I Am My Own Grandpa

Meet my Birthday Twin, Ross.
Gramma and Ross a few years ago on our birthdays.

This is our Grandson, Ross.  He is 11 years old today.  I was that plus the old speed limit 55 yesterday.  He has been a special boy to me since the minute I witnessed his birth. Well actually probably longer than that.  I have always told him we are birthday twins and he is the best birthday present I have ever gotten. In four more years he'll be 15 and getting his driver's permit and I can claim the number in the middle as my own.

Not wanting to speed that up any...

but I would like to take my time

 and land up there in one piece,

with as little work in the body shop

 as possible between now and then.

My own birthday was very full with wonderful things and people yesterday and working, so Ross and I were having trouble connecting so he could wish me a happy birthday.  He wanted to call me at 6:00 am but Laura didn't think that was a good idea.   3:00 am our time! So we finally got to talk at length today.   So fast forward to this afternoon when I was sending out some thanks to friends that sent good wishes yesterday.  One of them was Ross' Aunt Debbie, his Dad's sister.

I was saying to Debbie that we recently learned that our family and theirs are descendants for the same ancestor, Stephen Hopkins.  So I was saying isn't that funny..Laura and Robert are cousins, 14 generations removed.  Hee hee.   And then I had the funniest thought come into my head. 

 Oh my gosh, not only that but I am the cousin of our grandsons, Spencer and Ross!  So I just had to call Ross back and tell him that not only are we birthday twins and grandson and grandmother but we are also cousins! 

 Loooooong pause...

"So what you are saying then Gramma is that, I'm your grandson and your birthday twin, AND your cousin?"

"Yep and your Dad is my son-in law and my cousin, your Grandpa Bryant is your grandpa and your cousin and he is your mother's father-in-law and her cousin and your brother's cousin and grandfather.  And your Grandpa Bryant is my cousin.

Dead air as he ponders and I can see that brain of his in motion......... 

"That is really cool Gramma but you forgot one?

"Really, what?"

I can hear him smiling through the phone....

"We are all brothers and sisters!  We have the same Heavenly Father!"

Hmm, I hate it when they are smarter than me, that was supposed to be my line! 

Then he said, " I only have one thing to say about all this.....this marriage between my parents was definitely meant to be!"

******************************

It has been a delightful couple of days.  I don't regret getting older even a little bit!  It is a blessing!

 http://youtu.be/4_K9H9mdNeg

 

And if you are still here, the best song of all below if you didn't see it on Facebook yesterday!

http://youtu.be/IpINczqQWOU

Our Island Treasures

Well, tomorrow we are going home! How can we possibly leave our sweet boys and Laura? We just have to, want to or not. I cannot help but think of Robert and how incredibly hard it must be to be away from his boys. I admire his courage so much. We must wait for our heavenly experiences I suppose, but, oh my, it is so hard when you get a taste of what it will be like along the way. Families can be together forever and for this I am so grateful.

Spencer 12, Ross 9

These are the photos that Laura took of the boys for their Christmas cards. I think she is an incredible photographer. It is hard to shoot a moving target and she has done a wonderful job with this series of photos. We have so many blurry photos of them as we have tried to capture a moment, but really these cannot be outdone.

Most boys do not like their pictures taken as you may have noticed if you have any. Most of the photos have funny faces or bunny ears or something that makes you grit your teeth and bite your tongue when you are trying to capture what they actually look like. Well,
Laura gets the prize on this series is all I can say. These photos depict them as they actually are. And they also capture their funny personalities and loving relationship. Capturing the essence of the child is what sets a great portrait photographer apart from a good one.

They of course have their moments, as all siblings do
but for the most part these guys are best buddies.

I have a feeling that at this point Laura was
trying to cajole Spencer into getting animated.

What I can pretty much guarantee here is that
Ross said something that cracked him up.

I love these two pictures because they
are giving us the real McCoy smiles.

We love these cute grandboys with all of our hearts
and sure are going to be blue for a few days!

