Monthly Archives: August 2013

Grandpa Diary #11

Dear Kaylee,

Three weeks ago, today, the day you were born, is a good experiment for your mommy and daddy to understand God’s love. It goes something like this.

When you came out of your mommy’s womb, those first few moments for your mommy and daddy were filled with:

terror- is everything going to be alright?

ecstatic joy- most exciting feeling ever

confusion- now what are we supposed to do with this tiny creature?

wonder- how can anything be so perfect as this?

But, most of all, what filled your daddy and mommy down to the bottom of their hearts into the depths of their souls is this-

love…

Kaylee, you didn’t do anything, but appear. You took your first breaths, wiggled for the first time, and made your first sounds, but that’s it. Guess what?

Your mommy will never love you any more than on that day. Same for your daddy.

Your mommy will never love you any less than that day. Daddy, too.

And you didn’t do a thing…

Why is this?

You can thank God.

The love your mommy and daddy had for you when they saw you for the first time is based on what God put into them when He made them. It is a love that doesn’t depend on anything you do or don’t do. It is a love that can’t be earned. It is a love that is based on the simple fact that you are Kaylee. Your mommy and daddy love you exactly who you are and nothing will ever make them love you more or less than on that day, July 12, 2013.

This is helpful for you to remember when you get to spend more and more time getting to know God. He is your loving Father in heaven who loves you exactly as you are because you are Kaylee. Nothing you do or don’t do is ever going to change His love. You don’t need to earn His love so you don’t have to try. You are his precious daughter and he adores you always. Never more or less that at this specific moment. God the Father loves like that.

And God is so smart that he wires mommys and daddys to love the same way. They just have to keep remembering what it was like that first day they saw you face to face.

There she is…Our precious Kaylee!

Love,

Grandpa

Grandpa Diary #10

 

Dear Kaylee,

I got to spend much time with you last night at your new house. You live 40 minutes away during traffic time and I am already used to that. You are a real squirmy wormy always stretching and looking around. I like to call you, “woodpecker” because when I am hugging you to my shoulder, you will lift your head back, and then, “boom!” it crashes back to my shoulder. I say you are exercising and making your neck stronger. Your mommy says you are looking for me to feed you, but, sorry, that’s not going to happen until you start using a bottle. So, you just keep on pecking away…

Guess who has come to visit? Our niece, Elizabeth, is out here from Wisconsin. She is your Great-Uncle Jon’s daughter, and she is your mommy’s friend. She was in your mommy’s wedding, so she is glad to see your mommy and daddy again, but now it’s not for a wedding, it is a little over a year and a half later and she gets to see her new second cousin!

Kaylee, there are a lot of names for people who are related to you. This is part of the extended family that I told you about last time. We use words to describe who is who. But, more than that, it tells you where you come from. I don’t mean your mommy’s womb, but there is history to every family and extended family…We are not isolated; we are part of something larger than ourselves.

So, for instance, you will not understand now, but some day when you look at baby pictures you will see that you are dressed in a Green Bay Packer onesie. That’s because you have your Hanson side and Elizabeth is a huge Packer fan, as well she should be. Now, you will also learn about your USC Herman side, too.

This will be confusing, but some day it will all make sense…and Kaylee, in your baby sighs, gurgles, and squeals, you are speaking a primordial language that if translated would say,

“I love my mommy.”

“I love my daddy.”

and…

“Go, Pack, Go!”

Love,
Grandpa

Grandpa Diary #9

Dear Kaylee,

Grandma and I went on a camping trip with some friends, and we drove back from far away and were tired and needed to just get home and relax. We didn’t even stop and eat anywhere. But, we were driving past where you live, so…

Of course, we were stopping! We hadn’t seen you for four days! Funny, how we weren’t tired anymore when we pulled up to in front of your new house and got to see you. We even had friends Mac and Donna stop, too. They hadn’t seen you, yet.

Grandma, got to hold you first (the way it should be), then Donna, then Mac said he didn’t want to hog you and so he would defer from holding you, but Grandma handed you over to him anyway, and boy did he like that! It was fun watching friends enjoy holding you, because you bring love out with everyone. You are not just part of our family, you are part of our extended family, too. This means you have many people who love you and pray for you, even though they don’t live with you.

God designed us to live in extended family, called, “tribe,” in the early days of His people and then later, called, “Oikos,” or “household.” There are going to be many, many times in your life that you are going to be blessed because your mommy and daddy are loved by so many people, too. We all will be there to care for you, encourage you, and watch God grow you. You are a part of us all, now.

And it just so happens you are the cutest part…

Love,

Grandpa

Grandpa Diary #8

Dear Kaylee,

A lot of firsts today (7/23). It was the first time I drove with you in a car. I am in the back seat with you, and your mommy is driving. You were fussy, and started that little Kaylee cry. I thought your mommy was going to start crying, too. Now mommy’s, especially new one’s, are kind of sensitive when they hear their babies cry. They might even start crying themselves! People call that “hormones,” but I call it a “loveache.” If your mommy thinks you are hurt or even uncomfortable, she is going to hurt, too. On the inside.

