"BIRDIES" For Abby

Our little Abby loves when we sing to her.  And she likes to sing herself, but she's a little shy.  I go through a whole repetoire of songs when she's at my house.  I made this one up on Saturday morning. She had me sing it at least 12 times.  It was a hit!  Who knew I had such talent?

I love being a grandma!

Birdies fly high....high in the sky,

They use their wings to fly, fly, fly.

Birdies fly high....high in the sky,

They use their wings to fly, fly, fly.

Birdies in trees, say tweet tweet.

They're looking for buggies to eat, eat, eat.

Birdies in trees, say tweet tweet.

They watch for good buggies to eat, eat, eat.

GRANDMA / GRANDPA CAMP 2010 - OR, I LOVE BEING A GRANDMA

Last weekend we had our first annual (maybe) Grandma Grandpa Camp Extravaganza at our house.  All 9 of our grandchildren attended.  They range from ages 10 months to 12 years old.  That's Abby, the smallest in the flower basket. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't crazy, insane, tiring and sucked almost all the life out of me...and Papa.

I'd also be lying if I said it wasn't fun, funny, rewarding, filled with love and new insights and discoveries into the personalities and characters of these little people that we love so very much. 

We had planned activities like an art table where they painted and drew pictures to decorate our campsite. 
We had an awesome scavenger hunt that, although confusing, seemed to bring a smile to every face...none more than me and Papa's.  The older ones helped the smaller ones.  That's Sarah with the beautiful smile.  She was an amazing helper.

We watched movies and ate popcorn and smores (cooked over the stove because of rain - we didn't let them see us doing that), and had story time.  Everyone had to tell a joke or a story and everyone got a prize afterwards. 

We had pillow fights, pizza and snacks.  Abby, who seems to love any event involving her cousins, had a hard time going to sleep because she didn't want to miss the party so she stayed up a bit later than usual.  But she was totally entertained.  Each child dotes on her as the baby of the family and made sure she was always having fun.



And there were smiles...plenty of smiles!                 OWEN

                         RYAN

NICHOLAS

       

         JACOB

        

NATHAN

                    

                              
COLIN

                                                          

                     

TYLER

There were lots of laughs...and 

crazy antics                                  

      A little flexing...

and pillows flying! 

 And finally, some sad goodbyes:  (

    

But a good time was had by all. 

There is no better time spent than that with ones you love.  I know that any time I feel a little blue, I can revisit moments like these and remind myself how very very blessed I am. 

Grandchildren

"Grandchildren are God's way of compensating us for growing old." ~ Mary H. Waldrup

A new granddaughter was born at 8:50 am on Sunday, May 31st. Abigail Kate weighed in at 5 pounds, 10 ounces and 19 inches long. She was one month early and gave us more than a few anxious moments during the past two months or so. But she�s here now and the wonder and joy of seeing her makes it all worthwhile. Abby is our 9th grandchild and second granddaughter. While we dote on all of our boys, the rarity of little girl in our midst has us all quite giddy. In fact, one of her aunties is quoted as saying that Abby's parents may need a restraining order as she feels she may be prone to hogging (stalking) her new little niece. Of course, this is the mom with three boys! She needs a shot of girly now and then. We're also happy for Sarah, our first granddaughter. While she holds her own with all the testosterone at family gatherings, she will no doubt be thrilled at the new baby cousin who also happens to be a girl . We will count on Sarah to show her the ropes. She is our original family princess!

The other cool thing about a new baby girl in the family is clothing - baby girl clothing to be specific. Shopping for baby clothes is always fun, but shopping for clothing for a baby girl borders on euphoria. What don't they make for little women in training? And talk about pink. Our little Abby will be living in a pink wonderland much to the delight of her mother, grandmothers and aunties. Good thing too - her mother and dad bought a new puppy last summer. She is a female Yorkie Poodle mix named Isabella - Izzy for short. My daughter was spending way more than was wise on elaborate pink outfits and acoutremeau for Izzy. She needed a girl. So it's all good.

I haven't blogged much in the last month or so. I've been too busy working, planning a shower, planting a garden and receiving a new member into our beloved family. I've had lots of ideas to write about, but nothing that seemed important enough to take the time out for until this joyful event. Being a grandparent is amazing - there's really nothing like it. When I look into my granddaughters face, I see my daughter, 32 years ago and remember my own mom, now gone, looking with adoration at her new grandchild. Now I understand.

"Grandchildren are the dots that connect the lines from generation to generation." ~Lois Wyse

"Grandchildren are loving reminders of what we're really here for." ~ Author Unknown

"A grandchild fill a space in your heart that you never knew was empty." ~ Author Unknown

"Grandchildren don't make a woman feel old; it's being married to a grandfather that bothers her." ~ Author Unknown (I added this one cause it made me laugh)

"A child needs a grandparent, anybodies grandparent, to grow a little more securely into an unfamiliar world." ~author unknown

"Grandchildren are a grandparent's link to the future, and grandparents are the child's link to the past." Author Unknown