Visit from Grannie and Papa

My grandparents, Nathaniel's great- grandparents, from Point Loma were nice enough to drive up and visit us this afternoon. We hadn't seen them in awhile and it was fun to see them engage with Nate and for him to be so into the visit with them. The visit was sort of bittersweet as I had spent 2 days a week with them all last summer through to the end of my pregnancy but since Nathaniel was born, found myself down there less and less. Now that Nate screams his head off most car rides, I find that they're barely getting to see him at all anymore. It makes me appreciate the time we do get together as well as those who are close enough to see all the time.

Spending time with them reminds me of how awesome it is was to be their grandchild when I was little. There are so many things I do now that were fully influenced by them, such as my knitting (grandma taught me), my gardening (papa built me a porch off of my first "real" garden, grannie taught me the patience to wait for things to grow), swimming (it was in their pool every warm weekend that I perfected my synchronized swimming routine), driving (I learned how to drive with a clutch in the Cushman on the ranch) and make believe (the playhouse that papa built my sister and I had running water, electricity, and an intercom...need I say more?). It makes me so thankful that Nathaniel has at least one set of grandparents so close who can hopefully influence his life in the same way. In the same way, I think it makes him extra lucky to have such loving grandparents who live so far away (in Illinois) as well...I know that the time that I spent with my grandparents from New York was always so special because I didn't get to see them that often and it made it "extra neat" to be able to spend time with them. Our time together never seemed quite long enough but the extra love and attention was a nice break from the day-to-day love I received from those I was more familiar with. I think Nathaniel will appreciate that as well, along with the opportunity to cross the country in an airplane every now and then :) Grandparents plus great-grandparents, this kid has got one heck of a fan club!