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. . .