Cousin Week

My boys are blessed to have sweet relationships with their cousins.  Mary and Elsa came to visit over their fall break.  The boys were over-the-moon excited.  It was better than Christmas morning.  These kids love every minute they get together.

The very first morning they were up making sweet treats in the kitchen.  These sessions used to be more stressful than they are now.  Everyone is quite independent in the kitchen.  I sat with my cup of coffee and observed the fun.

Putting sprinkles on pretzels.

Then they moved over the school room, pulled out the paper and markers and did creative things for hours.  

Treats at McKinley's and Starbucks.

They were put on "breakfast teams."  Mary and Samuel sausage and bacon, pancakes and eggs for us the first morning.  It was delicious.

We also took them to Rodeo Goat.  We might have ordered two plates of of cheese fries.  In addition to our hamburgers.

Grandpa and Elsa.  Did I mention my dad flew down with Mary and Elsa?

I think Samuel took this of me.  I included it just for evidence that I was there ;)

Graham with his dad and granddad.  A pretty special picture.

Steel City Pops.  Let's see.  We got the Arnold Palmer, Cherry Vanilla, Pomegranate, Pumpkin and I got Coffee (of course!)

I took this because I took a similar picture in this same spot nearly four years ago.  

{Notice how Joseph and Mary and holding hands in BOTH pictures… not planned!}

There was no Rodeo Goat or apartment complexes.  And the girls and my boys aren't really little kids anymore.  They're turning into people.  It's a little sad… growing up.  Especially for us parents.  I wish I could hop back into this second picture and squeeze them all.

Then they had to leave.  They wrote each other notes and there may or may not have been tears.  

It's true that parting is such sweet sorrow.  And we are already looking forward to their next visit.