“Grandchildren are God’s way of compensating us for growing old.”    –unknown

They do make life grand!

Guinivere Eden.

Guini jumps on my lap, wraps her arms tightly around my neck and with an almost-urgency says, “I need you, Nonna.”  I look to see if a boogey-man has been chasing her, but I see no one.  I ask, “What do you need?”  She tells me, “I just need you, Nonna.”  I am overcome with gratefulness that she does.  I hug her tightly back.  The moment vanishes and she off to play again.

Hunter Douglas.

Hunter tells his mommy, “I need to speak to you in regards to…”  He is four.  What does a four-year-old know about “regarding?”  Today he is busy cutting out paper crosses.  He says he wants to put them all over the ground at Heaven Fest so that people will be able to worship Jesus there.

Gavin Lee.

Grandpa will be taking Gavin to school while his mommy is at the dentist.  “It’s almost time to go,” Grandpa tells the little red-head.  Gavin looks his grandpa up and down.  “I think you forgot to change your shorts…and that shirt,” he says, clearly concerned that his grandpa will not be meeting the fashion standard at the schoolyard.  Dave is wearing a orange t-shirt (which I ask him not to wear, but he believes to be quite comfortable on his work-at-home days) and some navy stretch shorts (which, though they are the closest things you can wear to pajamas in public, are nice).  I laugh my head off and wonder whatever Gavin will think of us by the time he reaches 1st grade next fall?!?

Averi Jadyn.

“O wow o wow o wow o wow,” Averi said to me the other day.  Despite the remaining fullness in her cheeks, both those seen and unseen, Averi is getting taller and thinning out, growing into her baby weight as she darts from room to room as quickly as her little legs will carry her.  Averi’s true passion in life is putting all her new teeth to work.  She loves food with great zeal and loudly mourns the end of every meal or snack time.  This, I am certain, she inherited from me.

Gemma May.

What a saucy little redhead!  When she walks in a room, it is with great fanfare as she invites, “‘Ook at me!  ‘Ook at me!”  Then usually, and with great authority, she’ll spew some cursory commands at Sandy-the-Dog, who wishes for nothing more than to slink from Gemma’s sight before her tail is yanked on unmercifully or Gemma hops aboard for a ride.  Gemma’s life is spent in pursuit of any reason whatsoever to laugh.  She never fails to respond to my affectionate “I-love-you” with a very bright response in her quivering little lamb voice: “I wuv you!”

Who knew it could bring this much?…Jeanie-the-Nonna

NOTE TO SELF:  I am being fully compensated.