The Brookston Family Blog

After a disasterous trip to the Reading Outlet stores - Outlet Capitol of the World! - where both kids were on their worst behavior and especially Porter who let us know in no uncertain terms just how unhappy he was to be out shopping, we took them home to G'Ma's to nap. We also aborted a planned lunch date with good friends Phil and Diane.

Happily, the kids were in a much better mood for our evening at my cousin Barbie and her husband Kent's house for an evening of pizza and fun with them and their two daughters Lauren and Christin. Porter had simply a fabulous time eating half a pizza and roughhousing with the girls and Kent. He was also quite taken with Gary the goldfish who was upstairs in an aquarium. It's been really great to reconnect with my cousin after so many years and we've stopped by to see them now during each of our last few visits to Dutch Wonderland. Barb was my father's older brother's daughter and was often around my Bushie's (my paternal grandmother) house when I was a child. She's a few years older than me (sorry about that, Barb) and was probably the reason I took up the clarinet, too. It's been really great being back in their lives and the lives of her younger sister Donna and her family, as well.



Clockwise from left: Me, Lauren, Sarah, Alice, Porter and Christin.



Lauren, Christin, Kent and Barb.