Wii Fun

We had a great weekend visit with my family. The kids played. The adults visited. Arguments were minimal. Fun was had by all - including Nany - who got into the fun with a turn snowboarding on the Wii. Yes, she needed a bit of help standing steady, but at 97, we thought she'd earned the extra help!

Christmas Eve

What happens when you say, "No presents until you pose for some pictures."?

What about, "No presents until you smile for some pictures."?

What about when you say, "Take a nice picture with your grandparents, or no opening presents."? Then your parents make goofy faces until you really smile.
What happens when you've had a great evening including church, a big yummy dinner and lots of presents to open? You crash on the couch with Nany!

These are the Moments

How many of you out there can say that you got to see your Great Grandmother on a regular basis? I know that I can't. Neither T nor I had all four living grandparents in our lives because we lost grandfathers before we were born. B & G are blessed to have a good relationship with all four grandparents. They also have weekly visits with Nany, my Mom's Mom. She was never the get-on-the-floor and play kind of grandmother. I remember that the rules at her house were more strict than the rules at my house as a kid. She would ask before placing a sharp knife at my place at the table - even after I COULD LEGALLY DRIVE A CAR!! When my mom was first expecting a baby, my parents were told that her parents were going to be grandparents, not babysitters. I appreciate this sentiment, but it also kept our relationship at arms length a bit, especially while I was little. However, as a librarian by trade, the one indulgence we got at Poppa and Nany's house was BOOKS. The rules and expectations have softened a bit with the next generation. When B & G visit her each week, she has games ready for them to play, even if it is just a round of hide and seek.

Well, this past visit, she had a new surprise for B. She had her local library mail her a stack of kids books. She came and spent the day with us and the books came, too. She sat at the table after lunch and gave B a wonderful treat: she read to him one of her all-time favorites.

I am not sure if B appreciates just how special this time is with his 97 year old GG. Being that he didn't enter the world until his parents were in their 3rd or 4th decade and his grandparents were in their 5th or 6th decade, the likelihood of B's own children having this same opportunity is pretty slim. For now, we'll just keep those weekly visits going and keep a warm smile on our faces and in our hearts while we watch them enjoying their beautiful time together.