For the first 6 years of my first grandson's life, he lived many miles away from me. He was born in Vermont and moved to Arizona when he was about 8 months old. I loved that baby with a love that surprised even me. What they had all told me for so long was true: there's nothing in the world like grandchildren or being a grandparent.
I visited Arizona as much as possible, but my heart longed for the day that my son and his family would move closer to home. Chase once told me, "I want to have a house right next door to you, either on that side or on that side or behind you. Then, when I want to see you, I can just walk next door and knock on the door, and, if I see you or Grampa or Granny Ruth or Uncle Ryan, then I can just come on it, but if I don't see any of you, I can just walk back home and wait till you get home." Oh, that sounded wonderful.
Aiden, my second grandson was born February 11, 2009 in Arizona. It was time to come home. Enough was enough. Cody and Kourtney wanted to move home, but they were victims of the real estate crash like so many others. I had an army of friends praying for God to open the right doors for them to come home. We prayed for about 2 years, and then, all of a sudden, in February 2011, Cody called me and said they would be home by the end of the year. We put our prayers into overdrive, and, on June 20, 2011, at 5:15am, Cody stood at my door carrying two sleeping little boys. I took one from him, and we put them to bed in the room I had decorated just for them. And then, of course, Gramma Debbie had to document the momentous occasion with pictures of the boys asleep in their bed in their room in my house - at last.
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| June 20, 2011 - My dream come true!! Chase would be 6 in September, and Aiden had just turned 2 in February. From now on, I'd get to celebrate every birthday and every milestone with them. |
They stayed with us for a week until they could move into their house about seven miles away.
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| First morning at Gramma Debbie's |
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| Loves to read!! |
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| Such a little imp!! |
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Watching TV - He loved "Old Yeller" and watched it
over and over that summer. |
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| And, yes, I love those sleeping pictures! |
Through a welcome but unexpected turn of events, they moved three miles away from me across the street from my mother-in-law in December 2012. We're not quite next door to each other, but we keep getting closer, and I'll take 3 miles as opposed to 2,000 any day!
I get to see the boys several times a week most weeks, and they usually spend the night with us at least once a week. It is the absolute most wonderful thing in the world to live near your grandchildren, and I feel sorry for all those grandmothers who don't get to have what I have with my grandsons.
We take trips together, go to the beach, watch movies together, read bedtime stories together, do crafts and art activities together, and, of course, we do educational activities together. They think I have the coolest things at my house because I have so many educational materials here that I use in my tutoring and homeschooling. Chase told me once that my house is a kid's paradise. I'll take that. (I could actually eat that child up when he says things like that.)
These two will play with linking cubes for hours! They have the best imagination of any children I've ever met. Chase once used about 3 linking cubes to demonstrate a game he created in which each cube was a different game character. He talked for over thirty minutes explaining in intricate detail the rules and strategies of the game and the roles of the game characters/linking cubes. I am sometimes amazed at that little boy's mind.
I took pictures of everything that summer... or rather that year. Truth be told, I still take pictures of everything. I want to document everything about our lives together.
Summer 2011
Surprise Welcome Home Party for Cody, Kourtney, and the Boys at Bahia Bleu Marina in Thunderbolt, on the Wilmington River June 25, 2011
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Christopher and Jessica invited them out for a late afternoon
ride and brought them to the marina. We actually pulled off
the surprise! |
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Christopher and Jessica helped make it possible. Christopher
was able to get the marina for us and bring Cody, Kourtney,
and the boys by boat. |
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| Uncle Ryan was in charge of grilling. |
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We couldn't have pulled it off without Ryan and Heather.
I was so thankful for Heather's help! Several family members
helped by preparing food, but Heather prepared most of it on
her own. She handled getting all of the food out and served.
She was a tremendous help!! Oh, you were, too, Ryan! |
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Mama will get mad at me for putting this picture on here
because she's making a face. Then don't make a face every time
we point a camera at you!!! |
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I love having these sweet boys living so close!! (I kinda like
having Cody and Kourtney nearby, too....) |
Fourth of July 2011
We spent the afternoon and evening with Heather's family at Tybee. It was a beautiful day, and we enjoyed spending time with them so much!
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| Aiden wasn't quite sure about this sparkler thing. |
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| A much cuter version of Bob the Builder |
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Running in the surf at the beach is a
favorite for these Arizona boys. |
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| Something was pretty funny!! |
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| Mr. Personality |
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| Uncle Ryan gets in on the action. |
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| We enjoyed the sunset on the beach with Heather's family. |
August 2011
We spent a week at my friend Jody's beach house in Cape San Blas, near Port St. Joe on the Florida Gulf Coast. We had such a great time. I just couldn't get enough of these boys! I love my Chase and Aiden!!
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| First Day on the beach |
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These were taken at Port St. Joe State Park. It is a
gorgeous beach. |
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| One of my beautiful daughters-in-law! |
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I love all of these pictures of Chase
looking out at the ocean. |
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| One of my favorite pictures of all times |
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| Aiden slept the whole time we were on the beach. |
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| That's a sweet baby!! |
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| Gramma Debbie and her Chasie |
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| LOVE THAT BOY!!! HE LIGHTS UP MY LIFE! |
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| It was such a gorgeous night! |
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| Listening for the sizzle as it lowers into the horizon |
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| And the moon was coming up right behind us. |
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Aiden woke up just in time to walk down
the steps by himself. |
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The other side of the peninsula looking
across the river toward Port St. Joe. |
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| And then this beautiful surprise on the way home |
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| Sea Turtle nest on the beach |
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Riding off into the sunset. Lindy and I spent a week here
last spring (May 2013) and rode horses right here early one
morning. |
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Aiden loves the outdoors, loves the water, loves the beach,
loves running. He was in Heaven. |
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| I loved this picture so much that I have started drawing it. |
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| It's not quite finished, but I kind of like it the way it is. |
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| And I'm supposed to sleep WHERE? |