I hear from the front seat, “Daddy, could you do something?” You are in a car seat, so I can’t take you out. I know just what to. I slipped my grandpa hand underneath you just where there is already a perfect grandpa spot on your back where my hand fits. You settled down fast. Actually, very peaceful…That was good because your mommy needed to pay attention because-

the side of the road was on fire!

Kaylee, this is California and it is dry and depending on where you are, it is ready to burst into flames!

California is such a beautiful place with such wonderful weather- we are willing to take a lot of grief…

As we watch the fire on the side of the freeway, there are very skilled firefighter’s who put the fire out and get things rolling again. I thank God for their courage which comes from Him, because they wouldn’t just naturally face danger in this way. No matter how much they were paid.

Another first, of course, is you get to see your new home. O, my, do you have a wonderful house! Starting tomorrow, you will live there. So, what does this mean?

First, Kaylee, everyone says that your mommy and daddy’s generation for the first time in American history, will not do as well as their parents. But if your house is any indication, your mommy and daddy are doing just fine. Your house is huge! Way bigger that the house where your mommy grew up. You will get to know that house, because that’s where Grandma and I still live.

Kaylee, it doesn’t matter how big your house is though, it matters how big the hearts are that live in the house. And I know something about your house already. Starting tomorrow, when you move in, it will be a house full of love. How could it not be that? Kaylee will be there and she brings love to everyone around her…

Now, let me tell you something special. When you go out in your backyard you will see that you have birch trees and I love birch trees. Your grandma and I come from birch tree country. When I saw that you have birch trees in your yard, a little bit of my childhood came back and made me smile. Those are the trees you will be playing under. Those are the trees you will be dreaming under…

I will tell you right now (and I am praying right now that it will happen) that if I were you, I would start looking up to the sky through those branches every chance you have…You will always see the same thing…Through those trees you will see light…sunlight, moonlight…a light that brings life…reminding you…Kaylee, you are not alone, you will never be alone because- God is everywhere. He surrounds you   . And he loves you a billion trillion times more than Grandpa does. Even more than your mommy and daddy love you. How can anyone love you more than mommy and daddy??

Well, your mommy and daddy are the first and strongest sign of just how much God does loves you…You see, you are His little Kaylee, too.

Love,

Grandpa

Grandpa Diary #7

Dear Kaylee,

Grandma and I celebrated our 27th wedding anniversary this weekend. Your Grandma is beautiful and smart and strong and good, but I will let you in on a little secret. One of the main reasons I asked your grandma to be my wife is because I thought she would be a great mommy. Guess what? I was right! Your grandma is an amazing mommy and you’ll really get to know this because your mommy learned how to be a mommy mainly from grandma.

We learn most of what we know from modeling when it comes to being a mommy and daddy. That’s a fancy way of saying we watch our mommy’s and daddy’s and we learn from them. Well, what Grandma learned from her mommy, your Great-Grandma Lindgren, she has passed down to your mommy, and now you get to enjoy the blessing, because Great-Grandma Lindgren wasn’t just Great-Grandma she was a great model!

We don’t pass down everything, though…We leave behind things that aren’t helpful. When your Uncle Greg and Uncle David get married some day, there will be some things I don’t want them to model from me. Sometimes I have said things that are not nice to your grandma. Over the years I have learned to not do that as much, and I always say I’m sorry, but your uncles will be better at this because I never hid from them when I said, “I’m sorry to Grandma,” and she didn’t hide saying, “I forgive you.”

You see Kaylee, moms and dad argue sometimes and children see this, so when mommy’s and daddy’s don’t apologize in front of their children, as well, the children never learn about saying, “I’m sorry,” and “I forgive you.” All they see is their mommy’s and daddy’s are arguing and that’s scary by itself. Uncle Greg and Uncle David will be better husbands because they saw their daddy is not perfect but he doesn’t try to hide that fact.

I have to admit something Kaylee. The best part of our anniversary was seeing you. Spending time with you and watching your mommy and daddy with you. Already I like to watch your mommy and daddy look at you. They have messages in their eyes that say you are beautiful, you are loved, you are precious, you bring them joy, you fill them with wonder, you are their little Kaylee. Someone once said, “The eyes are windows to the soul,” and Kaylee, when I look at your mommy and daddy’s eyes look at you, I can tell you that they love you- with all their soul.

That’s just how God wants it…

Love,

Grandpa

 

Grandpa Diary #6

Dear Kaylee,

Well, I finally got to snuggle with you again. I held you for about an hour and a half while you slept, and you opened your eyes when I shifted you to the other side of your head. You like left cheek on chest, rather than right cheek. You mommy told me to to shift you every once in a while so you wouldn’t get used to just one side. Mommys’ know, so I did.

While you were sleeping on my chest, your mommy read you my favorite book that I used to read to her. “I Love You Forever.” It was really, really, wonderful to hear my baby say these same words to her baby.

“I love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living, my baby you’ll be.” (I whispered, “my Kaylee, you’ll be,” to myself.)

