Today is a a very special day. It’s Brianna’s 10th birthday!
Happy Birthday, Brianna!
Yep, the oldest grandchild has hit the double digits.
Wowza.
On one hand, that seems hard to believe. But after seeing her grow and blossom over the last few years, I can totally believe it.
It’s fun having a granddaughter. Especially one who likes to do word search puzzles. And who likes to help me cook stuff. Who is such a good big sister. And helpful to her Mom. Who has such a good sense of humor, likes bike hikes, loves to read, digs Legos…
I could go on and on. Except I don’t have all day.
And I have to share some pictures of the not-so-little-anymore kid that is always so full of smiles.
Face Painting
This year has been a difficult one for Brianna. Not for Brianna specifically, she’s actually had a great year, but for all of the kids in general. Their Dad is deployed. And they miss him. But Brianna has been handling it like a champ.
Biker B
That picture was taken during the weekend she spent alone with me at the WV place. We had a blast.
She loves sports, too.
This picture, obviously, was from one of her soccer games.
Off to camp.
And that last picture was taken when I dropped her off at her first ever sleepaway camp. She was going to spend the weekend with total strangers and wasn’t even one little bit apprehensive.
I did end up spending this past weekend alone with our oldest grandson, Gaige, in West Virginia. Hubby was down with the same bug I had last week (which is STILL lingering in both of us by the way) and was really not up to that sort of outing. So Gaige and I loaded the dogs into the truck and off we went. We missed having Hubby around, of course, but we managed to have a bit of fun anyway.
As you can probably imagine, I took a few pictures.
Gaige was VERY proud of his new bicycle helmet.
Gaige is a bit of a character, so we shared quite a few laughs over the weekend. Starting with our visit to Target in Winchester, Virginia. He’d outgrown his bicycle helmet, so we stopped to buy one for him. He was super-excited about the cool helmet I let him pick out and insisted on wearing it as soon as the cashier finished scanning the thing, cardboard tag and all. Can you tell how excited he was?
The morning dog walk.
Saturday dawned bright and early, thanks to my crazy dogs. Gaige watched The Wizard of OZ while I woke up. Then we took the dogs for a walk. We turned that everyday dog walk into a hiking adventure.
"Mountain" climbing.
Gaige is a very active 7-year-old boy. He climbs on pretty much everything. He was super-excited to get a chance to do some mountain climbing.
At the mountain summit.
I’m not sure what he enjoyed more, going up or coming back down…
Sliding down the mountain.
He would’ve gone up and down that thing all day if I’d let him.
Running after Belle.
When he wasn’t climbing, he was running.
Making a wish.
He was quite tickled to discover one, lone dandelion seed head that was just screaming to be picked.
"G, I'll race you to the top!"
As we were heading back to the house, we got to a spot where the hill is VERY steep. Note how steep in the picture above. It only got worse higher up. I decided to back-track a bit and take the easier route. Gaige, of course, wanted to scale the steepest spot. And he wanted to make it a race. Knowing how steep that hill is, I knew I’d beat him.
"Can you believe that I beat you?"
I was wrong. I wasn’t going slow or anything. He just went really fast, which is why he’s gasping for breath in that photo above. Look behind him and you can see how steep and BIG the hill is.
Climbing a "broken" tree.
I did say he climbed pretty much everything there was to climb, right? This downed tree, which he referred to as broken, was no exception.
Gaige and Belle were playing together in the leaves.
Gaige really likes Belle and she likes him right back. Belle’s first family, who she lived with from 8 weeks to 18 months of age, had a couple of kids. So she actually likes hanging out with Gaige.
"You are NOT leaving me behind, Mama."
After our hiking adventure, I opened the back of the truck to load my bike. Belle, not wanting to get left behind (note the sad puppy expression on her face), hopped right in and immediately made herself comfortable. Gaige thought it would be fun to hang out there with her.
Moo!
I couldn’t resist including this cow picture. It was the first critter we encountered along the C&O Canal bike path.
Puddles!
Gaige very obediently rode through as many puddles as he could, just like I instructed. Until he went through one that was particularly long and deep and got soaked.
The coolest dude on the towpath.
He really likes his new helmet.
Puddle aftermath.
Riding through all of those puddles made him a little dirty.
Movie moment.
Gaige’s new favorite movie is Dante’s Peak (I love disaster flicks). He watched it on Sunday morning, with Belle, while I straightened the place up.
"Look, G! More broken trees!"
Later in the morning, he and I explored the yard a bit. There’s no shortage of stuff to climb on back there, that’s for sure.
One happy boy.
He really had a good time letting loose over the weekend. Yes, there were a number of pictures where I made him smile for the camera, but there were also lots of candid smile shots like this one, too.
I’m posting this last picture against my better judgment (I am in DESPERATE need of a haircut). I had to get a shot of the two of us together after our fun weekend.