But we will see them in the summer so already have that to look forward to as we head west tomorrow around noon ET. And we are thanking God there is no snow in Providence or in Chicago predicted for tomorrow. So we are very grateful for this fun time we have had and that we are going home and getting back to normal...whatever that is....? It has been a great Christmas season and a wonderful vacation. New England is still in our top five places to visit. Try it, you'll love it.

Buy Don't Rent ~ 2010 Rerun!

I am re-running some of my previous posts that some of you seemed to especially like as I am trying to get work done on my other blogs. It is also helping me to recaptures some of these posts as I am now subscribing to my own posts so I can store them in e-mail folders. Since blog posts are not stored on your hard drive this is one way to insure you will not lose all your work.

Yesterday I got a call from Ross. They are now living in Rhode Island and we had the cutest conversation. It went something like this.

"Hi Gramma, is Grampa home?"
"O, Honey, I am sorry but Grampa is on a camping trip and won't be back until Saturday. Can I help you with something?"
"Yeah, sure, you might know this."
"What is it, Rossie, how can I help you?"
"Well, I have some questions about the boys that were in jail where Grampa use to work."
"OK, I might be able to answer them for you....."
"I want to know what they do there."
"Well they go to school, they wear orange or blue jumpsuits that look like coveralls that your Dad might wear when he is working on the car, do you know what they are, Ross?"
"Of course I do, Gramma! So what else do they do?"
"Well, they walk in a single file whenever they have to go from the dormatory to the dining room or the gym or to their classroom. They have to put their hands behind their back.

They have made some really bad choices so they don't get to choose what they do, or when they do it, for the most part. They have to go to bed at a certain time and get up at a certain time, they don't get to choose what they have for dinner, they can't play basketball whenever they want. They have no privacy and they even have to get permission to go to the bathroom in some cases.

And since they are kids they have to go to school everyday and work around the Ranch. They have to be supervised 24/7 and they don't get to go home until they are released. They have no freedom really. Oh, and Ross, they have to do a ton of work around the Ranch...cleaning and working in the kitchen and yard work and house work~ all kinds of stuff. And if they fight with other kids or break the rules they have to stay longer."
"I know Gramma but what do they get to DO?" "What do they get to do outside?" Do they have to do a lot of digging or things like that?"
"Not really, Ross, unless they are planting things in the garden."
"Oh well what if they are little kids like around 6 or 7? What do those guys have to do?"
"Ross, kids that little don't go to jail. If they do something bad their parents are responsible for them or the damage they have caused."
Silence and then....
"Well ah, what if they're homeless?"

I then launch into a verbal dissertation on how there are always some people in a society that cannot take care of themselves and how the rest of us pay their way by paying taxes, etc. Clearly this was not where he was hoping this conversation was heading. I had a feeling early on that he had been highly influenced by the book or movie "Holes" and that this is what was prompting his inquiries.

"Ross, why are you asking me all this, are your writing a report for something?"
"No Gramma, but I just really don't like renting houses." What? (in the thought bubble)
"Why Honey? It is usually makes sense when you will only be someplace for a short time."
"Yeah but, Gramma, you cannot dig holes when you are renting. I want to dig holes all day like the kids in "Holes"and Mom and Dad will not let me!"
"Hole-ee Cow, Ross!"

I then proceed to tell him that the book/movie, "Holes" is not an accurate depiction of life in jail and he really should come up with an alternative way (with mom and dad's help) to find a way to dig some holes.

Reluctantly he says, "OK, but Gramma I REALLY want to try it! Digging holes all day would be so cool! And I never can do it because of renting houses!

And thus we see why humans need adult supervision for longer than any other species on the planet and it may explain why the youth facilities are overflowing with young men just looking for a place to dig some holes!

This may be the cutest conversation I have had with a grandchild in a long time. Clearly grandparents have not outlived their usefulness in a child's life. They often test the waters within the confines of a safe grandparent relationship because they know their parents would figure them out in a nano second regarding the feasibility of going to jail to dig some holes. Because after all, they reason, Mom and Dad have seen that movie too.

You have to admit though this is pretty sophisticated problem solving for an 8-year-old. Ross is a deep digging thinker, obviously and a pretty creative problem solver. Plus he is extremely entertaining. I think I couldn't love him more than I already do and then something like this happens!

