GRANDCHILDREN

"Grandchildren are God's way of compensating us for growing old." - Mary H. Waldrip

Today I am thankful for my grandchildren.  I have 9 grandchildren - 3 boys and 6 girls ranging in ages from 2 to 18.  Six of my grandkids live here in the same town as me and the other 3 live in a neighboring state.  Using their middle names I'd like to tell you about my grandkids, from oldest to youngest. 

Timothy is 18.  It's hard to believe he's not only that old, but he is now taller than both his dad and his grandfather.  He's planning on going on a mission for our church next fall when he turns 19.  He is still in high school and will graduate next May.  He is currently captain of his team of "Minutemen" that assist the cheerleaders in his school. 

Betty is 15 and made it on the Drill Team this year.  It's fun to see Betty and Timothy "almost" working together at the football games.  They do argue at times like brother and sister, but they ride to school together (Tim driving), and help their mom out by tending their little sister after school. 

Hope is turning 14 next month.  She is a counselor in her Beehive class presidency at church and is on the school yearbook staff.  She loves to be involved and like Betty and Tim, is a big help to her mother with her brothers and sister.  She is always telling me about books she has read, because she knows I like the same kinds of books she does.
 
Marlene is turning 8 next month.  This is her first milestone in life as she will be baptised.  We are hoping to be able to fly up for that weekend.  If Mickey Mouse had a blond girlfriend instead of Minnie, it would be Marlene.  She has a little Minnie Mouse voice.  Think Minnie Mouse with a Southern accent. :0)  Her favorite thing to do when I visit is put on a fashion show for me in her dress-up clothes.

Grace is 6 and right now is feeling the gap between herself and Hope.  Luckily she has her two brothers and it is obvious how much she loves them by watching her play with them.  Grace loves tablets of paper and pens and pencils.  Grace will fill tablets and tablets of paper with her writing and drawing.  Her favorite game to play at Grandma's is "Restaurant"  where she and Marion each get a tablet of paper and a pen and take my "order" for dinner.

Marion is also 6 and she and Grace have so much fun together when they come to Grandma's house.  If Grace isn't here, Marion can always entertain herself and never seems bored.  She loves to dance and has taken lots of dance classes.  She loves to show me her latest dance step that she is working on. 

Andrew is 3 but will be 4 in February.  He is a quiet boy who always seems to be thinking.  He loves his brother and sister Grace.  He also loves trains and cars and is fascinated by anything to do with them.  If I look at him, I think he is what his Grandpa must have looked like at that age, but then I remember that in the pictures I have of his Grandpa at the same age, his Grandpa is as blond as can be.  :0)

Abigail just turned 3 this summer.  Just think of Tinkerbell.  That is who Abigail looks like.  Her Grandpa calls her "Minnie Mite" because she is so petite.  I love it when she comes to tell me something, because she just jabbers away so serious and I can only understand about half of it.  She is saying words, but she jabbers so fast I can't catch them all.  When she is really serious and jabbering away, you'd think she was Italian since she uses hand jestures so much. :0)

Bond is 2 1/2 and is always smiling.  Sometimes he reminds me of my brother, Stick, when Stick was little,  because he smiles so much.  He is a happy little boy who loves to follow Andrew around.  It's so funny, because he calls Andrew by his (Bond's) nickname.  If you say, "No, that's not his name, his name is Andrew," he gets upset and says his own nickname again.  He is convinced they both have the same name, because if you ask him his own nick-name, he says it right.  Bond loves trains and cars and especially planes. 

These are my grandkids.  I love them very much and are very thankful that the Lord let me be their grandmother.