Category: grandkids

In yesterday’s post, I mentioned Julie’s Journal, a blog I recently discovered. I said one of the reasons I like her is that she “posts funny pictures of her kids, even though they are way beyond the cute, cuddly, baby/toddler stage.”

I didn’t mean to infer that I don’t like blogs with cute and cuddly kids. In fact, some of them I really like. But there are lots of them. Julie is just different.

To prove that I really do like cute kids, I decided to share this slide show I put together of my oldest grandson, Gaige. We were at his sister’s softball game last summer.

Only three at the time, he was stuck on the sidelines with Hubby and all the rest of the spectators while Brianna played ball. He and Pop (that’s what the grand kids call Hubby) were playing catch.

Well, they were trying to. Gaige was having a heck of a time. When you watch the slide show, look closely at the focus and determination on his face. He was so excited to finally catch the ball.

That’s the same day when, after the game, Hubby put Gaige on his shoulders for the trip to the car. Gaige looked down at Hubby’s hair and uttered a little gasp before saying, “Pop!”

“What?” asked Hubby.

“Your hair is turning black,” Gaige replied. I guess he spotted the one brown hair left on Hubby’s head.

The boy is too cute.

He went from barely being able to catch (as evidenced in the slide show) to this.

I can’t leave Brianna out. She’s cute, too! And smart. And funny. And so excited to have just started second grade.

I even had a post titled “Cuter Than Cute” once. It featured Joey, my youngest grandson, who just turned one in July.

One more bit of cuteness and I’ll stop. I promise. This one doesn’t even involve any of my cute little grandchildren.

A friend of mine e-mailed a video to me tonight. It’s one of those that you know has been e-mailed all over the world, but you have no idea who the people are or who gets credit for the effort. It was too cute not to share.

Well, are you convinced that I really do believe cute is good sometimes?

Good. ‘Cause the cuteometer says I have exceeded my cuteness quota for the week.

My youngest grandson, Joey, turned 1 this past weekend. His parents threw a party for him, of course, which turned out very nice. There’s just something magical about watching little kids discover the world. I’m sure Joey has tasted cake before–his parents aren’t afraid to let him taste new things–but I am also pretty sure that he never got to eat it by the fistful.

I envied him, in a way. I love cake. But boy was he a mess! He didn’t seem to mind one bit.

Mike and I spent the rest of the weekend doing landscaping at our Maryland house. We have neglected our yard horribly since all of our spare time over the last few years has been spent in West Virginia. Now that we got new grass and an irrigation system, we figured it was time to make the flower beds look good, too.

We’re not quite finished. We have to buy about 30 more bags of mulch to spread. But I am sure it will look fabulous when we’re done. I’ll have to post pictures of the end result in a few days.

I am not trying to brag, really. I mean, yeah my youngest grandson and only grand-dog are in the picture. But even if they weren’t related, I’d still say this picture is adorable. Just look at that smile!

Thanks go out to my daughter, Amy, for sending the pictures. She says that Joey (grandson, 11 months old) and Klondike (grand-dog, about 3) have only recently become really good pals. And she is pretty sure she knows why.

You see, Joey is pretty independent. He knows what he wants and knows when he wants it (or not). Especially when it comes to food. He has always been that way. Now that he is eating more and more solids, he will still eat until he is full, and not a bite more. Do you think he says, “Uh, Mom. I am done.” Of course not. Although he is talking already.

When Joey is finished eating, he simply drops whatever is left onto the floor. Klondike is usually nearby and is more than happy to step in and help Mom clean up the mess.

Klondike may just be a dog, but even he can see how hard Amy works taking care of all three kids while her hubby is away training. She runs her own business, too (bookkeeping services), which she started right around the time Joey was born (July 2007).

Mike and I are very proud of what she has been able to accomplish. And she’s a great Mom, too. You’d think she’d be overwhelmed by it all, or at least complain sometimes about having to manage so much. She doesn’t. She is just as happy as can be.

I did get to visit with the grandkids tonight. But we didn’t get to spend much time together. I arrived 90 minutes late because traffic on Interstate 95 was screwed up. A trip that should have taken 30-40 minutes, took TWO HOURS! Amy had to drag all three kids to Brianna’s lacrosse practice, which she would have avoided had I arrived on time. After I found the field, and located Amy and the kids, I just took Gaige (4) and Joey (9 months) back to Amy’s house where we hung out with Klondike (my granddog) waiting for lacrosse practice to end.

Gaige spent about 15 minutes cleaning miniature M&Ms up off the kitchen floor after the ridiculously small container he was trying to open exploded. [That brought back memories of my son Eric, now 18, who did stuff like that periodically. One particularly memorable time was when he was about 11 and we were flying to South Dakota (I think). I bought him a bag of Skittles and he decided to open it on the plane without my assistance.] Gaige was a good sport about picking up the candies before Joey could get to them. I didn’t tell Amy about that incident. I thought she might yell at me for letting him have M&Ms so close to bedtime. Of course, um, he really had to twist my arm hard to get M&Ms.

While Gaige gathered up the candies, Joey and I wrestled. It wasn’t really wrestling. I was laying on my side in the living room trying to keep him penned in. He crawls very well and even stands on his own for several seconds at a time. Anyway, like the early American pioneers who realized the Cumberland Gap was the easiest northern route across the Appalachian Mountains, Joey found the easiest route across G… my head! He’s a smart guy and quickly realized that my head was lower than my shoulders and would thus be easier to climb over. So he spent most of his time trying to crawl over my head.

He was getting tired so I changed his diaper and got him into his PJs. I was exhausted when I was finished. He squirmed the entire time. I felt like I was trying to pin a World Wrestling Federation champion!

When Amy and Brianna got back from lacrosse, Brianna had just enough time to show me the PowerPoint presentation she had done for school. She is 7 and in first grade. I can’t imagine learning how to use PowerPoint in the first grade! It was all about penguins and was really quite good. Her teacher helped some, but still! I know quite a few adults who would not have a clue if told to make a set of PowerPoint slides. I’m not going to West Virginia this weekend and am hoping the rain holds off so I can go to Brianna’s lacrosse game on Saturday morning.

After the kids went to bed, Amy and I chatted for a couple of hours before I came home. Her hubby is off on an 8-month training assignment for the Army, so she really enjoys the adult interaction. And I enjoy visiting with her. TJ, her hubby, isn’t that far away and does get to come home on weekends, which is good for Amy and the kids. Amy in particular…three kids, wonderful and sweet as they are, are exhausting.

Next Wednesday, after I visit with Amy and the kids for a bit, I’m going to hang out with some friends I haven’t seen for quite a while. I’m excited. They live near Amy, which is about 40+ miles north of here. I’ll spend the night at Amy’s house and work from there the following day, which just happens to be April’s Thirsty Third Thursday. Earlier this year, or later last year, I can’t remember which, Shannon, my eldest daughter, Amy and I decided to start a monthly tradition. We meet for dinner and drinks on the third Thursday of every month. It is a great way for the three of us to catch up with each other.

With TJ away, we’re just going to hang out at Amy’s house so she doesn’t have to worry about a babysitter. Although Mike, my dear hubby, volunteered to watch the kids next month so we can actually go out. I have to remember to tell the girls that before next month gets here!

Other than work, that was the extent of my day. All in all, it was a good one. But now it is late and I need to get to bed!

Thanks for dropping in.