Egghead grandma

I recently ran across a pretty nifty gift for Bubby: Hatch-N-Grow dinosaur eggs!

How awesome is that!?

I ordered the eggs, they arrived, and I was quite excited to try one out before popping a few in the mail to Bubby, just to ensure it wasn't totally lame. (Sea monkeys anyone?)

Here's how it works:

I placed the egg -- the size of a regular chicken egg -- into a glass of water as directed. Per the package, I should have a little dinosaur head cracking through within 24-48 hours.

And I did!

Very cool! Get a load of that cute little dino grin!

Despite the "Age 3+" notation on the package, I just knew Bubby would love watching the dinosaur hatch. So I planned to send him not just one, but two packages, just in case he wanted twice the fun ... or just in case Megan wanted to use one to amaze the 4-year-olds in her classroom.

Megan called the other night to confirm the time of our weekly Skype session, and I told her about the very cool dinosaur egg, my practice hatch, and my plans to send Bubby a couple in the mail.

"He won't like that," she said.

"What? It's a hatching dinosaur! It's so cool! He'll love it!"

"No. He won't. He'll be scared of it," she assured me.

"Um, I don't think so," I responded. "I'm going to show him during our Skype session and you'll see. He's going to love it!"

We proceeded to Skype and I could barely contain my excitement as I grabbed the glass of water containing the magnificent emerging dinosaur and held it toward the webcam so Bubby could see.

He grew silent. And slowly leaned back into Megan for protection.

"It's a dinosaur!" I smiled and explained, trying to turn him on to the delights of the mini dino.

"Scary," he said so quietly that Megan had to translate.

"He's two, Mom. That's scary to him," Megan said.

I couldn't believe it. Yeah, the recommended age is three and up, but I figured that was because some little kids might eat pieces of the cracked shell. Or drink the water. Or bite off chunks of the dinosaur once it was fully grown. Not Bubby, though. He wouldn't do that. He'd be fascinated by the emerging prehistoric figure, I was sure.

But he wasn't. And isn't. And won't be for quite some time, apparently.

So I'll be packing away the boxes of eggs I purchased for Bubby. Unlike real eggs, they won't go bad. And I'm sure that by the time he's three, he'll be more than ready to plop an egg in a glass and keep a constant eye on the dinosaur's progress as it cracks through the egg.

In the meantime, I'll keep a constant eye on my dinosaur, eagerly awaiting the day it breaks completely free from the egg.

Maybe once it does I'll then show the fully hatched dino to Bubby during a Skype session. Maybe it's the egg that scares him! I'll just have the adorable mini dinosaur ready and waiting to surprise him during a Skype visit.

Of course I'll have to ask Megan first. As hard as it is to admit, Megan obviously knows better than Gramma.

At least when it comes to Bubby.

Sheesh ... this grandma gig isn't as cut and dry as one might think!

Today's question:

 Have you ever had a gift-giving experience fall stupendously flat?

Grilling up an old friend

There's much to be said about old friends. Not old in terms of age, but in terms of being part of one's life a long time. This week's Grilled Grandma, Terri, is an old friend. And I have much to say about her.

Thing is, Terri hasn't actually been part of my life for nearly 20 years -- well, except for the exchanging of Christmas cards. Then Facebook brought us together again, and I'm oh-so glad.

Terri has always been one of my favorite people. She's also been the source of many memorable, off-the-wall compliments (she's just sweet that way). One I still think of often has to do with my daughters. Terri and my sister lived together and they offered to babysit the girls once when Jim won tickets to a concert. The prize package included a limo ride to the show. The limo arrived at the house to pick us up, but we asked the driver if he could first take the girls -- who were under the age of 10 -- for a spin around the block for their first limo experience. Terri and my sister went along with them. When they returned from their luxury ride, Terri commented that she was just amazed by how the girls converse with one another. She thought it was so cool Brianna, Megan and Andrea had a real conversation. With each other. Like little adults. I don't know why, but that struck me as funny -- and flattering that she thought my girls were interesting little conversationalists.

