Pops

 One of the benefits of living in a multigenerational home is being with family every day and watching my husband interact with our grandson.

Sean was a wonderful father.  He played with the kids, involved them in every project from the time they could walk, he read books, stories, Harry Potter and even books for school with them.  He coached their sports teams, cheered them on at every event and was always a shoulder of love and support.

When our oldest was born he quickly nicknamed her “Bubba”.  A tiny dainty baby girl got a very masculine football kind of name.  It drove my mom crazy.  This same dad learned how to put on Barbie shoes and dress Polly Pockets.  He was the kind of dad that loved the things she did.

I have two favorite memories of Harrison and Sean.  One year for Christmas Sean got a workbench for the garage.  Sean had to put it together and his little man was right by his side with his plastic manly tools helping.  That workbench made the move with us.  The other memory was the winter the two of them painted the basketball key with the free throw line in the street so they could play ball together.  They spent many hours at that hoop.

When Marissa arrived he had the dad thing down, but this little sweet pea cried every time the daddy voice got loud.  He learned to talk a little softer and be a little gentler.  One evening after work she was laying on her sister's bed among all the stuffed animals and dolls.  He walked into the room, knelt by the bed and  talked to her in his very quiet voice.  This was the first time she smiled.   These two love books, movies and “crappy fast food”.  It became their thing when she was in high school.

Now Sean is known as Pops.  In just ten months I have seen him grow into being the best grandpa.  When he isn’t traveling for work you can find him in the office editing pictures.  He is always ready and willing to help me with Cutie E.  These two have their own routine.  Mornings include music time together.  They listen to music, sing Disney songs and turn the desktop into their own drum set.   Last week he texted me that he had “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” from the Lion King soundtrack running in his head.  This happens to be one of E’s favorite songs.  Some evenings you will find them head butting or rough housing on the floor.  

Cutie E loves his Pops, he looks for him each morning as we walk by the office and will crawl down the hall to find him.  He has even started calling for him when goes down stairs and closes the baby gate.  If I’m having difficulty getting E to eat, Sean can get him to laugh, smile and open his mouth.  He is the little bit of magic Grammy doesn’t have.

It is wonderful to watch my husband love this new role and embrace it every day.  I love him even more for the love and fun he brings to our family.  All of our grands are so lucky that he is their Pops.

Birthdays

 What makes birthdays special for you?

As a kid I LOVED my birthday.  Parties with friends, games, yummy cake and presents.  What wasn’t to love?  While I loved all of those things, that wasn’t the best part.  The best part was all that my mom did to make our birthdays extra special.  From our foodie favorites to knowing just what we wanted.  I don’t know how she always knew, but she did.

When I became a mom, I wanted to do the same for kids.  I wanted them to know that their “birth day” was one of my most favorite days of the year.  I was so excited to celebrate them that I would start planning months in advance.  Some years I was more excited for their birthday than they were.  As we prepared to move I sifted through years of birthday cards, balloons and banners for each of them.  It was their day whether it was May 8, December 20 or March 16.

As my birthday approached this year I thought a lot about my mom and the many special birthdays I have celebrated over the years.  Whether it was my parents, my family or dear friends I have had many wonderful birthday celebrations.  I have missed being with my friends this year, but each of them reached out and made this day extra special.  

My family knows me well.  They know all I want is time together.  Whether they were in Utah, California, Tennessee, Idaho, Colorado or Maryland each of them shared with me a little of their time and love.  I love my family and the time we get to spend together.  Celebrating as a Grammy made this birthday extra special.  In less than two months I will be here for his first birthday and I can’t wait to celebrate with him.

Thank you family and friends for making January 20, 2024 an extra special day for me.

Time With Our Kids

 Before making any big decisions Sean and I always pray to find out what our Father in Heaven has in store for us.  Are we making the right decision?  We knew moving in with one of our children was going to bring challenges along with big changes.  Sean was confident that we were up to the challenge, I was a bit more uncertain.  I never questioned whether or not I wanted to be with my daughter and her family, or help with my grandbabies, I was concerned about the impact on our other two children and if I could actually move.  After three years of discussions, fasting and lots of prayers we had our answer.  This is what we were to do.

We have two other children.  Our son is attending college to earn his secondary education degree and  our daughter is working on her masters in intelligence.  Both of them are married and attending the same college.  Their school was an 11 hour drive from our home or a two hour flight.  while they weren't close they weren't far away either.  By moving it meant that their childhood home would no longer be there for them.  It also meant that we would be potentially spending less time with them, but daily with their older sister.  These concerns kept me up at night.

Harrison is well on his way to becoming a PE teacher and coach.  He has been blessed with great opportunities even before graduation.  Currently he is attending school, teaching at a charter school, was an assistant coach for a local high school football team and is now the JV coach for the girls basketball team at the same high school.  WOW!  He hans't even graduated and he is already gaining experience.  We are so excited for him!

In early September we flew to Utah to watch Harrison coach in two football games and spend time with him, his wife, our daughter Marissa and her hubby.  Many people thought we were crazy to fly all the way to Utah to watch our son coach in a high school game.  We couldn't understand why parents wouldn't do that.

It isn't about the game or what our kids are doing, it is about spending time with them.  This is even more important now that we spend each day with our oldest daughter.  We get to explore this area together and enjoy Cutie E's first.  Harrison and Marissa get a few days or a week a couple of times a year.  Even though our address has changed our desire to spend time with them has not.  They need to know that we love them, are here for them, support them and will drop everything if they need us.

Watching our son coach was incredible.  I have no idea what plays were made during the game, I spent it watching our son.  I noticed his stance, his connection to the players, his kind gentle heart and desire to help these players grow as athletes and young men.  I couldn't be prouder of him.  He works daily to help his wife create a home of joy, where everyone feels loved and valued.

We also spent some time with Marissa.  We attended one of her masters classes.  She has an amazing professor that welcomed us to class and then insisted we participate in class.  We got to see and experience first hand what Marissa's masters program is about.  Sean and I contributed to a small group activity, then watched Marisa apply her critical thinking, questioning, and leadership skills in her small group.  I'm so glad we didn't miss out on this opportunity.

Watching our children do "their thing" fills our hearts with joy.  All those years we spent wondering and worrying if they would find their path, their dream or if they would find their love melts away as we spend quality time with them in their space.  We enjoyed a wonderful weekend filled with football, hikes, golf, ice cream, yummy food, and the familiar setting of Utah.  There is nothing better than being a parent to people you admire and look up to, expect maybe being Grammy and Pops to and adorable little boy.