It has been a while since I blogged and a lot has happened. Life moves quickly and we can’t seem to slow it down at all! (Here’s a quick overview of the last few years…)
Three children have graduated from high school! How does this happen?
Cody graduated in 2013
Cody served a mission in Buenos Aries, Argentina from Feb 2014 till July 2015.
Shantel graduated in 2014
Shantel joined her Aunt Colleen and cousin, Maja on a trip to Hawaii.
Savanna graduated in 2016
Savanna excelled in sports and academics, visited a college and made a plan (at least for a year!). She took a once in a lifetime trip to Australia with Down Under Sports and competed in a multi-nation track and field meet in the discus and the shot put. What an experience she had.
My other three children have grown up as well: Robby is a junior now. He excels in sports, academics and music. He spent two summers at Scout camp working and learning. He took a trip to Washington DC with the NRA and had a wonderful time. He is considering joining the Marines.
The twins: Scott and EmmaLece are in the 7th grade!
Scott tried wrestling and although he never won a match, he had a great time and plans to join the team again. He loves playing the drums and feels the rhythm of life everywhere!
EmmaLece loves to sing and competed in the music festival earning a superior rating on her solo! She broke her arm.
This year has been especially busy. In February Cody got married! That resulted in a 900 mile (one way) trip to the happy event.
Savanna graduated from high school with honors.
We learned we are to be grandparents come November, thanks to Cody and Megan. (The ultrasound says it’s a girl!)
Shantel got engaged and then married in August. Closer to home only about an hour and half drive to Medicine Rocks State Park.
Savanna went off on her new adventure: college 9 hours away!
The twins turned 12 in July and were able to go to the temple this past Saturday (September 10, 2016) for the first time. They had a good experience and we had a memorable drive home. Somehow the cap to the coolant was off and the engine overheated. We spent a good 45 mins on the side of the freeway until we were rescued and able to head on home.
So on to this new title: Grandma! I’m still not sure how I feel about that?! I want a cool gramma name, that much I do know. As I think on this new title, I think of what a grandma is and how can I possibly live up to that? What comes to mind first when you hear the words Grandma and Grandpa? The faces of all the grandparents I’ve had or borrowed come to mind and all the things they did for me. What they taught me and how they shaped who I have become is in the forefront of my mind. What have I got to offer? How will I be an influential part of their lives? How will these future grandkid remember me? Am I ready for this? (Not that I have much of a choice! Hahaha! I am excited to watch my children experience this new adventure: Parenthood!)
Who were my grandparents and what did I learn from them? I had my Grampa Sam and Gramma Booher and my Gramma Grace. Admittedly, we spent more time with my mom’s parents than with my dad’s mom. I do wish I had gotten the opportunity to know Gramma Grace better, but she didn’t drive and I guess it was more work for us to get to her house. Whatever the reason, we didn’t go often and she passed away many years ago. It may be what motivates me to want to be an approachable involved gramma. My Gramma Booher drove and she saw the importance of us at least getting to know gramma Grace some. She would take us over for a few days visit. My opinion of her was a very quiet, private person who kept a very tidy house and grew beautiful flowers. Gramma and Grampa Booher, on the other-hand, were adventurous; taking road trips, going fishing or out to cut wood. They grew a huge garden, gramma bottled a lot of stuff and made us clothing and quilts. She was a robust little woman who knew what she wanted. She was talented and she shared what she had with those around her. My grampa was funny and fun. We learned how to chase the neighbors cows away with a slingshot and a water hose. We learned how to sing the alphabet backwards and all about bottle hounding (Collecting old bottles and how best to display them for maximum color.). Gramma tried to impart her knowledge to us, patiently teaching how to sew (Sadly, she gave up on me, I did manage to make a duck pillow!). I think it was Gramma Grace who attempted to teach me to crochet (I wasn’t very good or patient with myself and it took me until I was in my 20’s to give those skills another go.)
When I got married, I gained another set of grandparents: Bob and Dorothy Herrin (Nana and Papa). What a wonderful cute couple they were. We had the opportunity to live rather close to them (In the same city! What a treat, to visit my grandparents, as a child it was about a 3-4 hour drive!) I was determined to to get to know them to not take them for granted. I hoped to make memories for my young children with them. I made it a point to take them at least once a week for a lunch visit. I went to craft days with Nana and learned with her. She was a very talented lady (a lot like gramma Booher). I was sad to leave Vegas knowing it would not be often we would get to see them. Sadly, the twins never met Papa, we never got the chance to take them to Vegas before he passed on. Nana came to Montana to visit and ended up living out the rest of her days here. All of my children were able to spend time with her and help to care for her in her last years. It was hard to see age take it’s toll on her, but I hope that my children learned compassion, service and love for their great-grandma. I hope that they have learned that grandparents deserve respect and admiration and love for they are the matriarchs and patriarchs of our family. They paved the way for us and them and for their future children. Age is a vicious thing! When we are young we dream only of growing up and doing more and when we are grown we yearn for our youth.
As I approach the cusp of this new adventure, I want to be all of these grandparents best qualities. I want my children to be able to see the many great and wonderful qualities that their grandparents have. I want my children to love, cherish, respect and enjoy making memories with their grandparents. I want my children to honor their grandparents living or not. I want them to remember that grandparents are the make-up of their parents and thusly of them. When my children look in the mirror, do they see them smiling at them in love and pride for who they have become? Becoming a parent and a grandparent is carrying on a legacy of love, sacrifice and service. I reach for this new title with excited shaky hands and a prayer that I will be the best of all that came before me!
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