That's how Terri is: always flattering ... but in a unique way, saying unique things folks don't typically say. Now I'm flattered that my old friend and grandma let me grill her up here on Grandma's Briefs. In typical Terri fashion, she has a unique way of expressing her love and admiration for her grandchildren. They are so blessed to have her. Read what she has to say about the grandparenting experience in Grilled Grandma: Terri.

Today's question:

Who have you recently reconnected with thanks to Facebook?

Searching for gold

Here in Colorado, the aspens put on a spectacular fall display -- if you catch them at the right time.

Last weekend Jim and I guessed the timing was right to catch the yellows, golds and coveted reds in the mountains not too far from home. So we packed up Mickey, Lyla and some sandwiches and headed for the hills.

Turns out we guessed wrong -- at least in terms of the aspens at the relatively low altitude we visited (9,000 feet). We've heard the aspens in the high country have turned, but what we saw on our outing were just bits of yellow here and there, with plenty of green still taking center stage. The best colors likely will be this coming weekend.

We still had a pleasant day, though, and managed to get some good photos ... even some of Mickey climbing up into my lap, which the 60-pound pit mix never does. Seems our big, bad dog doesn't get out of the city often enough, and the gravel and brambles were too much for his sensitive tootsies.

Here are the highlights of the day:

Today's question:

Where is your favorite place to view the changing colors of fall?

My swollen heart

Sunday afternoon as I sat out on the patio listening to the waterfall gurgle and the birds chirp and warble as they flitted from the waterfall to the birdbath to the flower-covered vines decorating our back fence, an overwhelming sense of gratitude came over me.

Out of nowhere, my heart swelled with gratitude for my crazy house and overgrown yard and that, despite a house payment that doubled when we bought this house -- and the stress accompanying it when we both lost our jobs relatively soon after -- this is the place Jim and I plan to call home for the rest of our days. I love my house. I’m so grateful for my house.

Yes, it’s a material thing. But this material thing makes me happy and content … and grateful.

After a week of thinking about, writing about, cussing about all the things I think suck in my life, all the things I worry endlessly about, it was nice to suddenly, inexplicably realize a plethora of things for which I’m grateful. Things I’m blessed with that truly trump all the fears, doubts, worries and complaints I let get in my way each and every day.

I’m grateful my family – immediate and extended – has never suffered a true tragedy. We often succumb to fear and trembling over imagined tragedies when the reality is that we have been tragedy free and have it pretty darn good.

I’m grateful I was laid off and given the opportunity to consider and pursue a career path that matters to me.

I’m grateful for Jim, who supports that career path even though it means far less money than the one I previously fell into. I'm grateful for Jim for countless other reasons, too.

I’m grateful my girls grew into such lovely, amazing, thoughtful, intelligent, empathetic women … something I never thought would happen while in the throes of the teen years.

I’m grateful for Bubby. And that I get to see him more often than some long-distance grandparents get to see their grandchildren. And that Megan and Preston happily share him with me -- a consideration not all grandparents are afforded.

I’m grateful Megan and Preston are doing the right thing by my grandchild -- another thing not afforded all grandparents.

I’m grateful for a twisted childhood because it twisted me into an unusual shape. It may be a weird shape, but it’s different. And different is good.

I’m grateful that Jim and I continue to have the money we need. Plus some. Plus lots, considering what many others have.

I’m grateful for those who read what I write, who act like the gunk and junk that flows from my head to my fingers and onto the page and screen is worth reading.

I’m grateful for the unexpected gratitude that filled me up, made me consider what matters, what’s important and what’s worth being grateful for.

Photo credit: stock.xchng

Today's question:

What are you grateful for today?

Photo replay

Megan's friend Alison is a fantastic photographer, so she's the go-to portrait person when it comes to Bubby. This is one of the photos Alison took to mark Bubby hitting two years of age.

Hard to believe what a big boy he's become in two short years!

Today's question:

How often do you have professional portraits taken, as a family, couple or individual?