Ten Things of Thankful: I'm Back!

Photo: Grandsons on the left, and granddaughters on the right. Both grandsons, and two granddaughters, are on their bellies on a fluffy white rug. Youngest granddaughter, on the far right, sits and chews on her sock.

I missed last week's Ten Things of Thankful link-up, not because I wasn't thankful, but because I was busy, busy, busy watching my grandchildren for a week. I have five grandchildren, ranging in age from 1-7 years old, and while my own five children have a very similar spread in ages, somehow I still ended up making rookie mistakes during the week (saying "yes" to the water play area of the children's museum when I hadn't packed towels/changes of clothes, for example--I was fooled by the available aprons and boots to wear). However, overall it was like riding a bicycle; I didn't forget how to sneak in healthy foods, for example. "Breakfast" (winter squash) bread, anyone?

The week was a week of comparisons of what was available "back in the day" versus what is available now, as well as a comparison of our own energy levels then versus now. Most of all, it was a week of fun, as we enjoyed spending time with our grandchildren.

I'm thankful:

1. that everyone slept through the night, every night. This is a huge thing for me. I wasn't sure it would happen, but it did!

2. for technology that makes bedtime a bit smoother. After I read stories and sang a few songs, Alexa took over by playing Amazon's Children's Lullabies Station. The song selections sometimes made me laugh: instrumental versions of Queen's "Somebody to Love" and "Another One Bites the Dust," for example.

3. for children's books. "Will You Always Love Me?" by Rick Walton, and "What Should Danny Do?" by Adir Levy were requested over and over again.

4. that the little ones warmed up to us really quickly. I was a bit worried that there might be lots of tears, but instead I found that I had a little girl permanently-attached to me. What a cutie she is, too.

5. for lots of fun outings: a photo studio, sledding, museums, church, storytime, John's parents' house, and the movie theater.

6. for easy travels. We drove to California to pick up/drop off the kids, and that is a long drive, especially for little ones. They were such good travelers!

7. for sweet drawings that now cover my refrigerator. One depicts John and me and is captioned, "I love you." "I love you more." It warms my heart that the grandchildren are aware of the love we share.

8. for cute, funny conversations. I've been flooding my personal Facebook page with these all week, so I wouldn't forget. Here's an example: 6-yr-old to 4-yr-old: Math is really hard because no one tells you the answer and you just have to guess a number.

9. for patient Drexel. He is a calm dog, and tolerant of little ones taking over floor space.

10. as always, for John.