Our Own Grandma!

Tonight as I was eating my supper from a frozen box I had picked up at the grocery store, the doorbell rang.  Since DD is out of town right now, I was a little concerned as to who could be at the door on this winter evening.  I grabbed Dave by the collar and went to the door.  There stood my cousin, his wife, and grandson.  What a great surprise!!!

We spent time catching up, watching Blake play with the Leggos and just having a good ol' family time.  As Dale and I both have grandchildren now, I am sure our grandparenting skills come from having the best Grandma in the world!  We were both partly raised by our grandma and spent loads of time with her.  We were so blessed to have her in our lives.  I am sure I can speak for Dale, too, when I say: "I just hope I am half the grandparent Grandma was to us!"

We love you, Grandma!!!

Saturday Visits

 

Our day started with visiting Graham.  He is now almost 6 months old and has his first tooth.  He got to show us his new skills at "Bouncy-Bouncy".  Then he, Grandpa and Daddy had a long talk.  We really wore him out because not long after we left Daddy sent us a text picture of him sound asleep!!  Did I say he is now saying, "Da, Da"  and "Ba, Ba"? Such an intelligent boy!!!

In the afternoon we went to watch Lane play basketball in the Upward Basketball season.  He did a great job at steals and had a great game.  His team not only won, they are also undefeated.  Way to go, Lane!

The Gift of Books for Grandkids!

Being a teacher and literacy coach for many years, I just HAVE to get the grandkids at least one book for Christmas!  They all know that is one thing they will get from me.  This year Lane told his mom, "I know Grandma gets me a book, so I want to put on my list the one I really want."  How great to know that they realize how important I feel reading is for them!

Here is a list of some of the books I have bought for them:

For the new babies:

• I Loved You Before You Were Born by Anne Bowen
• On the Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman
• I Can't Wait to Meet My Daddy by Kathleen Blease

For the younger ones:

• Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
• Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Bill Martin Jr.
• Moo Baa La La La by Sandra Boynton

For the little older ones:

• Mr. Mosquito Put on His Tuxedo by Barbara O. Morrow
• Ivy & Bean Break the Fossil Record by Annie Barrows

For the older ones:

• The Ugly Truth (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) by Jeff Kinney
• Brian's Return by Gary Paulsen
• The Fairy Tale Detective (Sister's Grimm Series) by MIchael Buckley
• The Angel Experiment (Maximum Ride Series) by James Patterson
• 39 Clues (series) by various authors

Great authors:

• Gordon Korman
• Margaret Peterson Haddix

I encourage all you grandparents out there to introduce your grandchildren to the love of books.  Buy them for them and then READ TO THEM...no matter how old they are! (Sorry, Ty!)

Poetry Friday--Grandma's Place

This poem was written about my grandparent's farm by my oldest cousin.  Perfect for my 'Voice of a Grandma' blog!  Enjoy!  (Thanks, Gene!)

Grandma's Place

I remember the first visit there,

Excited as a child could be.

Fresh cut clover was in the air,

And new adventures and places to see.

Each morning I would awake,

Hearing the sound of birds as they sing,

And smell the fresh air like a spring fed lake.

Everything was so crisp and each sound like a bell would ring.

The days moved quickly, each and every one,

Savoring each and every moment,

Remembering the good times and all the fun.

Those days I spent each summer, the days so warm,

Will be remembered for a life time, and then some.

Oh how I looked forward to the time on the farm,

For it was grandma's place that all this was done.

What memories I have of the days gone by,

Of all those summers I spent there under the sun.

Techie Grandma

Last night was book club night.  We always gather at a restaurant and eat and talk and discuss the book we all read.  I sat by Amy, our youngest member.  She commented, "I am so proud of my mom.  She is now on Facebook." 

I looked at her and said, "Amy, I'm on Facebook!"

She replied, "Yes, but you are so "with it" and into technology."

That made me think...yeah, I guess I am.  Then I began to think of all the changes in my life over the years.  I remember not having a tv, only the radio.  We would gather around it and listen to our "stories".  My uncle had one of the first tv's in town since he sold electronics.  I remember going to his house to see this picture in a box.  Now, I can even run the DVD and watch all the  movies I've missed over the years.  Or do my exercises to DVD's with my own "coach" telling me what moves to make. 

I remember the telephone in our kitchen. It was big and black with a dial on the front.  If it would ring two times that meant it was for our household.  If it rang three times, it was for the neighbor.  Sometimes I would sneak in after three rings and pick it up just to see if I could catch a few phrases before Mom caught me.  Now, I have an iphone and I can text my grandson, or my sister or my best friend!  Now, I have Skype and can even see the person I am talking to on the computer.

I remember going to the library and getting a book on loan for two weeks.  Or going to a bookstore and buying the latest novel.  My house is full of more books than food!  Now, I own a Kindle...yes, I just had to have one.  I am a techie Grandma, after all.

I do Facebook.  I do Shutterfly.  And of course, I blog!!!  I LOVE being a techie Grandma!!!! 

Lane & Kiann

Two preteen grandsons  I haven't blogged about yet are Lane and Kiann.  They both love sports and are good in school.  Kiann is a big soccer fan and Lane likes basketball.  Both boys can be quiet and love to read.  Both are great brothers.



Algebra---YIKES!

Ty is our oldest grandson.  I remember him sitting in his infant seat on our kitchen counter getting fed.  I remember him saying his first words and I don't think he's stopped talking since.

Ty now stands at 6'1" and is fifteen years old.  He loves wrestling and probably dislikes Algebra.  That's where I come in.  As a teacher and district coach, I was able to get trained in Hands On Algebra.  I really needed some practice working with kids and teaching it.

