Never ground a toddler

Well, the 2 year olds weren't actually grounded, but we were all incarcerated by the Pacific Northwest weather for MONTHS. The rain beat against the windows like it wanted to come in and play. Salmon Creek overran it's banks. Our Grammy Camp playground was being taken over by moss and mold. But guesswhat? I've never seen sunshine as bright as the animated faces of 2-year olds running through the rain and in my front door.

The house is still standing, I'm happy to report. But I'm convinced that if God had seen the inside of this place after the kids left each time, He would have done something about the weather.

So what did we do on all those dark days?


Jude went nuts with the markers



We built structures so we could huff and puff and blow the house
down



We perfected our golf game


Brady made a few notes on possible escape routes



Jude remodeled the living room, creating his own campsite out of the couch


We started a little band.

The garage was converted into added playspace which allowed for tricycle riding, big box forts, cracking walnuts with little hammers, and playing with mountains of beans. The beans one day disappeared, we never could find them again. Hmmm....

And while the toddlers were wreaking havoc look what happened to the babies:


Ada turned 1 year old


And Drew turned into a real boy:

And then, as if wishes really can come true, the daffodil festival came to my yard. I have millions of them and have never planted one. Each year they multiply and now show up clear to the bottom of the bank, a sizeable drop, I might add. I like to reject the idea that my backyard is eroding and someday this house will be down there with the daffys.



And the tulips (my favorite) standing so straight and tall and strong no matter how the elements beat them up


AND check out the iris! They look like floppy little hats worn at the royal wedding

Oh, the sweet smell of soil and mowed grass.  Even the rain smells good when we haven't seen it for a day or two.  So all is not for naught when the sun comes out and shines on our pale faces.  Northwesterners don't typically discuss the months of unrelenting rain in the winter, but one does start to notice a definite pissiness in the general population around the middle of May.  And although we still run for cover from the errant spring storm, there's an uplifting feel to the air and the mood -

So here we are NOW

Two and a half years after I should have started recording this life journey, here we are now -



Judey



Brady



Drew



Ada

I recently replaced all the dusty photos of my grown boys with these up-to-the minute shots of my new little loves. I must admit I did purchase one extra frame, just in case:) My goal is that the pictures will always be current. It's a lofty goal, I know, and as I look at the pictures now, I realize I already need to update:)

On the little-kid continuum, we are right now hitting all the benchmarks: we're walking, talking, teething, drooling, crawling.  We're throwing tantrums, food and toys.  We're sharing ideas, diseases and little bites. We're potty training. We're standing up unassisted and toppling over; we're reaching up for a willing hand. We're hitting golf balls and playing in the dirt; we're running (almost) faster than the speed of G'ma. We're breaking rules and lots of other stuff.  We're reading stories and telling stories and making up stories. We're scrapping over territory and time. We're laughing and playing at four levels.

I've met my second calling, and when a little one falls asleep in my arms, which they all still do, I know that Brady was right on the mark when he gave me the stink eye (stink wink?) which told me I needed to quit working and get with the program. 

I'm right where I need to be.  This train has left the station and I'm so happy to be on it!

Retirement gift

The paperwork was complete, my desk was cleaned out, the party was over, the goodbyes and solongs had been exchanged, and then my gift arrived. By stork.


Meet sweet baby Drew. 

It seems strange to me that, even though Drew was the fourth grandbaby in under two years, I felt like he was the first and only.  I have total recall of the day he was born.  Drew arrived safely into a perfect family circle, rounding out the playing field at that house:  two parents, two boys.  Having raised two boys, it was as if someone had pushed "REFRESH" on my emotional computer. Watching Drew grow and change along with his brother, I have a wierd sense of reverse closure on my own boys' young years. 

Drew was a fiesty little bundle from the get-go, and although he is fourth in line to the throne (I mean potty seat), this child is going to be second to none. 

And then along came Ada

While my retirement seed was still germinating, look what happened.



This little bundle of pinkish perfection sprung onto the scene. That did it. I dosey-doed down the hall to HR waving my paperwork. My head was no longer in the job, but instead filled with visions of tea parties, painted toenails, hikes in the field wearing matching pink boots, planting tulips, Hannah Montana, and banding together with Ada against our growing testosterone laden family. 

My son's wives are the closest I've come to having daughters.  I call them my girls, but I can take no credit for their brilliance and beauty.  I remember something my mother said:  "It breaks my heart that neither of my daughters ever had one of their own because you girls are the joy of my life".  Well, mama, I know you're watching from your center-court seat in heaven.  This one is for ME. 

Two months later......

Meet Brady. When I thought my heart was totally filled up with my first grandbaby, it magically expanded to accommodate the next one.

I love this photo of my baby boy holding his baby boy.

Brady was the most beautiful infant. His mother and I were forever conjuring up plans to get him an agent so he could appear in box office hits, or at least model the latest infant wear in a Target ad:) Always smiling and cooing, this baby had me at hello.

I've always thought it was Brady's fault that I retired early from a job I loved to spend time with the grandchildren. Judey's parents were very eager, I mean generous, in their sharing of baby time with me. But I didn't get to see as much of Brady (busy family, busy lives). Consequently, I would find myself in meetings thinking about him! This is when the early retirement seed began to grow. In the meantime I resorted to trickery in order to see him and hold him. For instance, I would never visit without forgetting something critical when I left (glasses, camera, cell phone, etc.) This necessitated a return trip, get it? Actually, I didn't really do it on purpose, but looking back, I'm thinking it was my devious dark side at work.