Sherry's granddaughter KayleeHow many children do you have? What are their ages? I have two wonderful boys, Rob age 32 and Tim age 28, and a fantastic daughter-in-law, Heather (age intentionally omitted).

 How many grandchildren? What are their ages? Only one granddaughter as of today.  Her name is Kaylee, and she is two.  Rob and Heather are expecting a boy any day now. I can’t wait to have another little person around.

What do your grandchildren call you? Kaylee tries to call me Grandma, but the “gr” is hard for her to pronounce. It sounds like she is saying “Bama”.  My youngest son laughs and says that when she is calling me she often says, “Oh-Bama” (sounding a lot like the president’s last name).

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? I see Kaylee at least once a week.  We try to get the family together for a visit, lunch or dinner as often as our schedules will allow.

What is the best thing about being a grandma? Having a little person to receive hugs and kisses from and to give them to! Being around Kaylee makes me smile.  Tim and I often say that we are having Kaylee withdrawals when we haven’t seen her for a couple days.

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? Forcing myself to try to not monopolize all of Kaylee’s time…I would enjoy having her around more but I suppose her parents need to spend some time with her.

Describe a recent time one or more of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud. On a recent night-time trip to the grocery store there was a Coca Cola semi truck parked outside.  The truck was decorated in Christmas lights, and there was a huge painting of Santa holding a bottle of Coke on the side of the truck. Kaylee must think that soda only comes in cans because when I said, “Look, Kaylee, Santa Claus”, she said, “Yeah, and he has a beer!”

What is your favorite thing to do when your grandchildren visit your house? My favorite thing to do is to relax and spend time with her playing the games she makes up, coloring, dancing and whatever she may want to do at the moment.  Kaylee really is the boss, you know.

What is your favorite thing to do when visiting their house? Kaylee loves to show me her room and any new books or toys that she has gotten. Rob & Heather bought their first home a few months ago, and Kaylee is quite proud of her house.

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? Self confidence and compassion – I want them to be happy with who they are and to care about others. I try to lead by example and want to encourage these qualities in them.

What is one word you hope your grandkids think of when they think of you? Love – I want them to know that they are unconditionally loved by me.