Over vacation Ty and I worked for over two hours one day on it and had so much fun!  We did six lessons on Level II on Sunday afternoon.  It was great working together on this project. 

Looking forward to Level III next!  What good Grandma-Grandson time!!!

Saturday Was Graham Day

On Saturday I spent time with Graham.  He just woke up from a nap in his swing when I got there.  He was in a good mood and we had a good "talk".  He babbled and cooed and made all sorts of noises. 

When he got tired of me holding him he would throw his head and body back trying to get into a staight position.  We moved to the floor and played with his toys.  He sat up leaning forward.  The new moving music ball was the object of his interest.  He then got on his tummy and held himself up so he could look around.  Daddy was making all sorts of noises and he just had to watch that.

Mommy brought in a bottle and Grammy got to feed him.  When he saw the bottle he started trying to grab for it and got all excited.  He drank the bottle like they never feed him.  However, just looking at him tells a different story. 

Soon it was time for me to leave.  I gave him loads of kisses to hold him over until I see him again.  What a wonderful way to spend a Saturday afternoon!

Grandma Memories

When I was in middle school, Kris, my sister, and I would stay with Grandma while our mom worked.  My older cousin, Dale, also stayed there.  One summer I had poison ivy and Dale had athlete's foot so we had to stay inside all day, every day.

We spent those days simply watching TV.  Grandma loved to watch "the soaps"...Guiding Light, Days of Our Lives...one after the other!  We hated them.  On this particular day, Grandma was baking during commercials.  She would leave the room to check on the cake.

While she was in the kitchen, Dale had the idea to switch channels.  It was a commercial after all.  When she came back into the room, she settled into the recliner and watched the end of the commercial.

The commercial got over and a show began.  A game show.  we all watched and laughed and enjoyed the show until....

"This isn't my show!  What happened to my show?"  Grandma became agitated.  "They can't switch shows on me!  I'll call the TV station!"

We had to settle her down and explain what we had done.  We never changed channels on her again!

Three Generations

"One of the joys of becoming a grandparent is seeing your child become a parent.  I will never forget the first time I watched my baby hold his baby, how he wrapped him up in his big arms and pressed his nose to that tiny face, nuzzling his newborn the very same way he used to nuzzle his blanket."

That came from an article sent to me by my friend, Ramona.  She said it sounded like something I would write.  Well, it sounded like something that came from my heart.  I felt that exact same way!

Baby Graham is now five months old...and that is a long time in the life of a baby.  Its long enough to learn to do all kinds of neat things, like roll on his belly and back over to his back and make funny sounds his daddy has taught him and grab with excited arms at his bottle.  Five months seems like a long time to a grammy who fits in a short visit at least once a week!

Baby Graham has brought so much joy and happiness to our lives.  One special reason I just love being a grandma!

Christmas Songs

After all the presents were opened for Christmas and everyone was just sitting back relaxing, Audrey stood in the middle of the room and looked around.  "Do you want to sing a song, Audrey?" her mother, Angie asked her.

"Yes," she replied and began to sing verse and chorus of  'Jingle Bells'.  When done, everyone clapped.

Audrey looked pleased as Shelby, her 9-year old cousin, whispered to her.  Audrey then turned to her audience and said, "Thank you and I love you all!"  The audience laughed.

Meron then joined Audrey and they decided to sing 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star'.  Again, all verses were sung...sort of.  Again, the audience clapped and Shelby whispered.

The girls looked at their audience and in sweet little voices said, "Thank you. Now where is the pizza?"

Obviously, they were being coached by nine-year old Shelby.  Think she'll be a director someday?

The Entertainers

Having 5 grandchildren under the age of 3 is entertaining to say the least.  Three of them were born in 2010 and are still babies---all 4 months apart.  The other two little girls are 2 1/2.

Meron is the oldest but Audrey is the boss!  As the adults were finishing their meal at the Christmas gathering, the girls decided to entertain themselves.  Both dressed in fancy Christmas dresses, Audrey said to Meron, "You run and I'll chase you!"

So, Meron took off--round and round from kitchen, through dining room, through the living room--one big circle.  After running several circles, Meron would stop and wait for Audrey to catch up.  When Audrey got to her, Audrey would say..."You run and I'll chase you."  And off they would go again.

Once as Audrey was passing through the living room, Grandpa said, "Stop and go the other way and you'll catch Meron." 

Audrey turned around and went the other way.  Just as Grandpa predicted, there was Meron running toward her.  Audrey stopped and looked at Meron.  She was obviously confused.  She then simply said to Meron, "You run and I'll chase you." 

Off they went again having the time of their lives!  The object clearly was NOT to catch anyone.  The object was to run in Grandma's house!!!

Starting Over

It has been awhile since I have blogged. I got rather bored with it and actually too busy. I could not decided what I wanted to write about. My other blog: The Write One, seemed to be either about my work or my dog, Dave. Both of those things mean a lot to me, but I just didn't want to settle for that. As a district instructional coach, I love what I do, but I don't want to come home and write about what I do all day. On the other hand, Dave is a big part of my life, but is there really anyone out there who wants to read about a one-year old golden retriever?


Over the long vacation, I realized that we were really fortunate to now be the grandparents to 11 grandchildren! All of them live fairly near us. So, I thought why not blog about those great kids. At other times I might even blog about my memories of my grandmother. That would be something the kids could read and have for a history of their family.


So, here it is...my new blog. Not sure if anyone will read it, but it will be my way of collecting memories!