Emily, Emily, Emily!!

Seems hard to believe it's been less than a week since my sweet grandbaby abandoned me.  It feels so very much longer.  Seriously.  I don't know if I can handle seeing her only every month or two or three.  I just adore this little girl, and as the following pictures will show, Mike and Adam kinda like her, too.  She's pretty cute, but I know I'm biased.  I do see lots of babies, however.  Just sayin'. . .

I looked through the many pictures we took of her, and I found one that reminded me of Karen:

I have a hard time seeing Karen in Emily with her darker eyes
and hair.  However, for some reason, she reminded me of Karen when
 her eyes were closed, and she was crying.  Sorry, Karen!

Fortunately, Emily didn't cry the whole time she was here, and we snapped some happy, peaceful shots as well.  She looked especially cute in her yellow Sunday dress and white cardigan and in her outfit from Aunt Rachel.

Like Karen when she was a baby, she loves to be propped up in
the corner of a couch or chair.  That way she can see all the action.

I still can't get over all that hair!



When Karen was a baby, her aunt Jenny told me that I needed to have twins and then she, Aunt Brenda, and Aunt Becky wouldn't fight so much over their Baby K.  I completely understand that sentiment now.  I felt jealous whenever either Mike or Adam was holding Emily.  I tried to be a good sharer; I really did!

Mike LOVES being Granddad!!

We installed our swingset over a decade ago with the hopes that it would last
through grandkids.  Emily LOVED swinging with her granddad.  Sometimes
it was the only way she could get to sleep.  Mike loved it even more than Emily did.

Emily even consented to being on the front porch swing
with me every now and again.  That was heaven! 


The person who may have enjoyed Emily the very most was Uncle Adam.  As the youngest, he obviously never had little brothers or sisters, and he was completely entranced by every little move she made and just by her very being.  He would say, "She's just a little person."  I think he'll be even more enamored when she is sitting up, playing with toys, crawling, and even walking around.  Right now, I know he is LOVING his position of being the only available uncle/aunt on the Young side.  Rachel and Matt are going to have some catching up to do when they get back.

All dressed up and ready for church.

For having never really held a baby before, he quickly
got the hang of it.  He's going to be a good daddy someday.

Adam especially loved it when Karen dressed Emily in the outfit
he got her for the baby shower.  He said it expressed her feelings perfectly.


Emily Time is Awesome Time.  Can't wait until I can see her again!

"Miss You Already"

Sometime after Karen and Rachel had both gone away to school and we all had cell phones, we started the tradition of sending the text "miss you already" after we had to part ways.  It has become a bit of a competition, really, to see who can send that text first.  Silly?  Yes, but it conveys the very heart of what I feel when we have to split up.  I LOVE spending time with my kids, and it's always a little hard to have to say "goodbye." 

I've discovered that it has become even more difficult now that I have a sweet little grandbaby and now that Karen and Andrew have their own home and their own life.  It just seems that the visits are always too far apart (no matter how close they are) and that it's going to be FOREVER before I see them again.  I'm like a whiny little kid, waiting impatiently for Christmas.

Karen, Andrew, and Emily are on the road back to Brigham City, and you know what?  I miss them already.

Come again soon, you trio that I love!  Nana's welcome mat is always out!

P.S.  Consider "miss you already" for my tombstone, kids.  Wouldn't that be awesome?

Birthday #3. . . Er, I Mean #24

My last couple of posts have been about birthdays, and I didn't want to break the chain.  Tomorrow my sweet Baby K turns 24.  Yup, that's right!  Karen Anne reaches the ripe old age of 24 on Friday the 13th.  I remember hitting my mid-20's and thinking that I was "getting up there" in age.  Ah, the folly of youth!  Anyway, since I yacked about Andrew and Adam the last couple of weeks, of course I have to write a bit about my wonderful oldest daughter.  In a word, she's awesome!

I could tell when Karen was quite young that she was very interested in life.  She had the hardest time going to sleep as a baby because I believe she was scared she was going to miss something if she dared to nod off.  Her curious, happy nature continued as she grew, and I seriously thought when she was young that she would grow up to be a cruise director.  She just loved to have fun and see new things.

'Twas a bit hot and muggy on our trip to D.C., but she wanted
to see as much as possible.  Her interest lasted a lot longer than mine.

She was about 14 when we went to Disneyland, but
she wasn't too old to pose with Goofy. 

She even got all of us to run in the BYU Family 5K.

She's quite the competitive game player.  She acts really sweet and kind
of quiet, but she HATES to lose.  Wonder where she got that from?

Karen is very bright.  She always learned things quickly when she was a child, but when she got into high school and college, she really became a diligent, thorough student.  She graduated from nursing school just a couple of years after I did, and I quickly seemed to forget a lot of what I learned--not the stuff I used regularly at work but all the stuff that wasn't necessary in obstetrical nursing.  She, on the other hand, seems to remember so much more than I do.  Smart cookie!

