Tag Archives: Grandpa Diary

Grandpa Diary #101

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Dear Elise,

It was so much fun to be with you at a time I didn’t know you would be there. Uncle David and I went to see your Uncle Matt play lacrosse at his high school. Grandma was there with Aunt Kelly and Sam, Aunt Kim, and then, what a surprise, you and your sister with your mommy and daddy!

It was a real kick seeing you getting passed around like a little package to everyone who was there in the stands. Then, when it was my turn, I was really excited to hold you because I didn’t bring a jacket and you were my mini-warmer!

Love,

Grandpa

Grandpa Diary #98- Grandpa Blogger

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my little hobbit

Dear Kaylee,

You and Grandpa went on our first hike in the woods. This is a creek bed where the Los Angeles River actually begins. I had so much fun teaching you about woods, paths, trails, and fields. This wooded area is right below high rocky hills and so we had the chance to talk about Jesus living in an area just like this in Nazareth. He would have hiked and played in the woods, too!

I knew if I gave you a walking stick you would pick it up instantly by watching Grandpa with his stick. Then a man came by with a hiking stick, too, and you said, “Him has a stick like me.”

You found many small pebbles you wanted to choose special for mommy, daddy, nana, grandma, and aunts and uncles. By the time you were done your little pockets were full and you had to put them in Grandpa’s pack!

I knew you would be interested in going on a hike, I just didn’t know how far to take you. There are some pretty step parts of the trail. Well, you did it. We hiked over three miles! Of course we do that at the zoo, as well, so I should’t be surprised.

I can’t wait to go again, my little hobbit!

Love,

Grandpa

Grandpa Diary #97- Grandpa Blogger

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Kaylee and Elise Grandpa Blogger

 

Kaylee,

I know you are growing up quick, but I know something else. You want your sister to grow up quicker. You try to give her cups of tea, you dance around her when she is laying on the floor, and now with her new jumper, you are trying to get her to play with the toys surrounding her.

Kaylee, Elise will get there soon! You are going to have so much fun doing so many things with your sister, but in the meantime, you get to learn something Grandpa continues to learn:

Patience.

So, keep talking to Elise, read her a book, show her fun toys, let her hold your “lovey” once in a while, and most of all, keep hugging her and kissing her because she really loves that!

Love,

Grandpa

Grandpa Diary #96- Grandpa Blogger

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Elise GrandpaBlogger

Dear Kaylee and Elise,

Nana and I get to take care of you on different days and we love it. You both bring so much joy in different ways.

Elise, this is the time where you are learning to smile. Just last week, you smiled at me for the first time when I walked up to you. I didn’t even have to get the ball rolling with my sing song Grandpa talk!

Kaylee and the Komono

Kaylee, the zoo is becoming a regular place for us. We have down our routine about seeing the animals and avoiding the “snakes, lizards, and dark places.” Imagine my surprise when you asked me to see the lizard recently. All on your own and you picked the Komodo Lizard of all things!

Can’t wait to think of what is going to happen next with you two…

Love,
Grandpa

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Grandpa Diary #70

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Dear Kaylee,

We had fun the other night when your mommy and daddy celebrated their third anniversary. They went to a restaurant called “Salt Creek Grille,” where they had delicious steak. You and I spent the night running around your house and reading your books. The highlight for me was when it was time for you to go to bed. Grandpa has never put you to bed at night before and so I haven’t watched you brush your teeth. You did a great job!

Grandpa brushes his teeth a lot and enjoys having that clean mouth feeling. Our teeth are very important to us. We both love to eat!

Love,
Grandpa

Grandpa Diary #49

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Dear Kaylee,

What an exciting day this is turning out to be! It is St. Patrick’s Day, which is a special day when we remember a pastor like Grandpa who did many brave things so he could teach people about how much God loves them. His name was Patrick. Some of the people he taught, taught other people and they told more people about Jesus, and one of them, Boniface, showed the German people God’s love, and because you are part German, you can trace your Christian family tree back to St. Patrick!

This is a lot of people for over 1000 years who love you enough to keep bringing the joy of God. Now you have it, too!

