These are my parents, Don and Deb. Isn't it a great picture? They've been married almost 37 years, and they're both retired. But those are bonus details.
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What I'm really here to tell you is, they are stellar grandparents. "Grandy and Papa" make awesome efforts to spend quality time with both my girls, one at a time, every couple of weeks.
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It's on my mind today, because just Thursday they came to our house for the afternoon. When our visit was over, they took my little one home for an overnight. (And oh! I had a glorious Friday to myself while Biggest was at school!)
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I'm forever grateful, because of the "break" it gives me, but moreso because my girls' lives will prove richer, with special experiences and memories to relish. It's such a blessing my parents are willing and able to do this.
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Thank you! You rather rock, Mom and Dad.
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Do you have special memories with your grandparents - or grandchildren?
Your parents look beautiful. You can tell from that photo that they are wonderful people.
ReplyDeleteIn my case, unfortunately, my daughter doesn't get to enjoy much time with her grandparents, who live too far away (in Romania and India, respectively). It is sad for me. Maybe when she grows up she can spend summers there. That will be fun.
My grandparents did this a few times with me, but my own parents are much better grandparents than mine were. My kids LOVE them and have a very special bond with them, even countries away. It helps that their fairy grandmother makes my girls dresses every other month and that grandpa sends the boys special treats. I feel truly blessed my parents are so hands on. And they have 16 and counting! Jenni
ReplyDeleteLovely couple. I'm lucky to have great support too. It makes child rearing soooooo much easier.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful picture...and what a blessing they are to you and your children!
ReplyDeleteThat is so wonderful that they are so close and want to be so involved. I didn't live in the same town (or even province) as any of my grandparents until I was 10, but Sundays we always went to my Grandma's for coffee and home baking. Individual attention, no, but it honestly never occurred to me to want it.
ReplyDeleteMy kids did go visit my parents out West in batches of one and two, which was nice. They saw so little of them.
That is such a gift.
ReplyDeleteI stayed with my grandmother once a week every summer or about. It's almost all I remember of summers.
I was lucky enough to have time with my great grandparents as well as grandparents. My great grandpa had an ice cream route and I have lots of memories riding with him in his wagon.
ReplyDeleteAwww, that's awesome! I stayed with my grandparents and extended family a few weeks every summer. It was wonderful.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pic of Mom and Dad. What wonderful grandparents too!
ReplyDeleteMy granddaughters live 1300 miles away, but we don't let that keep us apart. We love each other to pieces and stay in touch with visits, email and phone calls. Sure would be wonderful to be right next door!
I had a wonderful relationship with my maternal grandparents. My Grandmother especially.
ReplyDeleteShe was so much fun, that after I graduated from high school, a girlfriend and I would drive down to Florida and stay with her for vacation.
She loved cards and we would play Canasta for hours!
She had a lot of wisdom too. We talked A LOT. I can still hear her words ringing in my heart.
My Grandpa passed away when I was 15, but he was a character. The things I remember doing with him seemed to revolve around eating! Dunkin Donuts (his favorite!), Burger King, ice crean from Cloverdales, gummy fish at Mongomery Wards.
Aw, now I am missing them!
How sweet both and I love the name Grandy. So precious, that time with your girls - they will treasure it. My grandparents were at our house every day when I was growing up. They were part of so many events and my memories.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your weekend Janna - and thanks for your encouragement on my posts. They mean a lot to me.
Your parents are gems and worth more than gold! My grandparents always used to watch us kids. We love it. I feel badly that my own kids don't get to spend that kind of time with their grandparents.
ReplyDeleteI'm having a give-away today and it's a book! Enter by midnight Sunday.
-FringeGirl
What a great couple and nice photo!
ReplyDeleteMy most recent favorite memory and picture of my parents is from their 50th anniversary last year...Dad kneeling down by Mom's wheelchair, feeding her cake. *sniff*
Yes, absolutely!
ReplyDeleteIt is one of the reasons why living so far away is hard. Fortunately, my father makes huge efforts to fly up and spend a few days with us as often as possible. We may not be able to see him frequently, but what time we do spend together is good quality time.
