Monday, November 7, 2011

Must Be Something in the Water

Thought for the day:  There's no place like home.


Isn't that an amazing picture? Our daughter-in-law Tina experimented with some of her digital photographs, and came up with this combination picture of the butterfly and grandson Jaiden's eyes. Pretty neat, huh?

Well, we're home. Our cats were almost as happy to see us come in as the grandkids were sad to see us go. As wonderful as it's been, there really is no place like home. And I'm glad to be here.

Before I share some other pics and tales with you, let me thank you all for your wonderful comments on my last post. You guys and gals made me feel soooooo good. I really appreciate it. So, thank you.

Okay, our first trip was to Florida. Here's some pics from there:





Granddaughter Chloe was showing me some snazzy cheerleading moves, but little did she know, Jacob was right behind her, making fun of her. Shades of America's Funniest Home Videos.















How about that? Jacob doesn't think he's too big for Grandma's lap.










The lovely misses Jordan and Chloe.










From left to right, Persephone, Olivia, and Ella. (Believe it or not, Persephone has no trouble saying, spelling, and writing her name.) This was taken at Epcot Center.










This was at Epcot, too, in the China area. In front of Ella and Persephone are rows and rows of scale models of the terracotta warriors. I reeeeeally wanted to put the girls right in the midst of the warriors, and get them to strike a stiff pose and take their picture from the front, but figured that might be strongly frowned upon. So, I settled for this shot. (sigh)









Daughter-in-law April and Joshua.










Beautiful blue-eyed Jackson.







Here's two of the three granddogs. Raja is an English mastiff, and a gentle giant. (and I DO mean giant) Behind her is Bennie, one of the funniest looking dogs I've ever seen. He's a Scottish terrier with (ahem) issues. His head is huge. Waaaay out of proportion to  the rest of him. Huge ears, too, and they stick way out on each side. And to add to the package, he has an enormous overbite. (Looks like he oughta say, "Barf! Barf!") The third dog is a small white dog of unknown parentage. She has an enormous underbite, so it looks like she's perpetually ticked off. Quite a crew.


The day after we returned from Florida, we got a call from our son in Alabama. They were heading for the hospital. The baby was coming! Time for us to pack up and head out the door again. (Our cats were NOT amused.)



Meet Devyn Michelle. I still can't believe our daughter-in-law Tina asked me to share the experience with her in the delivery room. A first for me. Awesome.










Tina and Devyn. (7 lbs. 14 oz.)






A closer look at the little cutie.





My better half with Jaiden and Aaron. Grandpas are always good for a horsey ride or two. You've heard of Hop on Pop? This was hop on Grandpop. Jaiden is 3 1/2 and Aaron is 1 1/2, but would you believe they weigh exactly the same? (We figure Aaron will be the whole front line for the Falcons someday.)











Kymber, age 2 1/2. With four children under the age of four, I'd say our son and his wife are gonna have their hands full.










Aaron. (the hoss)









Kymber. (the angel)






So.

That's where I've been. Wiping snotty noses, sharing sloppy kisses, singing the alphabet song and other kiddie songs over and over and over again, and basking in the sheer joy of grandkids scrambling to sit on my lap. (as many as three at a time!) If you were counting, Devyn makes number twelve. Must be something in the water our kids are drinking ...

Now, there are only two scrambling to sit on my lap. And they're purring so loudly, our next door neighbors can probably hear them.

It's great to be home.

Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.

26 comments:

  1. What great pictures, and how fantastic that you were there for the birth of the latest :-)

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  2. Those are some beautiful pictures! You must be one very proud Grandma!

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  3. Susan, I swear you're one of the luckiest dames on earth. Look at all that love!

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  4. What a gorgeous bunch of grandchildren you have! Sounds like you had a heavenly vacation. :)

    Of course, even heaven can be exhausting. *grin* May you recover from your vacation quickly!

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  5. That is quite the haul of grandkids..and the newest one...awwww. Glad to see you back home though and "on the air" again.

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  6. Great family pictures and congratulations on your newest grandchild. I think back at my life and think that the greatest gifts ever given to me are my children and grandchildren. However, the grandchildren have been much, much easier to be around,and better yet, they still don't think I have any faults. One just turned into a teenager, so we will see how long that lasts.

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  7. Welcome back. Looks like a great visit. Beatutiful family. :)

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  8. Wonderful pics - you have gorgeous grandkids - and hey! No fair being a grandma and actually NOT looking like one. Jeesh, woman, grow a wrinkle or something would ya? heehee

    Congrats on the new baby. So pretty!

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  9. Hi, y'all. Thank you so much for your comments.