Gaige and G on their Double G Weekend.
We need to take him back out there soon so we can build a tree fort. I wanted to do that this past weekend, but I didn’t have the proper tools with me. Next time, I’ll be more prepared.
It’s gonna be a grand day. Literally. Shannon is bringing all of the grand kids to our house this afternoon. She’s leaving Amy, convalescing after foot surgery, home alone.
Gaige is going to spend the weekend with Hubby and I in West Virginia. Both of the other kids have had their chance to hang out with us alone, so it’s his turn. Otherwise we’d take them all.
Although, Hubby is pretty sick. He’s down with the same bug that hit me. So Gaige and I just might be having a Double G Weekend!
– – –
The song featured in this video is definite earworm material. Listen at your own risk…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu_zwdmz0hE
Check back in a couple of days… I’m sure I’ll have lots of kid pics to share. 🙂
I had every intention of doing a nice, long birthday post for Gaige this morning. Not that he reads my blog, but I did want to give him the appropriate shout-out. I had a bit of a stressful morning, however, followed by a pretty busy day. I just now logged off of the ole work computer and it’s 9:00 PM.
Anyway…
Our oldest grandson, Gaige, turned seven today.
Gaige at 22 months.
Many of my readers know all about my convoluted family tree. It’s not my parents’ fault (they’ve been married for 51 years!). The craziness started with me. I always did like to do things differently.
I’ve only actually given birth to one kid, Eric, who just recently turned 21. In 1993, I married Hubby and became the proud step-mother (at the tender age of 26) to Shannon and Amy. Since we already had three children between the two of us (not to mention two crazy, non-custodial exes) we decided we didn’t need any more children. A lot of people are of the “you should have had a child together” mentality. But I think that’s just dumb.
I’m getting way off track here. Sorry.
When Amy was 25, she married TJ, who had two kids from a previous marriage. Gaige was already about 16 months old before we even met him. The point of all this is that I don’t have any baby pictures of Gaige on hand to share. The earliest shots I managed to dig up this morning are the one posted above and this one.
Gaige at 22 months with mom-to-be, Amy.
Both of those pictures were taken when TJ brought Amy and the kids to the WV place, which at the time was the WV construction site, supposedly to “help” with the building. What he really came to WV for was to ask Hubby for his permission to marry Amy.
A little over a year later, the two got hitched and Amy had her own instant family.
Gaige the ring bearer.
Gaige was not thrilled with being the ring bearer. He liked the idea okay. Until it came time for him to walk down the aisle and he realized all eyes were on him, he froze. Of course, everyone was oohing and aahing and giggling at this cute sight. Gaige thought everyone was laughing at him, so he just dropped the pillow, covered his eyes, and refused to move.
Gaige "Hollywood" Lloyd
Fortunately one of the guys from the wedding party came back down the aisle to retrieve the petrified boy. And Gaige stood patiently with the rest of the wedding party while Amy and TJ exchanged their vows. Patiently for all of about two minutes. Then he started walking around the altar area, looking at stuff, completely out of Amy and TJ’s field of vision. When he found a pair of pink sunglasses someone had left in the choir loft, I knew we were in trouble.
He immediately put them on then walked over and sat on the edge of the altar facing the crowd. People (including me) couldn’t help but giggle a little bit. I mean, it was so darn cute. I didn’t have my camera with me, but the photographer did manager to capture one shot of Gaige in the infamous glasses.
Gaige at age 5.
And here he is just a few years later at the WV place. He always was the cutest, most photogenic kid I’ve ever known.
Gaige the wrestler.
Seriously. He’s just got the bluest eyes. And those dimples! Couldn’t you just eat him up?
He’s got a very expressive face. For better or worse. This series of pics I shot about a year ago is another favorite of mine. Click on the picture for a bigger view.
Gaige the baseball player.
I can’t remember exactly how old he was in the baseball picture. I’m thinking he was four.
Gaige the rock star.
The guitar shot was Halloween 2009. Gaige strummed his sister’s pink guitar and sang “If You’re Happy and You Know It” to Hubby and me while his siblings got dressed.
And we can’t forget that gem of a shot I posted yesterday…
Gaige and Joey in their old man pants (as Joey calls them).
I could go on forever with the pictures, but it’s late. So I’ll stop now.
Well, here we’ve been back in Maryland for almost two full days and I haven’t put any more trip info on my blog.
I have a very good reason for that.
Actually, I have THREE very good reasons…
The Three Grandkids
The grandkids spent Saturday night and Sunday with us. Today was Gaige’s birthday party (he’ll be seven on Monday). Originally, just Brianna and Joey were going to visit. But when we got home and I called Amy, she basically said, “Thank GOD you’re home. Come save me!” So she brought all three kids down for the evening. Which was cool. Because when the kids are here, we ALWAYS have something to laugh about.
Like this…
The three comedians.
