We’ve had a little visitor at our house for the last four days who has kept us on our toes. Selah is just a mite of a girl, but that doesn’t slow her down. She has abundant energy, and unless she is napping, we had better not be! Her smile, her giggle, and her new little words just make us laugh. Joy is what she brings us, even when I am pooped from tracing her footsteps! She will be two in a week, and so there will be no letting up for awhile yet.
Her four siblings joined us for the snowy weekend, and we enjoyed board games and some movies together. There were times that I appreciated their help with cooking, folding laundry, drying dishes, and picking up Selah’s toys. Teaching Selah how to help right along with us was sometimes a challenge, but most of the time she thought it was fun. Before meals she loved holding our hands for the prayer. When someone said “amen”, she dropped her little, chubby hands and grabbed the food. No time wasted in her little life.
One thing Selah LOVES is having a bath. If she even hears the word, she heads for the stairs to get to the tub. One evening her first grade sister, Anayah, was headed there to get things to take a shower at the same time. She was coming downstairs to use another bathroom, while we were headed up. Little did I know that she had run some water into the upstairs tub for her little sister. Selah went into the bathroom, while I grabbed her pajamas and a diaper from a bedroom. In just a few seconds I also headed into the bathroom…but where was she?? The shower curtain was closed, but I could hear her saying “ Oh-oh”. As I pulled the curtain open, there she stood inside the tub with her clothes and shoes still intact. She had thrown all of the toys into the water and was “ready”! She simply looked up at me with her big toothy grin. Nothing I could do but laugh, and be glad that she was safe!
Grandchildren. We have a passel of them, fifteen at last count. Whenever we can spend time with them, at our house or theirs, it is such a blessing for us. Time is just passing too fast, and they will soon be grown and onto their own lives and adventures. We want to KNOW them, and that means trying to spend moments with them any time we have the chance. The older ones know that social media sometimes has to be put aside so we can truly interact without distractions. Sometimes with games, just talking about their present lives, or even sharing a chore together.
Brayton (14) was with us after his speech meet was cancelled, so I asked him if he would like to make the Tator Tot Hotdish for supper. He said he would try, and he did a great job. As he began, I headed off to find the frozen potatoes. Plan B went into effect when all I found was a huge bag of hash browns. When I accidently spilled part of the bag all over the kitchen floor, he quickly grabbled a broom and began sweeping up the mess. (He told me he was scrubbing too, since it was a wet mess.) Too funny, but I love his sense of humor and ability to be flexible.
Ranissa (12) has very long hair, and she was trying to get ready for a choir concert. She asked me to get up early with her to use the curling iron to curl her hair. When I tried to help her, it didn’t turn out just right. I admitted my hair is pretty short, so I don’t worry about all of that fuss. She decided to try it on her own, and she was elated that she did it all by herself! She said she had not done that before, and she was so proud of her accomplishments. When her head hurt later on that day, she asked if I had Tylenol. All I had was the pill form, and she said she couldn’t swallow pills without crushing them. I told her that Grandma June (92) takes her large salt pills with a spoonful of applesauce, and maybe she could try that. She did…and it worked like a charm. Growing up she is!
Tayden (9) is our peanut butter guzzler. When he helped set the table for pancakes one morning, he made sure the jar of peanutty paste was at a hands reach from his spot. He likes spreading it on the pancakes first, then drizzling the syrup over the top. I have to admit it tastes delicious. He also likes baked beans, and he will eat them to the very last bean in the bowl. Tayden has an infectious grin, and he can be a tease, sometimes making it hard to know if he is tricking you or being honest. I love that each grandchild has their own personality and ways to bring joy to our time together.
Having the kids some and stay brings some revelations to them about us too. We are old, compared to their young ages. It is important for us to be authentic around them, even when it might make us look silly. One evening when they were all in bed except for Brayton, Dan said he really “looked” at me when I fell asleep and was snoring in a chair. I am sure spending time with us can bring them laughs, just as much as we gain joy from them being here. ( Or when Ranissa was folding clothes said my underwear sure didn’t look like hers! HA)
I want to wish you all a blessed Easter week as the days unfold. John 11: 25-26 says, “ I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” He gave his life and blood for us to have eternal life. That is the bottom line of our joy at Eastertime. Eternal life is a free gift, but we have to repent and commit our lives to Him. He is risen!! He is alive! If we are believers, may God help us to live like it.
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