January 03, 2012

Meet the (great) grandparents

January 03, 2012/ Lisa Carpenter

Bubby and Baby Mac arrived to Gramma and PawDad's house on Christmas Day for their extended holiday visit. Awaiting their arrival were their maternal great grandparents—my mom as well as my dad and stepmom, Ann.

My dad and Ann had met Bubby before, of course, but this was their first introduction to the ever-curious (and ever expressive) Baby Mac.

Baby Mac didn't give a hoot about introductions and photos; he wanted only to grab hold of Ann's hair. Which he did:

Also ready to hand out Christmas hugs though both boys had seen her in October was my mom, aka Nonnie Kelly to them. (Not to be confused with the Nonnie Kelly Grandma's Briefs regular who, although awesome and someone I'd love to have in my family, is not our Nonnie Kelly. No, my mom is the Grandma's Briefs commenter Ann...not to be confused with Ann who is my dad's wife. Yes, things get a tad confusing around here at times.)

Anyway, when Bubby and Baby Mac visited with our Nonnie Kelly in October, I realized far too late that I had forgotten to get a four-generation photo of the gang while we were all together. Thankfully I had a chance to rectify that on Christmas Day:

Just one more reason (or technically three, I suppose) my new DSLR from Santa came in handy.

Today's question:

When did you last have a photo taken with one or more of your grandparents? What about great grandparents?

October 21, 2011

Photographs and memories

October 21, 2011/ Lisa Carpenter

You surely can tell from this blog that I love to take photos of my grandsons. As a long-distance grandma, I take advantage of the times we have together in many ways, but a priority always involves stocking up on lots of shots of memorable moments during our visits.

Often, though, I don't have my camera on hand for some of the most memorable moments of all. For example, when bedraggled Mommy Megan and the boys first came into view at the airport, Bubby beelined it for Gramma. As I picked him up, he held me tight and said, "I missed you so much." It was and likely always will be one of my all-time favorite moments with him, yet not one accompanied by a photo.

Another memorable-but-not-recorded moment was when Bubby and I sat in the hot tub together. Although I did take pictures of the experience—and had Megan take a few, too—the funniest, surely most memorable moment of all was when I was putting the camera down. I stood up out of the hot tub and leaned over the edge to put my camera in a safe, dry place. When I turned back around to sit once again next to Bubby, he wore a huge grin from ear to ear and looked guilty as all get-out. For what, I didn't know. Until I began to sit. Bubby giggled and told me, "I said 'that's Gramma's big booty patooty'!" Apparently Bubby got a giggle-worthy shot of his own as Gramma leaned over the edge.

I've mentioned before that Bubby and I like to have dance parties of a sort when we're together. During the most recent visit he and Baby Mac made to our house, the dance party was larger than usual, made especially memorable with the addition of Baby Mac in my arms. I bopped with Baby Mac as Bubby rolled with Rock Dog. Another moment not caught on film.

The day before our house guests were scheduled to leave, I mentioned to Bubby that he'd be heading home the next day. "But I want to stay here," he said. I told him that he couldn't do that because his friends were all at home, and he had to go to school. "But I can go to school here," he said. My heart melted at the idea that Bubby was willing to give up his beloved friends and great times at school in favor of staying at Gramma's.

Similarly, the day Bubby and Mommy were packing up the luggage, Bubby passed me in the hallway and woefully told me, "I will miss you so much." A second mention to match the first when he arrived, sweet sentiments to bookend the visit.

Those sentiments and other equally memorable moments may not have been captured in photos, but they're definitely imprinted on my heart. Which makes them longer lasting and not likely to ever fade.

Today's question:

What recent moment(s) for you were not caught on film but imprinted on your heart?

October 18, 2011

The other half of my story

October 18, 2011/ Lisa Carpenter

The infrequent visitor to Grandma's Briefs might get the impression I have only one grandson because a large number of my posts are about Bubby, my first grandson. That impression would be incorrect, though, and only half my grandma story. I do indeed have two grandsons.

I write about my first grandson far more than I write about my second grandson because my second, Baby Mac, doesn't do a whole lot yet except look cute. But he is pretty darn good at that one thing he does:

Okay, I suppose I should stop being a big, fat, lying grandma and tell the truth here. Baby Mac really does do more than just that one thing he does so well. He also keeps Megan awake most of the night. He poops up a storm. He loves and adores his big brother. And he continues to be a world-class storyteller at the age of four months: