Nonna's Birthday

This weekend, the Katz family gathered in NYC to celebrate Nonna's 60th birthday. Earlier in the week, Pops threw a wonderful party for Nonna at a jazz club, at which one of her favorite artists played a piece that Pops had commissioned in Nonna's honor. The family gathering gave Rory an opportunity for many "firsts" ... her first train ride (pictured here), her first glimpse of Rockefeller Center and New York decorated for the Holidays (pictured above), and her first introduction to Alex Mohsen (pictured farther below).
On Friday afternoon, we took a walk in Central Park (look at those two dapper gents pushing the stroller)...
...and ended up at an exhibit of live butterflies at the American Museaum of Natural History.
Nonna and Rory bonded over a shared fascination with these little creatures.
On Saturday, we celebrated Nonna's birthday at a wonderful restaurant, Per Se, which served an exquisite, nine-course, four-hour lunch experience.
While the adults lavished in their digestable dreamland, Rory spent the afternoon with a nanny who routinely babysits for celebrities!
Later that evening, we walked through the streets of New York to take in the people, the sounds, the lights, and the Christmas craziness...
...although we enjoyed quite a bit of craziness of our own back in the hotel, where Rory begged Nonna to sing the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" (her fav song)...
...and Aunt Sydney acted out scenes from Little Red Riding Hood and other performance pieces.
Rory is our little ball of energy, but Nonna kept up with her.
The Katz Ladies pose for their photo op. Compare it with this one from Austin in August when this group was last gathered together.
On Sunday, we met up with the Mohsen family. Simeen and Sarah were college roommates, and little Alex is nine months old.
Alex was very generous with his toys, which endeared him to Rory.
Rory smiles at Alex as he inches closer to Rory for a hug.