April 09, 2020

Getting to know you …

April 09, 2020/ Lisa Carpenter

During this time of physical isolation, video chats with my grandsons are for me, like with many grandmas, a saving grace. They not only let me see those faces my heart misses so — the long-distance ones as well as the one belonging to my local love bug — the sessions allow me to get to know the boys in ways not possible in face-to-face real-time rendezvous. Trying to keep conversations flowing provides telling insight … and some fun musical performances too.

February 17, 2020

Beach boys!

February 17, 2020/ Lisa Carpenter

Beach boys!

A while back, Declan simply could not get enough of Disneyland and pleaded with Mommy for them to please go again. They did go again not long after … and again the beginning of February.

The fortunate grandsons also went to the beach — a definite delight for the desert-dwelling trio.

A definite delight for this fortunate grandma, too, who was on the receiving end of ...

October 25, 2019

Grand fun: A Bearizona visit with Arizona boys

October 25, 2019/ Lisa Carpenter

Hard to believe it’s been nearly a month since Jim and I visited our grandsons (and daughter and son-in-law) in Arizona.

Hard to believe, too, that I’ve not shared the stories of all we did (other than make bracelets) during that visit. But with Benjamin’s milestones to mark soon after our return — such as his first haircut and his first birthday — details on our desert visit to see Brayden, Camden, and Declan were put on the back burner.

With temps hovering just below freezing and a snowy scene outside my windows as I write this, today seems an especially ideal day to recap one particularly grand fun-in-the-sun outing we had our grandsons at the outset of autumn. That being the day we spent at Bearizona Drive-Thru Wildlife Park, located about an hour south of the Grand Canyon.

October 23, 2019

Review: Fat Brain Toys trio for tots to pre-teens (and beyond)

October 23, 2019/ Lisa Carpenter

The holiday gift-giving season will soon be upon us, and Fat Brain Toys is among the tops spots for grandmothers and others seeking screen-free fun to give the grands.

Fat Brain Toys sent me a special trio of toys to try out with my favorite boys — two ideal for my tiniest grandson plus one that’s fun for the bigger kids (and grownups, too).

October 03, 2019

Oh, yes we did: Bracelets with boys

October 03, 2019/ Lisa Carpenter

This past weekend, Jim and I kicked off fall with a quick visit to see our grandsons in the desert, as I’d mentioned here was on the calendar. During the visit, I did indeed make bracelets with the boys, just as Declan had requested.

Thing is, despite his enthusiasm upon seeing the paracord bracelet kit I’d brought in my Grandma Bag, Declan bowed out of the bracelet making in mere minutes. Which worked out for the best as bracelet-making was quite a feat for a five-year-old. Well, a feat for this grandma — who’s 10 times that and more — as well.