For the most part I love my family đ. As I stated in a previous post, my children have various personalities and temperaments. Spending this time with Tiff and Hannah has caused me to be a bit nostalgic. I have 4 children and 5 grandchildren. I was thinking about my children when they were young, and I do have some favorite stories about them.
Tiffany: when she was about 4 years old we went to Ohio to visit my mom. My sisters Virginia and Vicki were there. On our 2nd day there, Tiff walked into the living room and began telling everyone the roles that they would play and the chores that they would do while playing house with her. We were never asked if we wanted to play house with her, it was just expected.
Brynn: When Brynn was either 8 or 9 years old Tiffany had a friend over to play with their dolls but they wouldnât let Brynn play with them. Brynn came down stairs and meekly asked if she could play with Hannah, who was only a few weeks old at the time. I agreed and so Brynn took Hannah upstairs and pretended that she was her baby. This made the other girls jealous and then they wanted to let Brynn, and of course Hannah, play with them but it was Brynnâs turn to say no thanks.
Hannah: When she was about 5 years old she spent an afternoon with Gregâs mom. When we went to pick her up Bonnie (Gregâs mom) said that we needed to go look in the backyard at Hannahâs creation. Hannah had taken some rope and garden hose and put together the biggest mess of a knot that I had ever seen. To this day I do not know how she got all of that mess up and over the clothesline. I believe that it took Greg quite a while to untangle that mess.
Kaleb: Kaleb never met a stranger. When he was 6 or 7 years old we went to a swimming pool in my friend Karenâs subdivision. There were lots of kids in the pool playing. Next thing I know heâs right there in the midst of the kids playing with them as if he had known them all his life. Another favorite story is when he was 4 years old and we arrived at seminary. Outside our apartment building was a basketball court that was used by the male students that were there a lot to play basketball. Kaleb was such a cute little guy that the men would often humor him and lift him up so that he could make baskets. Kaleb began going out to that court every day trying to shoot baskets on his own. He was so little at that time! Anyway, next thing we know he is making baskets. He was a determined little boy.
These days I am working to be closer to my grandchildren. Blake and Lindsie live in the Des Moines area where we have recently moved to. Trenton lives in Virginia. Dianne and William live in Nebraska. Living in Indianola (near Des Moines) puts us close to Blake and Lindsie and only a few hours from Dianne and William, our plan is to see them every couple of months now that itâs a day trip. Our plan for Trenton is to have him fly in to see us a couple of times per year. When our house is finished with itâs remodeling, we will see about having him come to see us.
Greg and I made the decision a few years ago that for the grandkids 13th birthdays we would go on a trip with them. Greg will go with the boys and I will go with the girls. These trips are designed to give the kids something that they really want and to strengthen the relationships between us and them.
For Blakeâs 13th birthday they went to see NFL football stadiums in the Northeast – they also saw several historical sites, went into New York City and got to visit with Tiffâs family in Virginia. For Trentonâs 13th birthday Greg got to go to a WWE Summer Slam event and see the sites around Detroit Michigan. Lindsie turned 13 this past April and guess where I am going with her? To a Taylor Swift concert!! Can you see me at a Taylor Swift concert? I donât think I even know one of her songs. We will also go to see the Noahâs Ark exhibit in Kentucky and the Creation Museum in Southern Ohio.
Day 32 is done and day 33 is on its way. âI grew up with my grandparents around. I think thatâs important for a child. If for no other reason than to hear stories about their parents when they were childrenâ. â Al Roker