I’m updating yesterday’s blog post with three new photos. These are from last night – Christmas at our house with our three kids, their husbands, and the nine grandkids. This is the gift I gave myself that keeps on giving – time with this precious group of people
All the grandkids are here – The Bakersfield Six and The Colorado Three. The Colorado group is the three littlest in front.
All of us – the gift that keeps on giving. We blessedly like each other and love to be together.
I love this picture – the two little girls in red looking closely at the package their dresses are covering up.
Below is the entry before I updated with the photos. Sorry – I was just too tired to put them in last night.
Gwen Bell’s Best of Blog challenge question for Christmas day is “What’s a gift you gave yourself this year that kept on giving?” At first, this was hard. Partly it was hard because after a hectic and traumatic month, it seems I can barely remember yesterday. But this morning, first at one daughter’s house and then the other, opening gifts with the grandkids, it was obvious. It was the gift of time with the grandchildren this summer. Mostly I’m talking about the Bakersfield Six.
I going to reference some older posts so you’ll know what we did to make the summer special. You can look at The Bakersfield Six Plus One, or A Grandmother’s Dream to see photos and read about the beginning of the journey to the cabin this summer – just me and The Bako Six. Then Glamberts, Treasure Hunts, Jean Luc Picard and Tie-dyed Shirts continues that adventure. I had planned a very busy five days full of adventure and the best part was the FUN – so much fun and laughter!
We also went to the American Idol’s concert together – at least the girls and I did.
21 People at Disneyland is a new chapter – and finally, something I guess I didn’t blog about, the Roar and Snore. I took the grandkids to a sleepover at the San Diego Wild Animal Park and it was such incredible fun that I should blog about it – but now, just take my word. Here’s a post talking about some collages I made from those experiences.
Also, check out the animal photo gallery on my webpage to see some of what we saw. BUT to continue…
I make some mini-photo books as Christmas presents for each of the grandkids because the summer was so special, and as they opened them today and we relived the adventures I realized that all the time and effort I put into being a grandma is paying me back a hundred fold. The memories will live forever – if not in my mind, at least on paper and in photographs to refresh my mind! Love and laughter made the memories.
This gift will give forever. It’ll give past my lifetime and well into the next generations as my grandkids make the same kinds of memories with theirs. Family, love and laughter. The best gift ever and always.
