Dog Day Ramblings

20 August 2012

Family Time

It seems I haven't posted much this month (not a lot in July either). I started July in Portland with Gus and Meara and Rosie - there are some posts from that wonderful trip. Then a couple of weeks ago Gus, Meara and Rosie traveled East. At the same time my nephew Jonathan and his lovely Cara, plus my niece Emily with her adorable 2-year-old Presley, visited from Colorado. It was a feast of family. Sadly Emily's Dad (my brother, Fred), her brother Tyler, and her husband Blake could not make it but it was really nice to have so many of us in one place at the same time. We had not all been together since my Mom died in November 2003 - almost 9 years which is way too long.

I will soon post plenty of pictures. Right now I am on my way to the hospital to have my gallbladder removed (another reason I have been out of touch for awhile). So for now I will just put up these two photos of the cousins.

Gus (2), Jonathan (13) and Emily (1) in 1984

And in 2012.

05 August 2012

Rosie is 1 Year Old!

On the Thursday of Rosie's Birthday Week it was her birthday and she got presents. After waking up and having a snack Rosie was ready to open her presents. She waited patiently while her Dad assembled the gifts.

And then, with help from her Mom and Dad, the present opening began.

Rosie got a lot of books. Here her Dad is reading "How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Birthday". There are quite a few "How Do Dinosaurs ..." books (by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague). These are really sweet, wonderful books. Rosie and I give them strong recommendations if you are looking for books that kids love over and over again, and adults won't mind reading over and over again.

Some people hire clowns for kids birthdays. But knowing just how scary clowns can be, Gus and Meara had guys come to take down trees in their backyard. Rosie seemed entertained, and not scared in the least. (OK, it was just a coincidence that the tree guys came on her birthday. Still better than clowns.)

After all of this excitement Rosie took a nap, and then we went to the zoo.

http://ddramblings.blogspot.com/2012/07/lions-and-tigers-and-bears-and-giraffes.html

01 August 2012

Miscellaneous Skying with Rosie

Since returning from Portland various things have made regular Skyping with Rosie difficult to coordinate. So here are some pictures from a couple of recent opprtunities. Pretty soon Gus and Meara and Rosie will be here with me in New York - can't wait to hold her again.

Rosie's latest obsession is putting Q-tips into a container that previously contained baby treats. She is apparently happy to do this for hours. So much for expensive toys.

See you all soon!

25 July 2012

Lions and Tigers and Bears ... and Giraffes!

On the Thursday of Rosie's Birthday Week it was her birthday and she had a very big day. After her morning nap we went to the wonderful Portland Zoo. As soon as I knew we were going to the zoo I started begging to see the giraffes -- my favorite exotic critter. Rosie had no preference (or couldn't express it if she did) so Gus and Meara agreed we would go to the Africa section - they hadn't seen that part yet so this decision was not just to appease Gromma, though I would likely have pouted otherwise.

The Zoo