Lovin' me some Rossie!

One Cool Thing About My Birthday is.....Rosco!

Here are some of us to wish you a Happy Birthday,

wear some hats and blow some noise makers!
Today this celebration belongs to YOU!

Today is Ross' Birthday!
Happy 9th Birthday, Ross!

He was almost born on my birthday and what a gift! Thanks, Robert and Laura. This little grandson is pure joy! Every grandparent needs a grandboy like Ross in their lives. He and I have always called ourselves "birthday twins" and this year we almost got to spend it together on the actual days. He always keeps me well-informed about when my birthday is...one day before his! This boy loves himself a birthday! So it just adds extra joy for me to share this time with him.

Hugging a tree in San Francisco last week.

With Zach and Connor and Spencer!
These cousins had some serious fun
at the reunion together.

Ross wearing Uncle Lowell's gigantic
foam cowboy hat at the reunion.
{Forcing a grin for yet another photo!}

And somebody's goofy glasses found
their way to his cute little face!!

More tree huggin'!

Balancing Act!
Standing on this thing was no easy feat,
but he did it!


Ross on a Cable Car!

I adore this photo of Robert and the boys
at the beach at Point Reyes. I think Ross looks a lot
like our great nephew Thomas in the photo when he was 9.
Laura's boys! A handsome lot!

Family Hug!

Ta da...Birthday time at last!

We had a little birthday dinner put on by Laura the night before they left. It was just us and Grandma Gloria. We had a great time celebrating. We just need to do this every couple of birthdays or so. Woohoo for this year! It eased the pain of getting yet another year older, so thanks Ross! And thanks also for always keeping how old I will be on my next birthday at the forefront and how long it actually is until it gets here! Gotta love it, right? 364 days to go! Whew!

This is a blurry phone photo but had to put it on because Ross is the most affectionate boy. Always has been. A squeeze from him is quite substantial! And he gives his mom and Gramma lots of kisses. And he told me three times on his phone message last night that he loves me. What a kid, huh? We were out to dinner but he wanted me to know that he called on my actual birthday even though he knows we will be calling him to wish him a Happy Birthday in a few hours. Why is Rhode Island so darn far away?

Rumor has it that Grampa likes to hold kids over the railing of various bodies of water by their belt loops. He has tired to drop Ross into 'the drink' in both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. I must put two versions of this on here so you can see the look on the face of the perpetrator!

Hang on, Rossie!

And Spencer didn't get away either!

Celebrate with a bang!

Love you, Ross, with all of our hearts and
wishing you the Best Birthday this year!

We miss you, enjoy your new house!
Hope your Birthday presents arrive soon!

Hugs and Kisses,
Gramma and Grampa
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO + XO to grow on!

Feeling The Love of The Sweet Life!

A little peek at the mantel~
It is almost Valentine's Day, can you believe it?

The last couple of days have been so neat. After we did our 8 hours at the Regional Family History Center the other night, we were thinking staying home on Wednesday and Thursday would be great. It has been. It was one of those times when things just clicked along perfectly. We were accomplishing a lot but not rushing. When we felt like stopping we could, etc. It was such a little domestic moment, I loved it.

Jim received a lot of tools from a friend that is moving and so he spent the better part of both days reorganizing his things out in the Man Shed. He wants to build a work shop up there and so he has been collecting stuff to put in it.

As for me I puttered around the house, rearranging stuff, cleaning out the refrigerator and pantry, chasing cobwebs and just hanging out with my Kindle and stuff like that. It was so relaxing. Today Jim had a dental appointment and we had our car serviced so two more things to check off the list of "have-to-dos."

So tomorrow we are taking our day trip. Boy, the weeks just fly by, don't they? Tomorrow after my friends come over in the morning we are heading out to Santa Rosa and Petaluma for some fun and exploration.

As if the day was not wonderful enough yesterday, we received a package in the mail from our Laura! Isn't it just so neat when someone sends you a little love in the mail for no apparent reason except that they are sweet and want to brighten your day?

She not only sent gifts but designed and made them. She sent us two signs (done in Italian) for our cottage that speak of La Dolce Vita or the sweet life. I love both of them! They conjure up such memories of Italy for us!

