I didn't meet my nieces and nephews, their children and grandchildren until 27 years ago, when I met my (half) siblings. I have a cordial relationship with them and we do express love but I wouldn't say we're close. I became instantly (it seems) very close with my sister and older brother (we never used the term "half"). My other brother lived in South Jersey and we didn't stay in touch after we went down so I could meet him.
My oldest niece called me a couple of days ago and said she wants to take my sister and me to lunch down in Point Pleasant (N.J.) next week. She knows I love being near the water and has a restaurant in mind that's right at the ocean. She lives in a town about 25 minutes away, heading south. Point Pleasant is in south Jersey, so she'll wind up doing a lot of driving. I appreciate her efforts to get us together for a nice lunch.