and seek and Deema was stuffing her face with as much food her mouth would hold, in hopes of getting done quickly and joining the game.
Deema is 7 years old. She’s quiet and sweet when she’s around people she doesn’t know, but at home she’s aggressive and sassy. Deema also thinks she’s a princess and goes around acting like it, so, naturally, all the adults treat her like one and leave the other cousins to fend for themselves--she has everyone twisted around her 1st grade finger. This picture was taken at my house on Eid. Eid is a Muslim holiday, and it’s tradition for my family to all get together and celebrate, so I usually have the camera out. Deema had been whining for someone to put her dessert because she couldn’t reach the table and put it for herself. I saw my perfect opportunity to snap a picture when all the other cousins were playing a game of hide and seek and Deema was stuffing her face with as much food her mouth would hold, in hopes of getting done quickly and joining the game.
Omar is a year older than Deema, so he’s 8 and in 2nd grade. Omar is literally the younger brother I never had. He and I both like playing with the younger babies, raiding the pantry at night when everyone else is asleep, and going on intense movie marathons without getting tired. But the one thing that makes us most similar is that we both wrestle and fight each other without crying or whining afterwards. Omar is the only boy out of his 4 siblings, and even though he’s really young, he’s already started playing the “overprotective brother” role for his sisters. I remember once Deema was complaining about how a boy in her class kept blowing in her face and moving her chair. The next day Omar yelled at him to stop messing with her, and Deema came back and said he was quiet the whole time.
All in all, my cousins are literally the best thing ever--they’re my best friends. Because I don’t live near them, I treasure every minute I get to hang out with them. Even though they’re all younger than me, I genuinely enjoy hanging out with them more than I do with the adults. In specific, I’m thankful for Omar and Deema. They’re both hilarious and they always make me laugh until it hurts my stomach. I remember one time my cousins were all begging my brother to drive them to the theaters in Chicago, but with my aunt's huge van. In the midst of all the chaos, Deema says, “surprisingly Bara (my brother) is a good driver.” My brother questioned, “what do you mean surprisingly” and she responds, “I’ve played Mario Kart with you suck, but you drove once and you were ok.” After this happened, I was dying of laughter for minutes, and I still remember this encounter until this day. I’m grateful because I know I hit the jackpot with my cousins, and I’m thankful for all the memories I make with them!
