Our littlest one, and other cuteness

Remember that 'star of every show' that appeared on our horizon recently?  Always cute as a bug, this Christmas she played her merry little way further into our hearts.

She arrived at Grandma's house to find her favorite toys,

 [I love the drunken joy of this picture...]

and to present herself as the subject for my next dissertation.

She took care of the needs of those around her,

 making sure Grandma got her cake,

and ate [a lot of] it too.

[She also helped Grandma clean as the day went along,

which further seals the deal:
she can stay, in case there was any doubt.]

Gifts abounding,

 she enjoyed receiving the ones brought just for her,

especially this bubble maker extraordinaire.

Since 'bubble' is her favorite word 

[other than 'mama' and 'dada' of course],

there were bubbles in her stocking too [goodies!] 

 and another bubble maker at her beck and call.

 Very patiently she waited for the bottle to open,

 [is it open?!] 

 in order to revel in the bubbles floating through the air.

Soon she was ready to take over production,

which caused our other source 

of massive cuteness to desire a turn.

Our Christmases these days sure look different,

 what with the needs of baby and dog,

 but the fun they bring makes it difficult 

to remember what we ever did without them.

Cuteness, every one!

Merry Fake Christmas!

The Saturday before the real day

I left the Christmas coziness of my house,

and arrived at the coziness of another, in time for some togetherness with my Kooistra people.

Not yet Christmas day, 

Sunday morning dawned close enough to celebrate,

so I got myself busy in the kitchen in preparation for

a Christmas feast!

[This is a charming picture, and the only one taken of the enjoyment of the spread...enjoyment, indeed.]

 Then, it was time for stockings!

[We love stockings. Such goodies!]

 The rest of the afternoon unwrapped itself,

 with anticipation

and surprise;

 with joy,

 appreciation,

 and met needs.

Even our littlest member got in on the action,

saying 'Hey guys! It's so exciting!...

It might not be the day of, but it's ours.  A Merry Fake Christmas!!'

Photo Fun

Confession:  Photo Booths are not one of my favorite things.

BUT:

this girl IS.

So, at her party?

I jumped right in.

And--though I hate to admit it--

I had a great time.

With these good friends...

...and with these women living life with me....

FUN.

Turning 30 Requires Celebrating!

Our Sara had a little birthday recently,
and we set ourselves out to celebrate.

Ginger and I slinked around behind her back all week,
making secret preparations at secret locations.

Then?

It was time.

We invited a small group of friends to a small dinner, where we talked and laughed and dwelt in warm feelings for the event and the girl bringing us all together.

Then, we returned to our house, which Sara had been banned from for the day, and where these secretly baked cakes were waiting patiently for people to descend, hungrily.

When they arrived they found a variety of things
that are near and dear to Sara's heart,

 like a note-writing station,

 a photo booth,

 good conversation,

 thoughtful gifts,

and games along a theme.

Since she was leaving for Rwanda the next day, Curt (the game master) and Katy Stu (who was absent but contributed her own masterful game ideas) put together Rwandan Survival type games.

We took it very seriously.

[Hooray!]

 There was a jewelry making contest,

a fire-building contest,

and a harvesting showdown.

There was even a demonstration of effective communication,
in the language of those Sara would soon be communicating with.  

Then, we showed her a little video we put together in one of her favorite styles: Gangnam.

 It. Was. Hilarious.

After all the hilarity had been had,

all the celebrating complete,

we gathered together, to document:

 Happy Birthday dearest friend,

we love you!