Being A Grandma

When I was young I always felt bad I wasn't close to either of my grandmas. I heard my friends talk about their grandmas with love and admiration. My father's parents lived in Weiser, Idaho and so we only saw them once or twice a year and then it was a VERY short visit. They lived on a farm so it was hard for them to get away. I grew to love hot cooked cereal there as my grandma would put fresh cream on it. My grandma Kendall was a very hard worker & I know she loved me, I just didn't know her.  My mom's mom was from Germany and came to the US after my mother was married so she had a very strong accent. My mom wasn't close to her mom, hence we didn't see her that much. I don't ever remember having one of my grandparents read me a story, spend the night, take me somewhere or tuck me in. Because of many of these memories…. "I want to be the grandma I never had." I have so many good examples of grandmas I want to be like in my own family & in my circle of friends. My prayer is that somehow I can make a difference in my grandchildren's life & that they will have fond memories of times together with me.

I've been a grandma for over 8 years now and I love it!! I've been fortunate enough to have Kristy's family and her 4 kids living 2 1/2 hours away. I'm sure most of you know that they're moving to Kansas City, Kansas next month. I'm excited for them, because I know it will be a great opportunity for their family, but I'm going to miss my regular "grandma time." I told Russ I would definitely be racking up the sky miles. Its been nice to have Lindsey be a 3 hour drive from the SL airport in Vernal & Pocatello before that. They are in the process of moving back to Blackfoot next month also.

One of the things I've felt really bad about is I wanted to take Kristy's kids camping last summer and we never did. A week ago I checked the weather and it was suppose to be nice on the Oregon coast so I called Kristy to make sure she didn't mind if we took her kids & hurried and booked us a Yurt to stay in. I also have a great husband who will agree to do these things at the last minute. We picked up Jazlyn, Matsen & Kelston Friday afternoon and headed for the coast.

Aren't these yurts cool!! They even had little heaters in them which was good since it got below freezing at night. This one sleeps 5, but you can get bigger ones.

They loved the smores papa roasted for them. 

Saturday morning we went to the beach in Seaside to see a ship that wrecked there back in 1906. 

You can see how long the ship was.

We went to an old battery from WW2 where the kids loved exploring all the underground tunnels and staircases and where they shot off canons.

We went to Ft. Clatsop where Lewis and Clark spent a winter with the indians.

They had some clothes for the kids to dress up in.

After exploring Ft. Stevens, Ft. Clatsop, the shipwreck and having lunch we drove down to Canon Beach. It was clear, but windy and COLD.

Of course no outing is complete without ice cream!!

Usually these little guys wear me out, but on this trip they were worn out!! We dropped them off around dinner time on Saturday. It was a perfect weekend with 3 of our angels. They were so good and such troopers with all the walking we did. I wish Tytyn could have come. He would have had a blast with his cousins. Hopefully next time!!

As were we driving back home to Washington I snapped this shot out the window of Mt. Hood. 

Here's a poem for all grandma's out there.

"A Grandma is…"

A grandma is someone who spoils you

and takes care of you when mama's not near.

She's always happy to see you

and brings plenty of hugs and kisses to share.

Helps you when your down.

Catches you when you fall.

She'll brighten up your day,

even on the stormiest night.

She'll tuck you in and read you a book,

till your eyes row heavy and tired,

but soon enough you'll see her again,

with bright eyes and smiles.

                                                Valerie Dupont