Saturday was a Grandma day for my daughter Kelli’s kiddos. My daughter Kalissa’s kids were supposed to be here too but they had runny noses and we’re trying to keep each bunch of kids as germ-free as possible.
Georgie, my granddaughter, was a little sad but then I cheered her up by giving her a new pair of pajamas. She ended up putting them on and having a pajama day with me.
Georgie is like me when I was little. I just LOVED dogs. Most of the pictures of me as a kid include a dog. Lefty, my foster pup, is the perfect size for her and he’s an older pup so that makes them a pretty good combination too.
My apologies for too many pictures of Georgie and Lefty but I just couldn’t pick my favorites…and a good portion of the day the two of them were together.
She told me that Lefty “we-welly” (REALLY) wanted to watch television with her.
I asked her to look at me so I could see her eyes…she did this.
The next thing I knew Lefty was “so sick” and needed Doctor Georgia to get him all better. He was so sick, he had to have his blood pressure taken. HA!!
Then the assistants were called in. Eli and Emmett thought it was great fun. Lefty was so cooperative.
I stepped in and said that I was the most experienced doctor and was sure that Lefty needed some bed rest.
Within minutes our patient Lefty was resting comfortably in his bed. HA!!
We had a lot of fun with him…and Lefty loved the attention too.
He’s such a good pup.
The boys were all about tractors. I have a few tractors here but am wondering if I might need a few more. Both of them wanted tractors…and two the same age wanting the same things is never fun. They prefer the small ones like Eli has in the picture.
Here, Emmett has them all lined up on the bottom of my baker’s cabinet.
Kelli’s twin boys have never looked the same. No question…they are fraternal twins. Emmett is on the left and Eli on the right. Can you see how much taller Eli is than Emmett?
…and I wonder why the glass in this door is always so dirty!!??
Kelli and I ended the night with a little bit of cross stitch. Emmett was getting tired so we ended up quitting, packing them all up, and pointing them toward home.
It ended up being a busy day but a good day. After they left I did some more cleaning up and then I headed back to my stitching spot and put in some more stitches.
Friday Janet Orr had called me to see if I would be able to go to the cross stitch get-together that was organized at the Waverly Iowa library. I couldn’t as hanging out with these guys was on my schedule.
Kelli has a few others that help her with the kids. She works the overnight weekend package so getting regular childcare isn’t really an option around here. She has a few of us and we all take a day when she needs us. One of the other helpers had a schedule change that has left Kelli needing help with the kids on Saturdays. My day used to be Mondays… I am on the clean-up crew and step up and take the kids when others can’t so Saturday has gotten to be my day for Grandma care.
I wouldn’t have missed this day with the kids!! My priority is always my family- both my adult kids and my grandkids.
Because of that priority, I can’t be the organizer of a cross-stitch group or any other group. My attendance will always be sketchy as my family always comes first.
I’ve heard some grandmas say, “I raised my kids. I’m not raising their kids too.”- meaning their grandchildren. Not me. I’ll put my stuff aside and jump in anytime they need me. My mom was that way and I loved it. I want to be that way too. Anything I have to do can happily wait. Nothing is pressing.
I raised my kids. I know that kids get to a point when grandmas and moms aren’t quite as cool. Before long these grandkids of mine are going to be teens and hanging out with the grandma isn’t going to be near as fun. So I’m taking this time and soaking it in while I have it.
Jo, I think you have the right idea; you can’t miss this precious time with your grandchildren. (And we don’t want to miss out on seeing them!) They grow up so fast, but they’ll always remember the time spent with Grandma.
I love your generous heart with grandkids!
I always love seeing your grand kids and I feel just like you do – if I can, I jump in when I can. It’s not so easy anymore since 5 of my grands live several states away :-( and the other two are teens, so rarely around when we come to visit.
Love and prayers
I just adore Lefty and although I prefer females I think that if I lived in your area I would be filling out an adoption application. I hope he gets into a permanent home soon
Your priorities are in the right place. You are not raising their children, you are helping when needed. I would love to be able to do that, but too many miles in between them and me. Keep up the good work! or play! I loved seeing the pictures of the kiddos, especially liked the first one of Georgie and Lefty – both cuties!!
The grandkids might surprise you when they become teenagers! My teen daughter spent more time with her grandmother before she died than she did her friends. They loved to shop, go out to eat and watch Atlanta Braves games. My daughter was lost when my mom died. I hope your grandkids desire your company just as much when they are teens.
Me too!!
same at our house. I used to think there was some mental telepathy going on. When we moved across the
country I was concerned they would lose their close relationship. Did not happen and her husband knew about the importance of her grandparents.
I too spent more time with my grandma than friends as a teen. I could depend on her to not be judgemental. It’s almost 30 years to the date she died, timely post. I still miss her and think of her often. I too will drop my plans to help out with the grands. My husband not so much! Reliable, affordable daycare is hard to find. I’m retired, I have the time and the kids are old enough to not need constant attention so I can do my quilting while the play.
