Dear Kaylee and Elise,

You finally met your Great Grandpa Hanson! We all went back for the wedding of mommy’s cousin Liz in Wisconsin. You met her and husband Nate when they visited California last year. The wedding was wonderful and a big surprise came afterword.

Your great grandpa Hanson lived in Minneapolis and you had never met him. He loves you both so much and talks about you all the time. Shows your pictures to everyone where he lived. But, we thought you would never meet him because you can’t travel.

Then he had a heart attack and got real sick, but now he is better. In order to be close to your Great Uncle David and Great Aunt Shari, Great Grandpa moved to Chicago! So, even though we we thought it would never happen, it did!

We visited Great Grandpa! You had so much fun playing with him and getting to know him! After Great Grandma died, Great Grandpa said the biggest blessing in his life is that you two were born! We thank God you all were together!

Grandpa cried tears of joy along with your mommy on that day…

Love,

Grandpa

Dear Elise,

Dear Elise,

You love books just like Kaylee. One of your favorite things to do with Nana on Wednesday’s is go to the library for Story Time. You get to listen to stories and sing and play.

Grandpa likes books, too. I read books all the time and I love to read books with you. We usually get through most of the books if they are short, but not usually all the way through if they are longer because you are a squirmer. Something else is going on around us that you just have to check out. That’s alright, too.

We will try an experiment. I am going to pick out some books that we can act out together.  Let’s see how that goes.

Love,

Grandpa

Dear Elsie,

You love to “go to church” where Grandpa is pastor. We had a great Easter together and your daddy cooked the Easter Breakfast! You and Kaylee always connect me with God and Jesus stories. When your mommy asks, “Do you want Grandpa to read you a story?” Kaylee, you reply, “OK, where is the Bible book?”

But my favorite story about this common theme just happened. Elise you were jumping by your mommy and daddy’s bed and you slipped and hit your chin. That wouldn’t have been too bad, but you bit your lip and had an “owie.”

Later, you mommy watched you by yourself on the couch. You didn’t see her, but you folded your hands and said,

“Dear God and Grandpa, please make my “owie” better. The end.”

Love,
Grandpa

Dear Kaylee and Elise,

When we spend time together it is so much fun watching you (Elise) as you have to copy everything Kaylee is doing instantly! This will not happen forever, but it is a very good thing as long as Kaylee is providing a good model.

Of course, sometimes you (Kaylee) do what Elise does. The stream of being a model flows both ways, doesn’t it? Now, if we can just get you both to respect who’s is what with markers, toys, etc. etc. but that is all part of learning to live in community…

Love,

Grandpa

From one short conversation, we learn about modeling, autonomy, and making choices.

Dear Elise,

“Why do you have sunglasses on?”

“Like Nana.”

“Are they upside down?”

“No, I like them like this.”

“OK”

Love,

Grandpa

Dear Elise and Kaylee,

 

How much fun is it to spend this Christmas time with you? Lots!! We have been reading Christmas stories, singing Christmas songs, and we had so much fun at your Preschool Christmas program.

 

Kaylee, you were so attentive and sang all the songs with all the hand motions as if your life depended on it! This so much reminded me of your mommy when she was your age and in our churches’ preschool Christmas. It doesn’t seem that many years ago…

 

Elise and Kaylee, you had such a fun time being in the wedding of your Aunt Kelly and Uncle Sam. We had so much fun, and Nana and I loved watching you dance! Grandpa couldn’t dance with you because he hurt his leg, but watching was almost as good.

 

Elise, Santa brings you presents even if you don’t want to sit on his lap! Nana and I tried again when Santa visited by our house, but that didn’t work, either. Oh, well, even though Santa is a nice man, I don’t want to sit on his lap, either!

 

More stories to come the next couple of weeks as Christmas gets closer…

 

Love,

Grandpa

Dear Elise,

Well, you are two years old now! It was so much fun celebrating your birthday on Friday, but I guess I realized for the first time it is a really big week for you because of how much you like Halloween! It’s only three days before! Your mommy always loved Halloween, so of course, you and your sister love it, too.

Your mommy is used to having a birthday close to another special day because her birthday is only two days after Christmas. Lots of things happening at once.

I got a special treat for Halloween this year. I got to go trick or treating with you! Usually Nana goes out by you and I stay home to hand out candy, but this year Nana stayed home to hand out candy and went out by you.

We had such a great time! All you did was go to a few houses, and then began eating candy. You didn’t need to stock up anymore, because your sister would go to the door and the people would give her candy, and then they would see you in the wagon we pulled along, and they would give her candy for you, too! I don’t know how this set up is going to last, but you sure enjoyed it.

Well, now we have Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up. And Aunt Kelly and Uncle Sam are getting married, too. We will have so much fun!

By the way, do you have any candy left?

Love,

Grandpa

Dear Kaylee and Elise,
Guess what? Nana and Grandpa’s friends, Mike and Debee Jusko are new grandparent’s! Their son, one of your mommy’s friends, Eric Jusko, and his wife Kelsie are new parents! They had a beautiful baby girl Landri Belle.

Nana and Grandpa know Eric very well since he was a little boy and are so excited that now he is a daddy! He is always fun to play with, so Landri will get to play with him like you get to play with your daddy. Kelsie is really kind and fun, too, and will be such a great mommy. It’s always special to become a grandparent like we became when you both were born.

Now Mike and Debee will show us pictures and talk a lot about Landri because that’s part of a grandparent’s job. She is so special to them already and she didn’t have to do anything to be so special and loved! That’s how God loves us. He loves us so, so much and we don’t have to do anything about it.

That’s how God thinks of you. You are his daughters, too, and he adores you! Even more than your mommy and daddy and grandpa and nana…When you get older, you will begin to understand how that could be. In the meantime, I’ll keep giving you hugs for God…

Love,
Grandpa