That picture of your parents brought a huge smile to my face. They look like wonderful people. :)
Awww... it's the GrandWrites. That's so wonderful they do this for the girls AND for you. I have such fond memories of playing with my gramma and grampa when I was little. I actually lived with them for a short time while my mom and I moved across the state and I've always been really close to them.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you had such a nice day to yourself.
Aw, how nice. It's great to see a picture of them. My kids spend a lot of time with both sets of grandparents (especially my parents) and I'm thankful for that experience.
ReplyDeleteI don't have many memories of my own, sadly. My dad's parents were much older and died when I was a kid, although I do remember them perfectly: grandma cooking (always!) and grandpa playing in the yard like an overgrown kid.
My mom's mom lived far away and worked constantly. She was independent and I admire her for that, but she wasn't the stereotypical doting grandmother.
Lori - That must be hard, but you've got a great idea about future summers! She'd learn so much.
ReplyDeleteJenni - They sound awesome.
Rebecca - That it does!
Linda - You said it!
Janet - I have fond memories like that with one of my grandmas, who had too many grandkids to treat them special individually, but still somehow made us feel like she did.
Woman - One of the great things about summer, eh?
ReplyDeleteTravis - How cool! You'll have to write about it.
Jessica - My grandma died when I was younger, otherwise I'd have likely done the same thing!
Donna - I hope they're doing alright after the recent tragedy.
Capri K - Great memories! So heartwarming.
Joy - You are so welcome. You have a great weekend, too!
ReplyDeleteFringeGirl - Maybe when FringeKid and FringeBoy are older, you can do the summer thing, too.
Angie - Oh wow, I'd love to see that picture!
Turkey - How great of your dad! (And my parents are wonderful. :)
Melanie - :D Great memories, such special times for you!
Wendy - Maybe today's generation of grandparents just see the importance of that bonding more than any before?
My grandparents were in another country so I only saw them once or twice a year. When I have kids, I want to raise them near my parents - not only so they know each other and spend time with each other, but also for trustworthy babysitters! Yay!
ReplyDeletethere my uncle and aunt...miss em, havent seen in them in years
ReplyDeleteFrom Grandy and Papa:
ReplyDeleteAw shucks, you make us blush! Those two baby girls mean so much to us; it's a pleasure to have them come to visit. We are blessed!
Nadine - Another bonus: FREE babysitting! ;)
ReplyDeleteJosh - Maybe reunion this year? I want to come down if it's happening!
Grandy and Papa - I'm glad you liked it. :)
Aww! How blessed are you? That post warmed my heart. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteCute couple! Janna, you and your Mom definitely have the same eyes!
ReplyDeleteT. Anne - *warm fuzzies*
ReplyDeleteColby - I've never heard that before. *goes to study mom's eyes* ;)
I miss my grandparents an awful lot. They were fantastic and had a huge influence on who I am. I've blogged about them before. My grandfather passed two and a half years ago, and I miss him everyday. My grandmother, his wife, has dementia. She still knows who I am most of the time, but she gets very confused sometimes, and she's not at all the same person she used to be. So that's very sad. I was lucky that when I was five, my grandparents decided to move to where we were, so I spent literally entire summers at their house. Really, they had just as much impact on me as my parents. My paternal grandmother is awesome too, but we never had as much in common, and she lived far away.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me happy to see that your kids have that kind of special relationship too. Don't let them take it for granted!
scarlethue - I hope my girls grow to appreciate how special it really is!
ReplyDeleteThey look happy and contented. You and your kids are very lucky.
ReplyDeleteI remember always having a chocolate ice cream treat from grandma when we visited her. *sigh* I miss them both.
But again, I'm happy for you!
Shey - Welcome! Thanks for the nice words, and for coming by!
ReplyDeleteOh my yes! My grandparents lived just down the road from us when we were growing up and they were always at our house or we were always at theirs. When they moved to town, things didn't really change - we always went to their house after school, and I used to spend the weekends with them sometimes. They were just a huge, huge part of my life and still are, though my grandfather has since went to Heaven.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes wish that my daughter could have the same thing - she just doesn't get to see her grandparents nearly as often as I did. But since we live 400 miles away, it's rather difficult.
Melissa - My hubby's grandparents had a similar set-up, and he had such great memories about all the time he and his brothers and sister got to spend over there. :)
ReplyDeleteThe miles do make it hard, I'm sure.