As I have done in previous articles
during the seven plus years Isaura and I have been grandparents, the following
is a sampling of some of the deliciously special moments our grandkids have
brought to our family.
Alyssa Grace, now seven, was in our
home one day about a year ago. Isaura had picked her up from school. She and
her Meema (Grandma) were in the kitchen area where Isaura was busy cleaning.
Alyssa had been talking away for some time, only to sense that Meema was not
listening to her. She attempted to get Isaura’s attention, but without success.
Finally, in exasperation, Alyssa says in a most emphatic tone, “Meema! Listen
to me!” Isaura was surprised to hear this drawn out statement, “Lis - ten - to –
me!” because that’s exactly what she says to Alyssa when she’s not paying
attention.
The other day Jenny, our youngest with
two of our grandkids, Brooklyne Paige and Colson Charles, sent us this text
message. Jenny says she was in their bathroom putting on her makeup with 3-year-old
Colson standing there watching her. This little guy has not found it necessary
to talk very much just yet, so this comment he made was surprising. And it was
funny. Staring at his mom, he said, “Mama has two faces!”
Then Jenny shared how she and her
husband, Josh were listening to a television news program about the possibility
of Hillary Clinton becoming the next president in 2016. They look at each other
and roll their eyes. It is at this point that 6-year-old Brooklyne pipes up and
says, “Granddaddy would make a great president. He should run!”
One of the Christmas presents for
Brooklyne that she received from her parents was horseback riding lessons. I
personally found this to be amusing since the whole family knows that she is a
little diva. She even wears frilly clothes to her 1st grade class.
Getting messy is not her idea of fun. In this regard she and her cousin Alyssa
are quite opposite. Everyone was holding their breath wondering how she would
react to a real hands-on experience in learning to ride a horse that likely weighs
somewhere around a thousand pounds. Plus she has to muck out the stalls, load
feed in the feed bin, and clean the horse’s hooves – poop and all. Well, you
could have blown me over! She really likes it and looks forward to her Friday
afternoon sessions. You just never know.
I grew up in a home where you learned
to speak properly, use correct grammar, and if you didn’t know the meaning of a
word, or how to spell it, then you grabbed a dictionary and made some
discoveries. So my girls grew up with me enforcing the same rules. And in turn,
their kids are under the same instruction. So Laura tells me she was reading a
book with Alyssa the other evening entitled Junie B, who is also the main
character. Junie B apparently has terrible grammar, which grates against what
Alyssa has learned from me (“Alyssa, don’t say anyways. It’s anyway. There’s no
such word as anyways,” or, “Not ‘these ones.’ Just say ‘these’”). Hearing the “mistakes”
in the book, Alyssa is constantly offering the proper corrections. That’s my girl!
We try to have Game Night at our house
on Friday nights with our girls and their families. Alyssa and Brooklyne are
big enough now to enter into the games of Mexican Train and UNO with the
adults. So while the hilarity rises around the kitchen table, I’m at the stove
making crepes. Various fillings are made available according to taste. At a
certain point we take a break from the games and all dive into these tasty
treats.
When the grandkids are at our home,
staying overnight, we have loads of fun playing Tickle Monster, or assembling
structures with a gazillion Legos, or watching a Veggie Tales movie. Having
Alyssa, Brooklyne and Colson in our lives is the best blessing of all. And what
a hoot!
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