We had a lot of family time and baby snuggles this weekend. It was awesome. I was sad that Cameron and Lauren had to return to LSU, but it was a blessing having them around. Cameron was a ton of help while he was here. None of my boys like to be idle for very long. Cameron said he needed outdoor time, and then went out and weed whacked the yard! I love that about them all. They did have some issue with their rental car and didn’t end up getting it resolved until late afternoon. They made it back to their apartment very early this morning. I am glad they’re safe!
The girls came out for Sunday dinner. Preston went kayaking with his friends. Jim and Andrew went fishing. Harper and Saige spent the night with friends. That left the older 3 girls and I all here with Evie and Wrenley. It was fun playing with them. I love newborn sleepiness, the one eye open stares, the little noises and snuggliness. I got to thinking - this grammy thing - I love it! - I get to do all the fun stuff. I can babysit or take them to the movies. I can help out or choose to borrow them. And then someone else is paying the bills, someone else is up all night, I can laugh at the stuff they say because the school isn’t calling me! Someone else is legally responsible when they get in trouble….grand parenting is where it’s at!
That made me reminisce just a little. I was blessed with 2 very different kinds of grandmothers. My mom’s mom lived a couple hours away. She showed up for important things, and we usually spent a week by ourselves (as in no siblings) with her in the summertime. During that week, we got to do all sorts of stuff we didn’t do at home. My grandma liked to go shopping, she liked to try random fruits and veggies that we didn’t get to try at home. She took us to movies and to the city park and city pool. She took us for picnics in the park. She let us play in the sprinklers (a huge no at the farm where we had a well). It wasn’t that my mom didn’t do these things, but she also had to help dad on the farm, had to raise us kids, keep the house running and my parents never went very far because at 4 am and 4 pm there were cows to milk. Grandma simply had more time. But we didn’t see her often, and although she didn’t ever forget to send us Mail or be there for important life events, we honesty didn’t know her as well as we could have if she lived closer. My dad’s mom lived 2 miles away. We could walk to her house if we wanted to, but we didn’t need to because if you waited a while one or both of them would be in the yard. My dad and his dad farmed together. We saw my grandparents every single day. My dad’s brothers and sisters mostly lived within a 2 mile radius, except the one who lived “far away” - half an hour down the road in Lawrence! My grandma taught us stuff. How to garden, how to can, how to butcher a chicken, how to clean stuff, how to serve your church, how to be self sufficient, how to fix stuff, she taught us how to work. She talked to us about all the stuff that some people never converse about. Birth, death, growing old, getting in shape, illness, - nothing was off limits with her as long as the language stayed clean (if you said the F word she would wash your tongue with Palmolive dish soap). I watched this woman grab a mean rooster and chop his head off, cook him and have him for dinner. I saw her whip my cousin’s rump for filling her lawnmower’s gas tank with water, and then expect him to help her drain it and refill it with gas. I saw it all. She helped to raise me, she had 20 grandchildren and she helped to raise all of us! So much of who I am today came from having my grandparents front and center in my life. I miss them every single day. Of the 2, I cannot say which way is best. I loved them both. I hope I can be half the grandmother to my grandkids that they were to me. How’s that for a load of Monday’s randomness? Anyway I feel like I am blessed to be able to be a part of my grandkids lives. I hope I will always have that opportunity and that I can always remember how important it is.
When the kids went home, Quincy went to bed, the boys weren’t home, no babies to snuggle - I had to settle for the next best thing - a tiny widdle dog. I could tell he had been playing with Evie because he had a couple of stickers on his fur!
This week is tournament week. I say this every year - I love ball season. But I am always ready to reclaim my evenings by the time we reach this point. So much running - so many games it becomes a blur! I’m hoping for the girl’s teams to have success, but I won’t shed any tears if they are one and dones either!
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