Another trip around the Sun

Since I started blogging last year, I've introduced all the members of our family and paid tribute to them on their birthdays.  Except for the patriarch of the clan. 

While Doc Leo has the earliest calendar date birthday each year, he's ended up having the last birthday on my blog.  Today we shall rectify that!

40 years of adventure

Today is the 221st anniversary of the death of the Queen of France Marie Antoinette.  Forty years ago, not only was that not foremost in my mind, I wasn't even aware of such a historical date.  As you can see, I was on my way to the hospital to give birth to my second daughter.

Yes, today another one of my kids turns 40.  While that was one of my own most exciting birthdays, as I was starting my new life in France, my kids don't seem to understand they are not allowed to do that.

It makes me feel old, and I don't like that!

When a family restarts life

When we were young, we moved all over up and down the East Coast of the US, searching advancement with better jobs.  When we ended up staying a whole 11 years in one spot in Florida, that was amazing. 

Then we made another move in 1990 that changed our lives completely.  On this date 24 years ago, our family minus one arrived in France.  With absolutely no idea what that would mean for our futures.

(We had just come back from a graduation trip to Saint Martin in the Caribbean.)

Twenty years already

It's fun to have a baby in the family.  You've met Diggle, the latest baby in our family, who is currently still an actual baby.

But Diggle has an older cousin, and yesterday was his birthday.  A big one.  Our first grandchild has finished being a teenager and has now turned the big 2-0!

And we'd like to wish him a nice Happy Birthday!

At the farm

Besides living next to a major airport, Diggle & Family also live within walking distance of a little educational farm.  Our visit made a good opportunity for everybody to take him for his first rural exploration.  It undoubtedly won't be his last.

(The Millers Park Farm )

 

A virtuoso conversationalist

 

Any old baby can master a silly xylophone.  In our family, we apparently have a budding concert pianist, who gave us a magnificent performance.  In preparation, he managed to promote himself quite grandly in fascinating telephone calls to his potential audience.

 

On being Mamie & Papy

 

We just had the occasion to play Grandma and Grandpa to our second grandson, now 14 months old.  Not only is he currently the most adorable baby on earth, he's at an adorable learning stage.  We have so many cute photos, this will be the first of several posts in order to share as many as possible with all of you.

 

A rain check celebration

On the evening of July 4, 1978, bad weather in Allentown, PA, canceled the annual holiday fireworks.  It was rescheduled.  Three days later, our family ushered in a beautiful little baby boy.  Shortly after his birth, the whole town lighted up in a glorious pyrotechnical display.  We like to think they, too, were also welcoming the town's newest citizen.  Ever since then, July 7 has been a special day in our household.

A whole year of existence

Today is the first birthday of our second grandson. In a way, it feels like our first, as the first one was 19 years old when he became a cousin on our side of the family.  Given that his father was absolutely gorgeous as a baby, and given that his mother is adorable as an adult, how can we help but think that Diggle isn't just the cutest thing on the planet at this moment.  I wish he weren't so far away.

May 8

Three-day-old parents and infant

Today's date has been important in our family for 42 years.  It has been important on the world stage for 69 years.  I was not aware of the world stage 42 years ago; the only significance of the date was the birth of our first child, our oldest daughter.