Anna Grows

We finally made it to New York! After the Christmas flu kept us away over the holiday, we were able to make the trip over the January holiday weekend - Martin Luther King Day AND Joe's birthday. The trip quickly became an on-going birthday celebration for Joe with cakes at every stop thanks to his brother and sisters. Anna was all too happy to participate in the sugary treats, which were also offered to her at every stop. The first stop on Saturday was Uncle John and Aunt Yvonne's new home in Yonkers. They surprised Joe with a birthday cake following lunch. The big highlight for Anna - besides the cake and Uncle John attempting to give her rootbeer and cookies, was Cousin Rachel's dog, Sara. While Rachel may be the original owner of the dog, Sara clearly belongs to Aunt Yvonne now (it seems that Sara "moved" back in with John and Yvonne temporarily in what is looking like a permanent arrangement). Anna enjoyed taking Sara for a walk and tried to teach her how to j

Happy 2010! Anna and family made the trip to Ohio to spend New Year's with Grandma and Grandpa. Fortunately, Anna recovered from her flu and was making up for lost nutrition (one morning she at three separate breakfasts). The looming ice storm also subsided so that everyone could hop a plane to the beautiful sub-zero winter weather of Ohio. The long weekend was full of family activity. Joe and Anna got to experience a traditional Kohler family New Year's day: non-stop college football games with the grand finale of the Ohio State victory in the Rose Bowl (Go Bucks). This was accompanied by eating mass quantities of junk food. It can be overwhelming - but Joe and Anna survived. Saturday the family headed out to have lunch with Great Grandpa and spend the afternoon. Anna played the memory card game with her 97-year old great grandpa (she won). She also impressed great grandpa with her running ability. The visit concluded with a trip to Columbus to visit Uncle Rod and Uncle Tim an