I love being a Grandma and one of the joys of this period of being an unemployed graduate, is the freedom to drop everything and hang out with kids and grandkids. Liz and Greg were able to get away for a week in Phoenix at Greg’s parent’s home there. They graciously invited me to meet them there to get in some stolen grandkid time. It is a great home, on a canal with a fun little pontoon boat for tootling around the neighbourhood. The great sun-soaked back yard has a lovely little pool and plenty of ducks to feed.

 

The kids are growing up so quickly and seem to develop in leaps and bounds between each visit. Russ is three and a half and a delight to be with. He is very polite, greeting new people with “hello, it is very nice to meet you”. It was fascinating to watch him independently reading books that most kids in grade two would struggle to read. He was delighted to be a big boy, sleeping on the pull-out in his other grandma’s room.

Layla, at fifteen months is as sweet as they come. She decided this week that walking is the best choice for mobility and went from a tentative steps between furniture to confidently motoring around the house and playground. She feel in love with some over-sized stuffed animals that decorate the bedrooms and spent hours playing with them. I took her for a walk to the drugstore and bought her a small, bug-eyed stuffed kitten. She spent the entire walk home playing a little game by herself in which she would hug and rock the kitten and then place it in the cupholder of her stroller. After a few seconds, she would repeatedly sign “more, more” and then finally pick up the kitten for more hugs. It was the sweetest thing I have ever seen.

Greg and Liz left on the Friday and I stayed on for a Grandma weekend with Greg’s mom, Holly. We were joined by Greg’s sister’s mother-in-law Joanne who also shares two grandkids with Holly who are essentially the same age as Russ and Layla. We had a fun, relaxing weekend, with some fine dining and wining, shopping and even a couple of rounds of Top Golf. These are ladies you can really brag bout your grandkids to.