The Grands

Washing the table in ready for family dinner

Happy at her work

I am the grandmother of five. For fun, I am sharing stories I hope lift the corners of your mouth. I will add other stories at later dates as time allows. 

When my babies were growing up, mealtime was a corporate event; everyone had a task. Now, when the grands are onsite, I continue the tradition and solicit their help. Always an out-of-the-box thinker, when I asked my 6 year old granddaughter to wash my bistro style table, she didn’t hesitate but set right to the task. LOL - gotta love this child’s style. 
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My five year old granddaughter called a few weeks ago to excitedly share, “Do you want to hear me count to 100, grandma?” “LOL, Why yes I do, sweet pea!” I encourage. I listen to her happily recite from 1 to 100 over my bluetooth as I drive back home from town. Undaunted as I gently assist her a couple of times, she proudly concludes the task and follows with, “Do you want to hear me count by 10s?” and quickly proceeds before I can reply. Upon completion, she again, inquires, “Do you want to hear me count by 2s?” And we work together to achieve her goal. 

We both cheer and laugh with pride at her ability to master such feats. And . . . I ponder her confidence in knowing I will be as pleased with her as she is with herself. Feeling a sense and sharing the joy of  accomplishment is a perspective sometimes lost to adults. But this small person reminds me to rejoice in my own abilities as well as in the abilities of others.  
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While entertaining family, coming up from behind, my young granddaughter smacks my hinder and claims, “You got a lot of junk in that trunk.” The room breaks out into guffaws and my daughter counters her’s, “You’ve got just enough junk in your trunk, mom. You’ve nothing to worry about.” LOL 
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Jumping and dancing on my bed while making up songs and watching herself gyrate in the mirror, I try to quiet this six year old for sleep. We lay in the dark and giggle at our imaginings as we make up a story about Jajabooboo, a girl who rides an elephant in Africa. Priceless memory. 
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My granddaughter asks to sleep with me. We lay in bed and talk Winnie the Pooh. Facing an early morning, I roll onto my stomach, close my eyes and sleepily answer my lil chatterer. Following my lead, she climbs onto my back, lays her head between my shoulder blades and places her baby feet flat against the back of my legs chatting on Winnie the Pooh the whole time. LOL
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My six year old granddaughter serves me breakfast in bed this morning - while I was still asleep. Oh my! lol!

. . . My lil grand-baby quietly set a food-laden breakfast tray beside me, left me to slumber and when I rolled over, everything crashed loudly spraying across the floor. LOL! Running in from the living room to check on me, she looked around and sadly informed she’d made breakfast for me. 

So . . . instead of enjoying eggs and toast and saltine crackers (lol) in bed, my sweet pea climbed into bed next to me and we snuggled and chatted about whether splinters are baby wood chips and wondered . . . “Do they grow?” While the food and tray and dishes laid strewn. Life is good . . . and I am glad my floors are not carpeted. 
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Traipsing through slush and a lite drizzle, my grandbabies and I walk downtown to New Sagaya. My granddaughter and I sing the hokey pokey and try to persuade my grandson to join in, to no avail, as we “turn ourselves around.” With “coffees” in hand, I pass the newspaper to each. My grandson takes the front page, while my granddaughter selects the ads and comics. My young grandson reads to us about Proposition 5, the Supreme Court and Health Law and the Mayoral Election. Readings and discussions are balanced with developing wish lists and comic strips. Family, fun and learning our world together - “that’s what it’s all about!”
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During one of our regular walks together, my granddaughter tires and asks I piggyback her. During the ride, she pulls my hair back from my ear and whispers three times, "Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful" and then gently places my hair over my ear and wraps her arms tight around my neck.  
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At lights out, My granddaughter rolls toward me, places her forehead against mine, drapes her arm across my neck and says, "You smell good." LOL - she tells me she'd used my soap earlier but she couldn't smell it anymore. We count backwards together and she writes her name with her finger in the air as I watch her silhouetted baby-hand move in the dark. We are both proud and I congratulate her. We chat and chat and she concludes, "I'm going to sleep with you forever, grandma!" LOL