Meow

Babies & kids love cats. Our cats don't necessarily feel the same way. These pictures were taken with great caution and in haste. Soclose!

The Koorns Come to Carbondale!

Guest blogger Grandpa Dirk here. Jeanne and I got to meet our newest granddaughter, Vida Evangeline (what a beautiful name!), and spend some time getting to know Freja better over the past two weeks. 

Freja, now two years old, is the most delightful little girl in the world. Jan and Kelly are so very fortunate to have two such wonderful daughters. Jeanne and I spent time almost every day taking Freja to the nearby park to play. In just two weeks we saw a remarkable increase in strength and coordination on the playground equipment, and a growth in self confidence in trying out new things. All the while we watched her vocabulary and language use increase by leaps and bounds. I found it interesting that she was generally more fascinated by sticks, bugs, leaves, flowers, trees, and other such marvels of nature than she was by the toys and equipment at the park. Sure, she pleased us by showing what she could do on the swings, slides, ladders and such, but then get distracted by an ant or spider or flower and run off to play with that instead, usually with a stick in her hand. Two-year-olds can be the most fun people in the world with their growing interest and awareness of the world around them.

Of course, Freja still loves her books as much as Grandma Jeanne and I love reading them to her.

Vida talks, but in a different way. She has expressive eyes that focus more and more on the people and world around her. Without getting out the photos, it's hard to remember Freja ever being this small, but she must have been. We're lucky to have lots of pictures of them both to remember the various stages of growth and development.

Attached is one of my favorite pictures of Vida, taken on my birthday, which I was fortunate to be able to spend with them.

Vida, at just two months, loves sleeping in Grandma's arms, and she is good at lulling Grandma to sleep too.

I am so proud of Jan and Kelly for what they've done to raise these beautiful girls of theirs. You couldn't find better parents than them anywhere!