I often run into people who hear my last name and say "Cass, eh? Are you related to...." Unless one of the people they mention is a close cousin or relative of my husbands, I usually say "More than likely. There are a ton of Cass' and I can't keep them all straight."
My husband's father's family were farmers -- dairy, mostly. His Uncle George (Dan's grandfather's brother) still farms dairy cows in Harborcreek. As you know, farming families of yore tended to have lots of children (to help out at the farm, of course). Dan's father is from a family of 10 or 12 -- all but a couple of them were boys and most of them are still living and they've all had kids who've had kids and ...well you can see why East county is rife with Cass'.
I love being a part of this huge family with cousins galore. Being a part of an enormous family has many advantages, chief among them being you never want for a BFF when you have several branches of the family tree to pick friends from. My closest friends are all related to my husband (God forbid we ever get divorced, I will have no friends).
I was thrilled when I was 6 months pregnant with my first daughter and my sister-in-law announced that she was expecting, too. I've known women who resent it when other family members have babies too close to the time they are having their babies (it's an attention thing -- they want their child to be the center of attention). Me? I couldn't have been happier (except maybe if my husband's two sisters announced they were pregnant, too). I desperately wanted my kids to have the bevy of cousins I never had. (I had cousins, but most of them were older and those that were my age, didn't live in town).
Kelly was born in July. Cousin Jessie arrived in December.
Six years later, Jessie and Kelly call each other "Best friend" (except whey they get "mad" at each other which is about every other day). They live a mile from each other, they both go to Kindergarten at the same school and they both chose the same costume for Halloween.
It makes me so happy to see the girls having fun together and I know they'll fight like sisters because they are close as sisters, but I hope that 20 years from now (or 25 or 30), they are bridesmaids in each others' weddings and are still fast friends (no doubt making fun of their parents and their "annoying" family together).