    Sarah- It truly was an amazing experience. Devyn came out with her arms and legs flailing. (She may be a feisty handful!)

    Dianne- Thank you. Yeah, I am just a "little" proud. And I figured it wouldn't hurt to post pictures of 'em just this once.

    Austan- You betcha! And I know it, too.

    Linda- Thanks. You're right. The past couple weeks were both exhilarating and exhausting. (But I'm ready to go back now ...)

    Delores- Yeah, they sure are a haul. Looks like the latest may be the caboose, though. Thanks. It's good to be back. Oh, and I sent you an email, but let me tell you again here: THANK YOU for the candies and bookmark. Much too generous, sweet lady, but much appreciated.

    Arleen- I love the new picture of you! I agree with you about the kids and grandkids. One interesting thing about when the grands become teenagers ... most of their melodramatic angst rains on their parents, while we grandparents still get to enjoy the sunshine and rainbows. (Life is good ...)

    L.G.- Thank you, ma'am. It was.

    Skippy- Thanks, but I definitely look like a grandma. Not a whole lot of wrinkles, but I more than make up for it with all the saggy parts.

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  10. How wonderful!! The photos are great and it looks like you all had a lovely time of making memories.

    (And being at the birth of your grandchild, wow! That must have been incredible.)

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  11. Hi, Connie. Thanks. Yeah, it was incredible. "Birthing babies" has changed a lot since I had mine.

    John- Thanks.

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  12. Sorry, this is not about your beautiful grandchildren! :-) But I was wondering how you got your labels to appear. I see my row on the edit posts page, but see nowhere to put them on the blog face.

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  13. Welcome back Susan! And mega congrats. What a beautiful family you have. Everybody looks so happy. Lovely to see.

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  14. Hi, Everything Changes. Thanks for stopping by. To get your list of labels to appear, click on "design." (Can get there from the link at the top of your post, or from your dashboard.) Then, click on "labels." It'll give you options as to how you want them handled. You can hide them, show all, or show some.

    Hi-ya, Carrie. Thanks. I appreciate your kind words.

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  15. Thanks for the input. Right after I posted to you, I remembered the "Help" button. Handy little thing. :-) I found it there. Thanks again!

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  16. WHAT a great first introduction - very nice to meet you and your family
    oh and, I love the name Chloe
    never heard of an english mastiff (and that is one of 3 dogs? wow!
    4 children under the age of 4! alll extra sweet!
    Hello Devyn Michelle, you are precious!

    you are blessed!

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  17. Grandkids eh? Doncha love em! You've got a great brood there.

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  18. What a wonderful family you have.
    Thanks for sharing

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  19. Beautiful pictures and family! So fun and I bet that was an amazing experience in the delivery room. Very cool. Glad you are home safe and back here with us!

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  20. welcome back!!
    You have beautiful grandkids!!! I'm so happy you had such a nice time with them.

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  21. Hi, Everything Changes. Great. I'm glad you found what you needed.

    Green Monkey- I never heard of an English Mastiff, either, until they got Raja. Supposed to be the largest breed of dog in the world. Dunno if that's true or not, but she sure is super-sized. Her feet look like bear paws (and claws.) Thank you for stopping by, and welcome aboard. I've reciprocated, and am now your newest follower, too.

    Cro- Yep, grandchildren truly are rewards for getting older. (Not that I AM, mind you ...)

    Al- Thanks. I'll not make a habit of it.

    Tracy Jo- Thank you, ma'am. Good to be back. Gonna take a giant shoe horn to get me outta here any time soon.

    Jennifer- Thank you so much.

    Thank you ALL. Y'all are the bestest. (That's even better than BEST!)

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  22. Thank you sooo much for sharing your family with us. I so enjoy your funny posts but it feels warm and friendly to get to know your family. What fun grandparents you two are and what a joy to be able to spend time with the dogs and little ones. What a treat for you to be in the delivery room (without producing a baby of your own... ha )
    Love to you...

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  23. Hi, Manzie. Thanks for your sweet comment. You're right; it was MUCH better being in the delivery room as an observer than a participant!

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  24. Congratulations on the birth of your latest granddaughter! I love that your daughter-in-law wanted you to help in the delivery room! All of your grandchildren are beautiful, and they are so lucky to have you for a grandma. Thanks for sharing the wonderful photos and I hope you're able to get some rest. Enjoy your delightful dozen. Julie

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  25. Thanks, Julie. Me, too ... as wonderful as it was to be in the delivery room, I was even more touched by the fact that she wanted me to be. Delightful dozen ... I like that!

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