Oh, dog noses and kids’ tongues!! My grandma said “You gotta eat a peck of dirt before you die!” I hear what you’re saying about priorities. My son’s care.com sitter backed out of babysitting their kids for his company party in DC last month…I drove 2 hours, took the subway then walked 20 minutes to get to them. That’s what grandma’s are for!!
Take heart, Jo! My boys enjoyed going to “Camp Grandma” well into their teens. DS1 went on a “Camp Grandma” car trip to visit family when he was a senior in high school and DS2 spent a week with her at age 23 when he was between jobs and she needed help with a big garage sale before her move to FL.
It’s wonderful you can enjoy all your grandkids . And help out the with child care .
It can be a big challenge these days . Enjoy . Take care .
My gosh, Georgie looks just like you
The puppies that you foster are getting lots of children time which is wonderful, makes them great for family adoptions. Georgie is just adorable with Lefty. You are blessed to spend so much time with your grands and them with you, enjoy.
That little Georgie is a pistol, isn’t she? Gosh, she is so cute, too! I couldn’t agree more about time with the grandkids…we moved from CO to FL to be near ours, never dreaming we’d end up one house away. Our youngest grandson was 5 years old when we moved here and he is 11 now…we wouldn’t change a thing! We now have two great-granddaughters and I hope to spend as much time as possible with them, too…won’t be easy since the smallest one (not quite one month old) is in Las Vegas and we can’t travel any more. The other is almost 6 months old and we do see her sometimes…we cherish every minute!
Your grandchildren are all so precious! The pups are cute too. Georgie is a little doll and she looks so much like you. I agree with you, family comes first. So sweet to see them all.
I love all your pictures. Your grandchildren are precious. My husband and I feel the same way you you. We drop everything to watch our four. They’re only little once. We cherish the time we spend with ours and hope that they never get too big that they don’t want to come to our house.
I love every single one of these pictures. They are like a hug from a friend I’ve never met.
I love all the pictures, Georgia looks so much like Kelly and you!
I’ll admit I’m just like you! I love being a grandma, and anytime my daughter texts to ask if I’m busy, I ask when she needs me. I’ve already had the almost-7-year old stay for 2 3-day weekends since the beginning of the year and I’m not complaining!! He tells me I’m special, and I’ll take that any day! :-) His little brother, just 15 months old, is very much a daddy’s boy, so I don’t get him as much as I’d like, but hopefully that time will come, too. Family is much too important to shove it aside. I agree 100%!
Hi Jo, love all the comments from everyone about Grandma’s. I never really got to know mine as maternal grands passed before i “became”, paternal grandpa the same. Paternal Grandma already a Very Old Lady and not into young children. So never had opportunity to be a ‘grandchild’ adored or otherwise! Which meant I never got to really know my granddaughter but we did have some great fun in early years – then she went into a marvellous pre-school programme and began rhythmic gymnastics, which made her very independent at a young age. Now in her 20’s, the independence is so strong in regard to me and her parents.
Please people, after school programmes though good for knowing where they are does not always leave much room for grandparents. I think there can be too much organisation.
This is not a criticism just my observation.
Throw in a serious parental health issue and the mix becomes blurred, I love my family, will always be here for them, but we are not a ‘close’ family. Just a loving one.
Thanks for listening, Dot, NZ.
Each family is so different and that does not at all mean one is better than the other. I’m so glad you shared your family story. I know you are not alone. The bottom line is a “Loving family” is what is most important.
Love the Lefty & Georgie pictures. Jo, I bet you scored points from Georgie with the cute unicorn pjs!
My grands are spread across the country, so I admit being a bit jealous of you and your family being so close together! You are blessed to have them so close that you can develop such a great relationship with each of the grandchildren and spend time with them – best use of your time and energy!! Thanks for sharing them all with us as it helps me not miss mine so much!
Poor Lefty – who knew he was so sick until Georgie figured it all out!
Precious days– going to Grandma’s!! My grandparents were all gone before I was born -so being a grandparent has special meanings for me — your grands are so adorable– and love, love all the pictures you share. Not to mention all the grandma and your “kids” stories. Twins are so cute. The Georgie-Lefty day –that super imagination. Who knows what that might mean in years ahead, for her future. Lefty- so makes me wish–well you know what I wish. Yes–Super Grandma Jo –you need to do something in your crossstitching with all the grands names on it???? Grandkids and dogs!!
You’re a smart grandma!! I work at an assisted living facility and run art therapy groups. I always tell my residents, family trumps everything! If you get a chance to be with your loved ones, drop everything and go. It makes me happy when they miss a group activity because they’ve been whisked away to a quick lunch with the grandkids. I love that you have a little pup who goes along with whatever your granddaughter does with him. What a special relationship those two have and how precious those photos are!! Thanks for sharing and helping spread the love of being with the future generation!
Such a cute dog and grandkids. Never get tired of your pictures.