I’m not sure what’s funnier in this picture, the look on Hubby’s face or the boys’ dual looks of mischievous delight.
Hubby needs a bigger lap!
Between the kids and the dogs, neither of us felt even the slightest bit ignored all weekend.
Pop's Little Helper
After Gaige left for his party, Joey “helped” Pop with some repairs to the irrigation system.
Then he played with Belle for a while. I promise, it isn’t nearly as bad as it looks.
"Mama, help!" Belle screamed.
Yes, it looks like he’s choking her to death. But he wasn’t. They were playing very nicely. Belle loves kids. But isn’t that picture funny?
Once Joey was down for his nap, Brianna and I made some apple pies.
Brianna's first Apple Crumb Pie.
While I was at the store yesterday, I decided to buy the ingredients I needed to make an apple pie. Once I realized Brianna would be able to help, I went back to the store for more apples so she’d have a pie to take along home. She really likes helping me in the kitchen. With my guidance, she made her very own Apple Crumb Pie.
I’m guessing her Mom and brothers were very happy this evening.
Really, look at this pie…
Close-up of Brianna's pie.
Not bad for a nine-year-old, eh? The only thing I did was slice the apples, give directions, and put the pies into the oven. She even unrolled the refrigerated pie crust all by herself and used it to line the pie dish.
It was a very nice weekend.
It’s good to be home.
And remember what I said about the kids keeping us laughing?
All three of them are hams. I can only get them to agree to sit for a picture for me if I promise to let them make silly faces at some point. While the first picture on this post isn’t the greatest picture ever, it’s the best of the bunch. The whole series I shot of them over the span of about 60 seconds was sort of funny. Hopefully you’ll get a chuckle out of this series of pictures, too. Look at the kids’ faces, but also take note of Meg’s practiced look of complete and utter boredom.
Yes, that shot is horribly blurry, but it shows Gaige trying to tech Joey how to make that funny face so I HAD to include it.
Goofy kids #7
I’m not sure exactly what Joey was doing in that last shot. But that image will forever remain in my book of favorites. No, it isn’t the best picture in the world, but it shows their personalities. It reminds me a lot of another one of my favorite grandkid pics from last year.
Maybe tomorrow I’ll be able to share some more about our fabulous trip. Though I still have lots of pictures to cull through and edit…
Hubby and I each had some things planned for this weekend so we did not go to the WV place. The weather was probably perfect for motorcycling and there aren’t many weekends left, BUT I have planned a week-long excursion for us (coming soon) through the southern part of West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky that should top off our season nicely.
Anyway…
Gaige at football practice last week.
Hubby had to drive up to Central Pennsylvania on Saturday to get some things. I stayed home to take care of some stuff I had to do. One of the things on my agenda was kid sporting events.
I was hoping to get to Gaige’s football game AND Brianna’s soccer game, but the 8:00 AM football game didn’t happen. I would’ve had to leave my house at 7:15 (the time Amy had to have Gaige at the field). I had some other things to get finished before my road trip, so I skipped that one. I did make it to Brianna’s soccer game though.
Apparently, things have finally clicked for Brianna, who will be 10 in December. Not only did she seem to be more aware of what was happening on both ends of the field, she was running with gusto. It was a sight to see.
I’ll show you some action shots later. First, here’s one of my favorites.
Brianna Hamming It Up for Me
This was very early in the game. Brianna was playing fullback (defense) and her best friend Brooke was nearby in goal. Now, I could not hear what she was saying to Brooke, but I’m guessing it was probably one of two things…
“Oh, cool. G is here taking pictures of me.”
or…
“See? I told you if she came she’d take pictures the whole time. How embarrassing!”
I think it was the former, but who knows?
Now that is concentration.
As you can see, the weather was perfect.
Organized Chaos
This is my favorite action shot. Brianna was on offense at the time and the ball was headed toward the right side of the image. Seconds before this was snapped, the other team cleared the ball back toward their end of the field, which is why Brianna appears to be contorting herself in two different directions.
Brianna and the competition sizing things up.
I love the looks on their faces here. How intense! This is a 10 and under team, too.
Brianna on the Attack
I was quite impressed at the level of skill I was seeing. And quite disgusted with some idiot on the sideline who kept yelling at the ref. Said idiot obviously did NOT know what he was talking about.
A Determined Brianna
She is like a totally different kid, I tell you. From where she was last time I saw her play. This kid is obviously into the game.
Are you wondering where her brothers were while Brianna was playing?
The boys did a fine job of entertaining themselves.
They were off playing American football, of course. Click on the above image to see a larger view. I absolutely love the expressions I caught on their faces. Gaige playfully running from a laughing-but-determined Joe.
Game Over
Brianna’s team won. I think the score was 3-0. But it may have been 4-0.
There are quite a few more pictures from the game on my Flickr site. I posted them there for her parents to see, but you can feel free to have a look if you want, too.
