Just a few months ago, we arrived at a total of twelve grand-twigs on our family tree. This may be it for us, concerning this newest generation. Or not. As far as the end goes, the "fat lady" has not sung yet, although I did have a certain hymn stuck in my head this morning which I avoided humming out loud for fear it would never leave, but I digress ....
Our even dozen grandkids, who all came from spectacular parents, are on a new level of spectacular and if you don't want to hear about them, you're excused to go check Facebook. I'm ranking them by age and thus, will start with .....
#1 is a gentle young man who lives in a small, yet secure sphere. He does not speak because of a mystery called autism and I cannot wait to someday learn about the myriad of secrets locked inside of him. I have no doubt they'll be profound.
#2 has no secrets locked inside as she is quite willing to express every thought whether asked for or not. We've stockpiled years of laughter over her many uninhibited verbal-isms. She too has autism and she finds noise, and sometimes people in general, very off-putting, but at the same time, can enjoy being the center of attention. If grandmas are allowed to have favorites, she'd be in my top tier.
#3 just got his driver's license this year and I'd trust him to drive me anywhere. (I'm not sure I could have said that about my own kids at that age.) He somehow evolved from a square-peg-in-a-round-hole kid to someone who is smart, mature, pleasant, helpful, and he leaves a wake of impressed people behind him. I know this because they tell me.
#4 has not stopped smiling since he was born. Nor has he stopped collecting things, and I'm always lagging behind on what the current collection consists of .... from anything related to dinosaurs, to rocks, to coins, to ...... He is a true entrepreneur and would be thrilled if, instead of receiving a typical kid toy for his birthday, he received stock market shares. I'm not kidding. And after a visit to our house, if anyone accidentally leaves something behind, it'll be him.
#5 is getting precariously close to teenage-hood and her delightful personality is showing more since she actually started talking to me. It took a weeklong trip of hiking in Utah canyons together. She's becoming her mother's worst fear, which is .... pretty ..... since *pretty* is often more challenging to raise than is *average*. Especially through the teen years. She also inherited her mom's artistic talent and anyone who sees her drawings does a double-take.
#6 is our freckled tomboy and I unabashedly take full credit for it, since that used to be me. She is determined to never be outdone by her older brothers and I've yet to see her admit to being afraid of anything. If a chore can be ignored or put off till tomorrow, she will take full advantage and then giggle her way out of it.
#7 can pull off the most woe-is-me face when describing, in full detail, all the injustices in her little world .... which are usually brought on by a younger sibling. She cannot tell a story without dancing, prancing, and twirling for added emphasis. She loves anything and everything girl-related and even though she has yet to start first grade, reads amazingly well. If you are deserving, she will grace you with a genuine hand-colored picture for your forever enjoyment.
#8 ...... if you recall the cartoon characters, "Pinky and the Brain" .... she is the Brain, in pigtails. Just know that behind that beguiling little face lurks deep thoughts, some of which may seem quite curious at best, or a bit morbid at worst. Like her older sister, she has mastered the twirling and dancing and will also color a picture of flowers or unicorns (always in pink) to give as her highest token of esteem.
#9 is the quintessential "snips and snails and puppy dog tails" who careens through his day with the typical forethought of any three-year-old boy. Fortunately, in addition to his dutiful parents, he has his two older sisters who are not only very quick to jump in and speak for him, but to both mother him and complain about him almost simultaneously. He is the first one to get a bump or scrape and will then bellow at full volume if you even suggest taking a look at it. But his dimpled cheeks and enormous blue eyes win over any situation.
#10 just turned one about a month ago, so we are all still making our introductions. He has luscious dark brown hair, deep sparkly-blue eyes, and would have the most kissy-poochy mouth if it wasn't always wet with drool. The next time we see him, he'll probably be walking and thank goodness for that, because he's about as heavy as a sack full of lead. But be warned ..... do not take him more than a few steps away from his mama, or he will let you hear about it.
#11 and #12 came as a packaged deal and we have even more to learn about them. One of each gender and I don't remember which one emerged a minute or two before the other. They must have ridden a lot of roller coasters in heaven before they were born because their new little lives have been full of ups and downs. And thankfully, the ups are winning the race. They're still learning that nighttime is for sleeping, and better yet, to be done in sync with each other, so as to give their tired parents relief. But they've already melted far more hearts than this tiny pair would seem capable.
So there you have it. We're fairly sure that somehow, we won the tree lottery. We love each one of these twigs which will someday become leafy branches with twigs of their own. And if you're cringing at how *sappy* that sounds ..... that makes two of us.
