Breaking Cycles, Building Memories

We went into Dallas this weekend, for our newest grandbaby's dedication. Daniel Jr. is almost 5 months old and we all think he's a keeper.

Here's the only photo I got of the entire ceremony:

Papa and Miss JaeBeth, going for a walk, holding hands

I've been told the story of my Father's father walking a couple miles to come and see me when I was two weeks old. He died soon after, so obviously I don't remember him. Don't remember his face, or what his whiskers looked like, or how tall he seemed next to me, or how it felt to ride in his truck.

My Mother's father was unattached to the family and I only saw him now and then, and I'm not even sure if I realized he was my Grandpa.

God has blessed us with six beautiful grandchildren so far. We are madly in love with each one of them, just because they are a part of our family. But we're also growing to love each one of them for who they are individually.

Caiden, with a quick smile, that jumpidty personality that can't stand still unless he has a book in his hands, those blue eyes that twinkle and his love for his chickens and hate for hawks who kill them. Caiden who loves board games and driving the golf cart and looking for treasures and playing Wii. I so pray when he's twenty we'll still be good buddies as we are right now. Caiden who made us grandparents for the first time. How I love that kid!

Quirky Grayson, who walks slower than I think I will when I'm 80 because there's just no reason to hurry; loves Legos and especially Star Wars, and fruit, thinks costumes are appropriate attire for the entire day, and has blue eyes that you can get lost in. I can't wait to see what he does when he's grown, and who he marries. Grayson just makes me smile. We call him our family pet raccoon, for his love of all things mechanical and shiny. 

Miss Addie, always special because going through heart surgery when you're three months old and weigh 8 lbs makes you special for life, but she's just the funniest little thing. She's a spitfire and I quite like that, she's not afraid of hardly anything except any bug, and shares my love of Barbies. I thank God for her often.

Landon James, built stocky and strong on the outside, and sweet mush on the inside. We spent four years with him about a mile away and now there are 2100 so when we see each other after being apart we hug without talking just to catch our breath. He's a huggy, snuggly kid and an only child. I thank God often for sending this miracle kid to his parents and us.

Miss JaeBeth, who has soft blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes and her favorite word is 'no' so her Mom is trying to teach her to add "Ma'am" to it to sound nice. She's just starting to be snuggly with us, and I'm looking forward to when she gets a bit bigger and I can kidnap her and Miss Addie and bring them to the lake for a few days where we'll bake cookies and play Barbies and paint nails and watch Cinderella. You can't have too many little girls in your family I've found.

and the newest, Baby Daniel, and we'll call him 'Baby' til there's another, if there's another. From the moment he was born, he has been so the spitting image of his Daddy that seeing him, holding him, takes me back to our baby days. He's all of five months old with a double chin, and he's either giggling or squalling his head off. I love and love on him, knowing he may be our last one and the baby stage just doesn't last very long. Soon we'll have gangly teenagers and will barely remember back to when they were babies and I just don't want to miss any of their growing up years. 

So we invest, we love on them, we spoil them a bit. Not only because that's what grandchildren are for, but because there's such a tiny little window when we get to do so. I want every single one of these beautiful little people to grow up knowing they were treasured by us. We can't change the past but we sure can do a bang-up job of the present. We can have grandchildren who know their Papa has snow white hair with an olive complexion, is quiet with few words, likes meat more than vegetables, and ice cream and chocolate, loves the Broncos, fishing, their Grammy and each one of them.