To celebrate our Littlest.

This past weekend all Kooistras of the Marlo & Kathy variety 

arrived in Rochester for celebration

of our littlest.

It began with a dedication ceremony,

where we claimed the Truth for him,

and watched with joy and love
[is that my cutie cousin?!]

as his parents took their stand.

We rejoiced too,

in opportunity to reunite,

to tell secrets,

share some love,

and get excited for when the next cutie cousin joins us.

But the dedication was just the beginning,

because the boy just so happened
to also have a birthday party on his calendar for the day.

First though, a birthday boy nap,
so the rest of us went to a nearby diner,

got ourselves some grub,

and had ourselves a lovely visit.

And then,

we joined together with other family and friends

to celebrate our one-year-old.

There was the traditional cake-eating contest:

[Aunty Lauren has a new phone
perfect for taking too many pictures.

Plus, this boy is just too cute.]

There was also the traditional gift-opening:

and I was happy because my gift was well-recieved:

["Yes Aunty Lauren,
I promise to call you all the time on my new cell phone!"]

And though the birthday boy got the most toys,
the rest of us got gifts as well:

It's what I like to call:

Quality Time.

The next morning--before hitting the road--
 there was just a bit more of it,

 over coffee and conversation.

 
All thanks to this little one,
our one-year-old boy!

Grateful

When you buy a lot of apples...

7 Fuji Apples
1/8 cup brown sugar
1 large cinnamon stick
1 cup water

Cook down, for what...2-3 hours?

[Start it later in the night then you should,
then stick it in the fridge when you need to go to bed.
Restart it in the morning...]

Blend it up, and pour it in a jar. Delicious.

After all these years

Every year, these two chicas and I have a weekend of fun together 

while their parents take a weekend away. 

We began this year--our 5th anniversary--by inhaling burritos.

It was great.

Then, we returned home for homework,

which you would think would be relatively low-key, but:

With this one,

after dinner and before bed is not a low-key hour...

But the next morning we were sleepy and cold

as we walked quietly to school,

our sides bumping and our thoughts sharing.

Since my job is so transportable,

I walked back to this house that feels as comfortable as my own

and set up shop in this cozy corner.

School over, we made our way to apples,

because the temperatures reminded us that Fall is really upon us.

We treated ourselves to fall treats,

and enjoyed them in front of a roaring fire.

Kate and I ran errands then, 

while Sarah got some introvert time at home,

and then we went to The Greek,

our favorite place since last year 

[when we had to force Kate to give it a shot...]

We returned home to be nostalgic,

having an Emperor's New Groove marathon

cuddled in the cozy of the basement.

The next morning was a rainy Saturday,

and this little low-key-in-the-morning one joined me in the quiet.

Then, she cooked us up some breakfast

in what is for sure a talent of her heart.

We feasted, in pajamas.

Then, we had to make monkey bread,

because it's one of the things that we do.

And then we drove out into Amish country,

to see the colors of changing seasons,

on our way to our favorite Amish store.

We got our list of Amish-necessities,

then went book browsing

and fabric shopping

in order to return home to crafts,

monkey bread,

and quiet work 

while dinner was prepared 

[in my new-thanks-to-the-Amish cast-iron skillet!]

We enjoyed our brussel sprouts 

(I didn't feed them only donuts and monkey bread, I swear!)

and crashed for an evening of quiet togetherness.

Sunday brought sad acknowledgment that we were soon to part,

church, and a visit to the Chinese Buffet [which we have subsequently decided no longer needs to be part of our lives...]

And then I packed my bags,

and Heather & Ash returned,

and we said 'see you later!'

and I went on with my day.

Reflecting on how, after all these years,

we are so embedded in each other's hearts and minds, 

on how much they know me,

and how much I know them.

Reflecting on: 

After all these years,

this is such a gift.