August 09, 2017

BTS 2017: Grandsons and good teachers

August 09, 2017/ Lisa Carpenter

From the look of their first-day-of-school photos (which I nabbed from my daughter's Facebook page), my grandsons lucked out with caring and personable teachers for the new school year.

brothers first day of school 2017

Camden kicked off kindergarten with a super-sized grin — sporting the empty spots...

August 07, 2017

Practicing what I preach

August 07, 2017/ Lisa Carpenter

Practicing what I preach

I do my best to practice what I preach here on Grandma's Briefs. Last week I preached all about ways grandparents can help school-bound grandkiddos. One of the suggestions in the post is to give grandkids a BTS care package of sorts (with an outfit or pajamas) before school begins.

It just so happens that the day that post was published, I received a text message from Megan with a picture of my grandsons thanking me for the BTS care package i had sent them, which included a few school supplies plus an outfit for each boy. (Shorts and tees that I thought were cute as can be for school but would work just fine as jammies if the boys considered my selections not cool for school.) Declan — who's only three and spends his days with Mommy, not at school — got a package just like his brothers, too, because, well, how could the cutie not?

grandson heading back to school
Declan, Camden, and Brayden grinning big for Gramma!

The package arrived just in time! Today Camden starts...

September 17, 2015

Wherein a grandson samples sports and a grandma admits her paranoia

September 17, 2015/ Lisa Carpenter

My oldest grandson, at seven-years-old, has already tried his hand at many sports.

Bubby has mastered swimming. He's progressed from T-ball to baseball. He's sampled soccer and running and basketball and wall climbing. Plus others I've likely forgot (or didn't photograph).

Bubby's latest sporty venture? Flag football!

Bubby loves it! (Please note that despite...

July 21, 2014

Jak meets PawDad, plus GRAND Social No. 114 link party

July 21, 2014/ Lisa Carpenter

Jak meets PawDad

I visit my grandsons far more often than my husband does simply because I go to the desert to take care of the boys on a fairly regular basis when Megan and Preston must attend to business matters. So it was pretty darn fabulous that Jim came along for last week's visit.

Especially great about this visit with our grandsons was that it was the very first time Jak and PawDad met.

newborn grandson

I think they...

September 24, 2013

18 things my grandsons miss by not visiting their grandparents

September 24, 2013/ Lisa Carpenter

My grandsons haven't visited my house in more than a year. It's been 15 months, to be exact, with no plans to visit in the next... well... I don't know how long.

Though I'm thrilled to pieces that I'll get to see them soon at their house, there's plenty they miss out on by not visiting PawDad and Gramma at our house. Things found only at our place, things I'm sure they'd enjoy.

Things such as these:

Their special bedroom we call The Boys' Room, despite Bubby having slept in it only a handful of times and Mac having never slept in it — yet...

Exploring our back yard and front...

Playing at the food stand again...

Hunting for treasure PawDad hides in the sand by the waterfall...

And swinging with Gramma in the swing made for three...

Not to forget: the basketball hoop that's just the right height for boys to dunk balls — with a boost from PawDad...

And the bouncy house Bubby and Mac have never even seen — though it delighted other pint-sized friends of Gramma's...

Plus the popcorn machine for treats once the bouncing is done...

And there's Rock Dog and their Glo Worms and lions that stand guard from out front...

Plus, they could play on Gramma's piano (I promise to share)...

And the mini desk where Bubby loves to sort through Granny's nesting frogs...

Beyond Gramma and PawDad's house, there's fun and adventure found just out the door — like ITZ, the North Pole, Pikes Peak and more...

Most of all, though, what my grandsons miss out on more than anything are hugs and kisses and attention from their Colorado family — folks who miss Bubby and Mac to their core...

I truly and wholeheartedly understand that travel with little ones taxes Megan and Preston's body, mind and budget, too. And I do know Bubby and Mac will eventually get to visit Gramma and PawDad's house. Eventually.

I just hope it's before my grandsons reach the age that what they'll most enjoy about Gramma and PawDad's house is having a beer at our patio bar.