September 12, 2019

Gramma learns a lesson: boys and bracelets

September 12, 2019/ Lisa Carpenter

My long-distance grandsons have what they call “the home phone,” an iPhone Brayden, Camden, and Declan all have equal access to for communicating with friends and family (approved by Mom and Dad).

Occasionally my phone dings and pings over and over as I get a flood of gifs and goofy emojis texted from “the home phone.” As my grandsons don’t indicate who it is doing the texting, I have to guess according to what the message contains. If text is included, it’s typically Brayden …

August 15, 2019

Summer break ends: What changed while I was away

August 15, 2019/ Lisa Carpenter

Grandma’s Briefs is back! Yep, the summer break I announced at the start of June is officially over.

While I was away from the site, a few changes took place. Some big, some small. Here’s a (relatively) quick update:

For starters, one blog change is that Grandma’s Briefs hit the 10-year mark in July! Hard to believe but true, as you can see from my very first post, published a decade ago.

Another blog change is that you’ll see a few new faces in the Meet the Family section of the sidebar, those being of Andrea’s new …

April 01, 2019

Grand wonder

April 01, 2019/ Lisa Carpenter

Grand wonder

A trifecta of grand: grand view, grand sons, and a grand quote.

Plus…

GRAND Social No. 346 link party for grandparents

Hooray for the GRAND Social! Thank you for participating!

March 18, 2019

Live boldly!

March 18, 2019/ Lisa Carpenter

Live boldly!

A special quote o’ the day featuring my favorite Declan o’ the day!

Plus…

GRAND Social No. 344 link party for grandparents

Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends. Err, social that never ends. Thanks to you.

Link up, share, be social!

Cheers!

January 17, 2019

Throwback Thursday: 10 life lessons grandchildren help us remember

January 17, 2019/ Lisa Carpenter

Dear readers: As my three grandsons from the desert will be visiting PawDad and me (and the rest of our Colorado family) this weekend, I thought it only fitting to share again one of my all-time favorite photo-filled posts featuring Brayden, Camden, and Declan. I hope you enjoy this #TBT feature, which originally published here on Grandma’s Briefs February 10, 2015. Thank you for reading my rerun.

With all that we do for our grandchildren, they do for us so very much more. Things such as reminding us of important lessons we've learned yet often forget to put into practice. Things such as these.

December 27, 2018

Long-distance grandsons: The 2018 highlight reel of our times together

December 27, 2018/ Lisa Carpenter

When grandparents and grandchildren live miles apart—815 miles it is for Brayden, Camden, Declan, and myself—every moment shared is one to be treasured.

Here, the highlight reel of our times together in 2018, including more from the birthday visit to the North Pole with the Colorado clan:

December 10, 2018

Grand greetings!

December 10, 2018/ Lisa Carpenter

Grand greetings!

When my daughter Megan sends out her annual Christmas cards, she typically catches up on sharing photos of Brayden, Camden, and Declan she’s not gotten around to sending earlier in the year. Sweet stuff like these school pictures and sports shots enclosed with this year’s card:

December 06, 2018

Firsts: Declan and snow... snow... snow!

December 06, 2018/ Lisa Carpenter

Megan made the trek from the desert to Colorado last month, to meet newborn nephew Benjamin. Brayden and Camden stayed home with Dad so they wouldn’t miss school, but as Declan is obligated only to two mornings a week at preschool, he had the privilege of joining Mommy for the visit.

The first morning of their stay at my house, Declan woke me early, bounding into my bedroom exclaiming, “Gramma! It’s SNOWing!”

October 18, 2018

Gramma's soccer superstar

October 18, 2018/ Lisa Carpenter

As the youngest of three boys in a sports-loving—watching and playing—family, Declan has spent many an afternoon, evening, and weekend cheering on Brayden and Camden as they compete on the court, field, track, and more.

The four-year-old finally got a chance to shine on the other side of the stands when Megan signed him up for youth soccer, his first time on a team.

October 08, 2018

And we think kids grow fast!

October 08, 2018/ Lisa Carpenter

And we think kids grow fast!

My grandsons’ beloved Roxy past away a couple months ago. As home wasn’t the same without their best buddy, they soon adopted another golden girl and named her Emmy.

She’s adorable and Brayden, Camden, and Declan adore her—as Mommy and Daddy, too.

One thing about puppies is how well they put into perspective how quickly canine kids grow in comparison to how quickly our grandkiddos grow.