Happy 70th Karen!

Today is Karen's 70th birthday.  So here's a little photo history for the best sister ever.

Karen & Doreen 1945

Karen & Doreen 1954

1959

1960

Janet, Karen, Freddie 1961

1962

1964

Doreen & Karen 1966

Janet & Karen 1968

Janet, Fred, Karen 1972

(Sorry for the big jump in years - my next project will be scanning photos)

Doreen & Karen 2006

Clas Cousins - Karen sitting 2nd from left - 2011

Karen, Freddie, Janet 2012

Daddy  (90) & Karen (70) 2012 

Always beautiful.  Happy Birthday Karen! 

WALKING !!!

This afternoon Gus and Rosie and I Skyped.

I asked if she was walking.  Gus said she had 'let go' quite often and even walked a few steps to pick something up.  She still needed to hang on when she wanted to take a walk.  I actually saw her let go a couple of times, but mostly she climbed and showed me her tongue.

(And Gus showed me his tongue.)

So it's now about 5:00 NY time (2 hours later), and I got a call from Gus and Meara.  They were laughing because Rosie was walking everywhere.  I asked if we could Skype so I could see.  And sure enough she was walking, FAST, from one corner of the room to another - she'd get to a chair or a table, bounce off of it, turn and start going fast to the next corner.  She was like a human pinball machine.  So I got 2 blurry pictures - keep in mind that I took these via Skype while Gus chased Rosie around with his laptop; and don't forget, she was really fast.

I think she is now an exhausted girl.  YAY Rosie!!!

Rainy Day Fun

On the Friday of our family week it rained so we went to the NYS Museum.

Rosie and Presley had their first rides on a beautifully restored carousel.

A view of the NYS Capitol from the museum.

No visit to the museum would be complete without a visit to the original set of Sesame Street.

Whale!

Mastodon!

Ducks!

Moose!

Over the River and Through the Woods ...

On Rosie's first day in New York she came to Gromma's house.

First we had some lunch.  Rosie sat in the same high chair that Karen, Freddie and I used - that would make it 70 years old.  When my Mom was alive she had the chair so Gus used it too.  And, now that I think of it, Jonathan and Emily would have had occasion to use the chair as well.  It has served our family well.

After lunch we got out the Brio trains.  I think Gus enjoyed playing with his old trains as much as Rosie (or maybe more).

After all that fun Rosie took a break with her Mom.

After a nap Rosie learned how to blow a whistle.  Yes, Gus is holding her nose (to force air out through her mouth rather than her nose) - it worked and from then on she could make a noise that delighted her.

Though the green Converse sneakers are adorable, they were a still a bit too big.  So I found Gus' first sneakers and they were a perfect fit.  I am not a hoarder, but I am a keeper of all things sentimental.

Meara, Gus and Rosie

Gromma, Gus and Rosie

Very happy Gromma and Rosie.

The next day we went to Karen's house where we met up with Jonathan, Cara, Emily and Presley.

Presley meets Rosie.

Girl talk.

More Brio trains.

Jonathan and Presley tour Karen's backyard.

So cute.