Grandmothers...

I've recently been contemplating the importance of grandmothers in general in a child's life. My own grandmothers, Nanny and Grandma, were (and still are) amazing! Having Nanny right next door my entire childhood was awesome. I remember peanut butter and jelly sandwiches after school, BBQ or brown bean impromptu dinners, summer in the garden, melting Hershey Kisses on her wood stove in the winter, and riding in her vehicle listening to the Dolly Parton cassette...thus my love for Dolly. Grandma used to pick me up from 1/2 day kindergarten. I'd go to her house and play for the rest of the afternoon...fun! I remember funny smelling well water (good stuff), Little Debbie snack cakes, frozen Cool Whip, swinging on the fence gate, haunting the barns, and skirting around the pond. What wonderful impacts these women have had on my upbringing. And they are the source of some of my fondest memories.

Now, with my own children, they still play such a huge role. My boys get so excited when they hear we're going to Nanny or Grandma's house, or that perhaps Nanny is coming over for a BBQ...with all of the cousins of course! Because of the unfortunate hand that fate has delt our family, the grandmothers have become that much more important for Braden and Garrett. There are still plenty of Little Debbie cakes and gates to swing on at Grandma's and Nanny still puts up with squirrely kid behavior from two boys.

And then there's Nana...my mom always has a treat and a hug for these boys. They love to attack the toy room at her house and drag out all sorts of baby toys, pretending they still need that sort of entertainment. She has the patience of Job when the boys argue over turns on her computer and she inevitably gets sucked into stacking games, etc. on the Lego website. Unfortunately, Grandma Susie is far, far away. But, the boys do give in from time to time and chew her ear off over the long distance lines. They love to entertain her now and then with the everday nonsense that goes on around here.

It's the little, everyday things that make the difference in the lives of grandkids. I have been deeply impacted by my own grandmothers, as my children are deeply impacted by theirs. So, to our grandmothers, we love you and thank you for your amazing presence in our lives! I'll close with a few quotes, just to show how much we love you.

A grandmother is a little bit parent, a little bit teacher, and a little bit best friend.
-Anonymous
A grandmother is a mother who has a second chance.
-Anonymous
A house needs a grandma in it.
-Louisa May Alcott
Grandma serves kisses, counsel, and cookies daily.
-Anonymous
Perfect love sometimes does not come til the first grandchild.
-Welsh proverb
A grandmother pretends she doesn't know who you are on Halloween.
-Erma Bombeck
Grandmas don't just say "that's nice"--they reel back and roll their eyes and throw their heads back and smile. You get your moneys worth out of grandmas!
-Anonymous