Here we see Grace expressing sheer joy after finally being able to get out of her undersized apartment and visit the outdoors after several consecutive days of rain. If that’s all it takes to generate this much happiness, perhaps she and her family will have to consider moving into a studio apartment in London or Seattle.
For those of you a bit stymied by some of the Ocskasian references in the post below, please be aware that most of them relate to the strong Ocskasian tradition of bathroom humor. Though a true understanding of this bizarre sense of humor takes a lifetime of study, in my 5 years of marriage into the clan, I’ve been able to pick up a few phrases here and there. I’d be happy to provide a bit of translation upon request for those of you left bewildered by the terms “shi-katz,” “lechwar,” and “tilt to one side.”
The answer seems so obvious that it’s hardly worth asking the question - BUT if someone wanted to move from one condominium to another while ensuring that the composition of the air always remained 1/4 methane — who would they call?
That’s right — the Ocskasy’s!
Grace (who is 1/4 Ocskasy if you only trace as far back as her Great Grandfather Ocskasy), decided that she would oversee the move of her Great Grandma Ocskasy while insuring that her contributions to air quality never went un-noticed.
The Ocskasy’s are a wiley bunch - an age-old tradition of slipping a little “shi-katz” into someone’s drink is as Ocskasy as thrice blessing a log of lechwar.
It appears as though someone attempted to try to the old “shi-katz” trick on the Matriarch Ocskasy - but she appears to have discovered the ruse before taking that first fatal sip! (Lara, in the background, does appear a tad guilty, doesn’t she?)
But traditions do change - even among the Ocskasy clan. Here we see the long-standing tradition of ensuring that a milk container appears in all family group photos completely abolished as Grace’s Great Aunt Baba makes her case for substituting a beer bottle instead: (Grace’s Grandma is so shocked by this change that she closes her eyes thinking, “if I can’t see it, maybe it’s not there”)
After getting more comfortable with this change in lactic tradition however, Grace’s Grandma makes a strong case for including a squeeze-able mayonaise container in photos:
But as the rest of the family hotly debated just how many dairy products they would need to consume before the condominium was declared uninhabitable - Grace decided to make the rounds with some of the individual members that make up the extended Ocskasy clan.
Starting with her Great Grandma, Grace shows that she too knows how to “tilt to one side” to make her presence known:
She also had an opportunity to visit with her Great Uncle (aka Unkich or perhaps, now that he’s achieved “greatness” Grunkich?) - the man who moved the Ockasy clan out of the dark ages of line dancing and added three additional line segments to the family dancing repetoire by becoming a proficient Square Dancer. Here we see Grace, being “Red Rocked” by her partner (that means “hug” in Square Dancing lingo):
She also had a chance to spend a little time with her Great Cousin KC — just how great, you ask? Tune into the Food Network in a few years and you’ll see.
And the day just wouldn’t be complete without spending a little one-on-one time with her Great Aunt Baba, who is no stranger to the power of Mexican food and was therefore very fond of Grace’s “baby burrito” look:
It’s still a little too early to tell where Grace will end up on the “loves animals” spectrum - with a “1″ on the spectrum meaning “An outfit isn’t an outfit unless it’s covered in animal hair and drool” and a “10″ being “if only everyone had listened to Bob Barker and spayed and neutered their pets…”
Grace will have plenty of time to decide - and she will undoubtedly receive some gentle persuasion from her parents (particularly her Dad) to choose a particular direction.
Here’s an early glimpse of where her preferences may lie — her family thought they’d start her off on “stuffed” animals before trying her out on the real thing. If this photo is any indication, animal lovers beware! (to be fair, however, an intense fear of bears, from a practical standpoint, is probably a reasonable survival trait)
Although Grace does not appear to have a problem with our underwater friends:
And in a moment of reconciliation with the “stuffed” bear population, Grace attempts to match this animal step-for-step, arm position for arm position (but she still does look a little hesitant, wouldn’t you say?)
Grace has been smiling like crazy of late! She loves to smile at Mom’s antics, Dad’s kisses, and many, many completely random things, like the words “chicken tarragon” and the boring blue cushions on the back of the couch. The randomness of her smiles makes them somewhat difficult to capture on film, but here are a few of the most recent attempts! Jim’s mom was the first to point out Grace’s striking resemblance to Jerry. Note how she has seemed to inherit his tendency to smile bigger on the left than on the right. Hopefully she won’t inherit his hairline as well.
On the 4th of July, Jim and Lara stepped outside to witness the fireworks that celebrate our nation’s birth. Grace is clearly not impressed by the noise and lights- notice she is looking in the complete opposite direction. I guess that she feels that her birth was more worthy of fireworks!
Spending each day with Grace makes it difficult to notice just how much she’s grown in the past few weeks. Forget that she’s already dating and has a car - her parents still felt she looked exactly the same as the day she was born. Here’s a photo that proves, definitively, that she’s at least grown a little (she’s become a master of neck control; unfortunately not drool control):
Grace has anxiously been waiting since June 19 to discuss her future in the music business with her friend Isabella. Isabella decided she wasn’t ready to make her NYC debut and chose the 29th of June instead for her “coming out” party - which, as things in NYC often go, didn’t work with Grace’s schedule. Here we see them on July 1st finally discussing their future plans. It looks like the two of them will have to iron a few things out though as Grace was clearly thinking of starting a Country Western Band (thanks Aunt Karen, Uncle Aaron and Anna), while Isabella looks ready to be the lead singer in a Punk Rock Band (here we see Isabella letting out a “Rebel Yell” and yes, Grace wants more, more, more)
As her meeting with Isabella was highly anticipated, Cowgirl Grace decided to relax in the park with her Mom before the big event:
Knowing that body art is a key component for those who thrive and survive in the music world, Grace’s Mom and Tracie discuss possible places where Grace could get her subversive “My Daddy is the Coolest” tattoo.
Not only was meeting Isabella a first - Grace also took her first Subway ride! Charlie, who just “saw something” is deep in thought deciding whether or not he should “say something”
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