Mountain View High School Class of 2006

BYU Class of 2010

Karen, like Adam, has always loved to spend time with family. For instance, when we would go to Rexburg to visit both sets of grandparents, she would start to cry as we got closer to our departure time because she couldn't stand to leave her extended family.  To this day, she still enjoys reunions and visits from family.

Karen and her favorite cousin, Teresa.  Obviously, they know
how to have fun.  Can't remember what the willow branches were about. . .

With her siblings and some of her cousins on the Forsnes side.
I think she enjoys being the oldest grandkid.

Karen is a supportive, loving sister, too.  She was a bit bossy as the oldest child in our family--even she would admit that--but she and her siblings have grown very close over the years.  I'm happy to report that the four of them are super good friends now.  They really enjoy being together.

At Matt's senior piano recital.  Karen supports her
younger siblings without fail.  They love that, and so do I.

She and Andrew brought newborn Emily to support
Uncle Adam at his Eagle Court of Honor.

Both Karen and Matt had a hard time saying goodbye when Matt
left on his mission when Emily was just five days old.

Despite Karen and Rachel having some tough times in high school,
even they have become very close as adults.  I am pleased!

Karen is a wonderful wife also.  She and Andrew are good communicators, excellent planners, and really good friends.  They love each other unconditionally and take time to have fun in life while also taking care of their responsibilities.  I'm proud of the strong marriage they have after just three years.

This was one of my favorites of their engagement pictures.
Fortunately, they haven't stopped having fun.

While Karen has only been at it about ten weeks, she is a really good mom.  She is tender and patient with Emily and is totally in love with that little girl.  I think she may even love her more than I do, and that's saying something.



Emily's blessing day

Happy 24th Birthday, Karen!  So glad I get to be your mom!  Can't wait to have you HERE for your birthday!  That's right, folks.  I get to be with my girl on her birthday, and she's even bringing my grandbaby and son-in-law.  And I thought I was supposed to give her presents on her big day. . .

Adam's Sixteen?  Sweet!

I must be getting old.  My baby turns 16 tomorrow!  He's so grown-up that he ditched his parents for his birthday.  Actually, his absence was planned well in advance of his big day.  He's at a high-altitude running camp for the week, but we'll pick him up on Saturday and celebrate then.  I HATE being apart from my kids on their birthdays, but I did have fun perusing some old photos again.  Unfortunately, looking for pictures of him made me miss him even more.

Adam is my friend.  He's three and a half years younger than Matt, so I've had some extra alone time with him.  He's been the sole kid at home for a couple of years now and has two more torturous years of double-team parenting.  He misses his siblings A LOT.  I also had three school years where he was the only one home during the day, so he and I know each other well.  Miraculously, we seem to get along well.

Adam and I love to golf together.  He hasn't beaten me
yet, but he's come within one stroke twice.  As competitive
as I am, I look forward to the day he trounces me.

I love to watch running with Adam.  When he was but a young boy, he wanted me to
 take him to the district cross country race at Eagle Island State Park.  It was pouring, but
we stayed until the bitter end.  Both of our jackets leaked.  Fun memory!

Adam is a fun-loving kid, and I really like that about him.  He's focused when he needs to be, but when it's time to play, he knows how to relax.  He's also pretty adventurous and anxious to try new things. 

Believe it or not, this kid can eat, especially hamburgers.

He's stronger than he looks.

While Adam looks a lot more like his dad, I'm happy that I have had some influence on him.  He is now an even more ardent Duke basketball fan than I am, and he loves Boise State football.  (I predict he remains a Bronco fan even though the Kellen years are over.)  Experiencing Duke's 2010 national basketball championship with him--he was too little to revel in the 2001 title--was one of the funnest experiences we've ever shared.

No, standing in line for three hours to get Billy Winn's autograph
is not too long.  Are you kidding me?

I am perhaps most amazed when I watch Adam run.  I slow down if I get tired or feel like I want to lose my lunch.  He seems to run faster.  How does he do that?  I also choose NOT to run when it's snowy outside.  Yes, I am a wimp.  He is not.

Freshman XC

Sawtooth Relay 2012

It may sound weird, but Adam is a family man.  He LOVES to spend time with his family, immediate and extended and is frequently the one who pushes us to visit and get together.  I hope that continues once he leaves home for good.

With cousin Mark the day they got baptized

He LOVES being an uncle!

Seems hard to believe that my smiley little boy has grown up to be such an amazing young man. 

Succumbing to a tux for Karen and Andrew's
wedding.  He even wore a boutonniere.

Happy 16th, Ad-Man!  So glad you're part of our family and hope you know that you are VERY loved!