8 days

violet's only living great-grandparent - my mom's dad - turned 94 only 8 days before violet turned 1. the generation gap is mind-boggling. it makes me happy to know they're both virgos. my grandpa is a true virgo's virgo, practical and industrious, with a memory for detail like no other. at his birthday party, i didn't think he was even listening to my mom talking about driving cross-country with her best friend some four decades ago, but suddenly he piped up about "farley" - the name of my mom's car at the time. when he traveled to new york for my grad school commencement, he didn't need any guidance around the city. after all, he'd lived there - some seven decades prior. he even remembers details about the beach at coronado, where he lived when he was 4 years old. the only thing i remember from that age is the merry-go-round from my birthday party at mcdonalds. i can only hope violet inherits his memory gene. she's got the goods on kevin's side of the family too. grandma linden is a jeopardy savant.

my mom's side of the family is small but mighty, just like its youngest member, and we gathered together for pie and ice cream to celebrate my grandpa's big day. for such a clingy momma's girl, violet sure knows how to ham it up. she had a blast playing with her cousins. of course everyone wants to snuggle her, but the wiggle worm makes it almost impossible to get a decent picture.













to revive our family tradition, in limbo since my great-uncle everett passed away, i made homemade vanilla ice cream with my new ice cream maker that kevin gave me for my birthday. the birthday boy polished off the last bites - rightfully so!



the newest virgo also got her first taste of frozen dairy goodness. as nana commented, violet has never opened her baby-bird beak so wide for more. super-love of ice cream - yet another family trait. as my grandpa said the last time my mom took him to baskin robbins, "want to go again?" "sure, next time i come up," my mom misunderstood. what he meant was another round of sundaes. how my heart melts.