The book was extra special because your mommy just got a package with many children’s books that your Great Uncle Mark had at his home. It has been a very say time for all of us because Uncle Mark got really, really sick, and died in April. We will always be sad, but we have peace and joy knowing he is fully healed and living with Jesus. Everytime we read those books to you, and you read them, it will be like your Great Uncle Mark is reading them to you, too.

When you were born, it was extra special for your Grandma Hanson, because she is so very sad about her brother she loves so much. My heart hurts lots, so I can’t imagine how much she hurts. But, when you came into our world fully, only one week ago today, I saw joy come into her eyes and shine on her face, such as I haven’t seen for a long time.

That’s what you are Kaylee, a heart healer.

Well, I have to go because Grandma and I are going out for dinner. It’s our 27th wedding anniversary! Next time, I will tell you all about that!

Love,
Grandpa

Grandpa Diary #5

Dear Kaylee,

Well, enough is enough! Today (7/17/13) it will be two whole days since I have seen you:(

I want to snuggle my nose against your little neck and smell my little Kaylee…

This is not weird, as I used to do this with your mommy, too. The sweetest “baby-smell” in the world! Actually, most of us adults do the same thing if we hold babies. Either their necks or their hair, y’all just smell so fresh and clean!

When I was a little boy, your great-grandma used to smell me, and she would make these, “Sniff, sniff” sounds, and then she would say,

“Oh, it’s one of my own. Mommy knows the smell of one of her cubs!”

Great-Grandma Hanson is talking about how mommy bears like to sniff their cubs. And Great-Grandma Hanson had 5 cubs, so that was a lot of sniffing! The other four “cubs” are your great uncles: David, Steve, Jon and Andy. David is married to Shari and Andy is married to Peggy, so they are your great aunts. They are all so excited you have finally arrived!

Great-Grandpa Hanson is excited about you, too. He and Great-Grandma Hanson don’t live near us, so he has to only think of you by looking at your picture.  He lives in a place with lots of other great-grandparents and he says, “My great-granddaughter is the cutest!” He has a big picture of you that he showed to everyone and now it’s on his refrigerator with other pictures I sent. This is so he can remember his first little grandchild, Kaylee, every time he wants to get something to eat!

Great-grandma Hanson is excited and loves you, too! You are deep in her spirit and mind. I told her all about you, but she can’t really talk about you a lot, because she has a hard time remembering things. But, O, how she loved your mommy so very much and she has a shadow in her mind of her special granddaughter, Kristina, so I know that she loves you so very much, too, even if she can’t talk about it. In fact, if she were holding you right now, she might just sniff your neck and say,

“A great-grandma knows her cub!”

Love,

Grandpa

Grandpa Diary #4

Dear Kaylee,

Today (7/14/13) is Sunday and that is your grandpa’s favorite day because he gets to worship Jesus with his friends! They were all so excited to see grandma and me and congratulate us! It was fun to receive all that love, but of course, your mom did all the work…

Kaylee, I teach people about God on Sunday’s and I got to talk about you today, because you are a wonderful gift from God! I even told everyone that I know you were 7 pounds, three ounces, and 20 inches when you were born, and how I didn’t even remember your mommy’s weight and height, nor your two uncles, Greg and David! Grandma told me I better get to work and memorize my own kid’s birth statistics. She’s right!

By the way, we did not see you today. We figured since you are home now, there are people who want to visit you who didn’t get a chance when you were in the hospital. I don’t like not seeing you; it already feels kind of strange. So, I just got off the phone with your mom and told her to give you a kiss from me.

Love,

Grandpa

Grandpa Diary #3

Dear Kaylee,

Today (7/14/13) is Sunday and that is your grandpa’s favorite day because he gets to worship Jesus with his friends! They were all so excited to see grandma and me and congratulate us! It was fun to receive all that love, but of course, your mom did all the work…

Kaylee, I teach people about God on Sunday’s and I got to talk about you today, because you are a wonderful gift from God! I even told everyone that I know you were 7 pounds, three ounces, and 20 inches when you were born, and how I didn’t even remember your mommy’s weight and height, nor your two uncles, Greg and David! Grandma told me I better get to work and memorize my own kid’s birth statistics. She’s right!

By the way, we did not see you today. We figured since you are home now, there are people who want to visit you who didn’t get a chance when you were in the hospital. I don’t like not seeing you; it already feels kind of strange. So, I just got off the phone with your mom and told her to give you a kiss from me.

Love,

Grandpa

Grandpa Diary #2

Dear Kaylee,

You are beautiful. At least that’s what everybody is saying on Facebook, texts, and conversations, thus far. However, there is another side to this.

Your mom is gorgeous, but it is her “inside” beauty that matters the most. She loves God and he works through her, especially as she works with teenagers. You have a “cool” mom. If you learn from your mom, your beauty will not remain hidden, as God will find many ways to work through you, too.

Well I know you are leaving the hospital. You will have a quick trip home, but don’t get used to it because your mom and dad bought a new house up in Valencia. I will get used to that house quickly because I will be seeing you a lot!

Love,

Grandpa