Meeting the Grand kids

Lisa and I made our long awaited trip to Chicago for our grandson’s baptism. We had yet to meet 2 of our three grandchildren and it had been a while since I talked to my brother and sister so the baptism was turning into a mini family reunion. We could not wait.
My daughter, Erin, picked us up at the airport and I got a chance meet our grandson, Nathan, from the back seat. What a baby! All the pictures we had received confirmed the image of a happy, smiling, baby boy. I think he hit it off with his grandpa…beard and all and he certainly hit off with his Gram. Lisa thoroughly enjoyed little Nathan and his winning smile. Once back at Erin’s house, Nathan took great delight in showing us his cache of toys and books.

While we were getting to know Nathan, my oldest daughter, Heather, and her family arrived. We last saw her oldest daughter, Emma, when Heather and family came down to San Antonio for a visit several years ago when Emma was almost 3. Now Emma was 5 years old and so tall. We had never met Emma’s younger sister, Ashlyn. Ashlyn with the curly hair, was more quiet, more intense. It took a little while to figure out just who Grandpa and Gram were, but she eventually allowed us to play with some of her toys. She wanted Gram to sit next to her at the table when we brought in lunch. She carried on quite the conversation with gram and Lisa was in. Ashlyn seemed to have a lot to say.

Sunday was the day for Nathan’s baptism, and I looked forward to seeing my brother, Jon, and my sister, Dawn, and their families at the church and the party after the ceremony. It’s funny how just a few years made all of us seem to look a little older, but it was so good see my family again. It was so funny that the deacon who married Nathan’s parents was the same man who performed Nathan’s baptism. The poor man for the life of me could not remember Nathan’s name to save his soul and he had trouble reading from his ceremonial book. Nathan was alternately known as “Andrew,” his middle name, and several other “designations” as the deacon struggled his way through the program.

Finally, it was time for family photos and a party back at Erin’s house. My sister-in-law, Donna, brought tons of wonderful food and took charge of the kitchen as children raced in and out of the house and the backyard. The adults gathered in clusters to get caught up on family news. The day was wonderful but exhausting. I wish I had even half the energy level of my grandchildren!

Our next day after the baptism was a little less hectic. Lisa and I decided to ship our presents for the grand kids by FedEx so they had a special box from Gramps and Gram to open. When it was opened there were puppets, modeling clay, stuffed animals, paints and a few other surprises. Right away newspaper was spread on the kitchen table and an art project was under way. The paints were for them to color their hand puppets. They could paint them any color they wanted… and did. There is nothing better than to see kids being creative. Even Nathan got into the act with strained…prunes. I think he had the best time of all.

Later in the day, Grandpa helped Ashlyn and Emma construct a tower of blocks…taller than Grandpa! Emma sat and read a book to Grandpa. She’s 5 years old and reading at at least a second grade level. I also helped my son-in-law, Dakota with a list of projects around the house that Erin had put together. I was glad to help. Nathan let Grandma feed him and he did real well. We ended the evening reading books with Nathan after his bath and before bedtime. Nathan gets to turn the pages and of course…he’s a speed reader, so we went through a lot of books…many times.

Like so many visits, time went by way too fast and it was time for us to fly back to San Antonio, Texas before we knew it. Saying good-bye to your adult children is never easy, but saying good-bye to grandchildren that you just got to meet for the first time was near impossible. There were hugs and kisses all around and promises to get together sooner…next time. After the good-byes, Lisa and I had enough time to visit Spring Valley Nature Center, where we first met as volunteers over 10 years ago. It was a hot day, but we made our way around trails that we had walked many times. It was a wonderful way to wind up our trip. I spent 15 years of my life volunteering at Spring Valley. It felt good to be back.

God Bless our families and keep them safe…until we meet again.

Food for THOUGHT…