This was the first one she made. A long time ago I had asked her to make one for over the towel bar by the soaking tub. She didn't like how it turned out so she never sent it. I do like it a lot and am going to keep it in the kitchen.

This is the new sign she just made with the bathroom in mind. I wish you could see the colors and texture on the background better. Maybe a closer shot would help?



She was going to bedazzle them with just thin dusting of the finest glitter but it was too cold to do it in their garage in Rhode Island so Jim will finish them. This one is going in the bathroom for sure. I think I will hang this one with a ribbon. When it is up I'll take a photo! I Google Translated this and it means we love/enjoy the sweet life.

As if these lovely creations were not enough she also included a beautiful coffee table book on Italy with the most gorgeous photos ever! Here is a random glimpse!



And then tucked in the corner of the box a little handmade necklace from Rossie that says, "I love you and Grampa too, it is true!" with alphabet beads and some glass beads too. What a precious grandson! And I know how much work this is, I have done beading before.

I could just see him sitting there concentrating and putting these beads on the wire one at a time. I wouldn't trade this for the Crown Jewels, with all its upside down and backwards letters! This kind of joy is God's precious gift to grandparents. Honestly, I told him I will keep it all my life and I will.

Ross, 8

I am in love with this time in our lives,
it truly is the sweet life
(La Dolce Vita)
in every possible way.
Not perfect, but oh,
soooo sweet!

A Day In the Countryside of Vermont

We got to drive across this covered bridge,
that was a fun experience!
We were still having a slight amount of rain,
love the rain drops on the window.
We quite enjoy our travels in the rain,
or at least we don't mind it!
It does keep the crowds down!

This overcast sky made a perfect
lighting situation for the photos!

This was our first stop of the day~
Sugarbush Farm.
The boys were having school so we wanted them to
learn some fun things along the way on this trip.

This calf was so little and cute.

The horses were beautiful grazing out in this
pristine pasture early in the morning.

The boys would love some animals
but military life makes that pretty hard
with moving so often.

They had goats and chickens too.
No good photos of the chickens,
they wouldn't stand still and say cheese!

So precious!

This farm has been privately owned by one family for the past three generations and is located near Woodstock, Vermont. The family doesn't live here on the farm anymore, but have a beautiful home not far from this working farm. We arrived a little before they actually opened but the lady that was out taking care of the calf, told us to just wander around and check things out. We walked down the hill to the place where they actually make their maple syrup. We walked around and read the displays and saw the troughs where they process their syrup.

They tap the maple tree and then hang these buckets.

We were interested in the fact that Vermont produces more maple syrup, (followed by Ohio) than any other state and that when they tap the sugar maple trees it takes 40 gallons of the pure sap to make one gallon of the syrup. No wonder real maple syrup is so expensive!!

The syrup is great but if I have to choose, I'll take the leaves!

There are lots of varieties of Maple trees but only the sugar maple and one other variety can be used to make syrup. These hardwood trees, indigenous to the northeast of the US and Canada have this leaf (Canadian Flag) and the above circle of leaves shows us just why this part of the country is so magnificent in the autumn. These leaves are all taken from one tree!

Did you know the sap is clear like water and they do a lot of the work when the temperatures are minus 30? They also make lots of cheeses on the farm and hand cut and wrap in foil and then three layers of wax. They do mail order and it is a great operation. This was a very fun tourist destination, we all enjoyed it.

We were just fascinated with how their family created their legacy of working together for the common good of each generation since 1945. It was a little piece of heaven actually! All except for those subzero temps! We have decided it is pretty awesome to live in our temperate climate and travel to these other places when their weather is perfect.


We are ordering from Sugarbush this year because their products are wonderful and we love the idea of supporting a small family business in a world where they are disappearing because of the struggle to compete. We know because Jim's family had a three generation family dairy business that sold and delivered bottled milk and his Dad made all their delicious ice cream. And Baskin Robbins 31 Flavors did them in. Sadly, the family ice cream was so much better and hand packed, but mass production and so many choices drove them out of the business. So we'd like to do our little part to help keep Sugarbush going! www.sugarbushfarm.com