It is also an exciting day because you were at our house with your mommy and we had a big earthquake! We haven’t had one of those in a loooong time. I was holding you when the earth went,

“BOOM! Rattle, rattle…”

You just looked at me and started laughing because Grandpa shakes you once in awhile, like we are on a boat, so I guess you thought we were sailing…

We stood under a center doorway and your mommy and Nana were laughing, too, because you were laughing. Right away, your mommy wanted to make sure she was hugging you lots.

Kaylee, we have earthquakes where you live. In fact the second strongest earthquake ever recorded (measured by total energy released in smallest area) was back when your mommy was a little girl. It was called the “Northridge Quake” and the epicenter was about two miles from our house.

Yes, we were in the same house! You and your mommy had your first earthquakes in the same house. Now, this morning it was scary and rumbly but nothing fell over around us. The Northridge earthquake was shaking everything and it was like a train was coming through our house, with loud noise and everything! Fortunately your mommy was laying next to me because she had waken up a bit earlier and wanted to snuggle. So when the shaking started, I put her under my arm and ran to the dining room and put her under the table, so I could run back and get one of her brothers. Nana had her other brother. I remember your mommy was saying,

“Shaky, Daddy, shaky! Shaky, Daddy, Shaky!”

We all stayed under that big table for awhile. We pretended we were camping…

So, Happy St. Patrick’s Day, Kaylee, and Happy First Earthquake Day!

Love,
Grandpa

Grandpa Diary #48

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Dear Kaylee,

How exciting to have your mommy’s grandma out to visit! Since your mommy’s mommy is “Nana,” your great grandma is “Nana G.” Just like a rapper…

It is so much fun watching you interact with all these special women in your life. Your joy and their joy grows and this is so important for you, your family and, actually, for the world.

You see, Kaylee, you get to take on the same key role your mommy, Nana, and Nana G. have in their lives. “Joyful daughters.” I am reading a book (Joy Starts Here) about how joy is wired into our brains and how being a “joy starter” is what we do when we follow Jesus together. Jesus said his teaching on earth was so we could be filled with his joy and spread joy (John 15:11). Here is where you come in, Kaylee. I am quoting from the book:

“Joyful group identity grows where there is regard for the weak. One of the best tests for a joyful group identity is a high concentration of hopeful daughters. More gentle protector skills pass from one generation to the next through daughters than any other way. Joyful little girls who love the way that babies, women, mothers and wives are treated by both men and women in their culture will look forward to starting joyful families of their own. Hopeful daughters will grow a joyful generation and joyful group identity…Hopeful girls will raise hopeful families (p. 79).”

Well, Kaylee, Grandpa’s little joy starter, you sure are off and running!

Love,
Grandpa

Grandpa Diary #46

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Dear Kaylee,

It takes a big wardrobe to hang around with you lately. On Grandpa Day, Friday, you spit up about six times. Your eating now involves a variety of foods and so there is a variety of color available for your natural art…

You had to wear three different outfits. Nana had to change her clothes once and Grandpa twice. I thought we were doing a Katy Perry concert around here for awhile with all the costume changes!

I think part of the challenge is Grandpa likes to lift you up and put your tummy on the top of his head, then wiggle you around. That and bouncing you on my knee. And dancing with you. And rolling around on the floor.

OOOh, maybe it’s not so much a food issue…

Love,
Grandpa

Grandpa Diary #44

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crawling

Dear Kaylee,

Come on now. Grandpa goes out of town for one day and you go ahead and start crawling. What’s with that?

Nana gets to see you crawl and I get a picture and a video. O, well. You are really moving now. In my head, I was hearing the song, “Going Mobile,” by The Who, as you are moving about, but boy, that really dates me.

Then I just saw you on Facetime and you were crawling backward. Instead of the “Moonwalk,” you were doing the “Mooncrawl.” I would start humming “Bille Jean,” but that would date me again, so I will just say it is hilarious watching you and keep working on that core strength!

Love,
Grandpa

Grandpa Diary #43

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Dear Kaylee,

Well, you sure are exploring now. When we put you on the ground on a blanket, you start moving in the “roll and scooch” method. Nana said you rolled over to the Entertainment Center and then couldn’t roll anymore, but you kept trying rather than roll back. You’ll get the hang of it.

My favorite picture of this, though, is what I call, “The roll, scootch, Oh Oh!” You see in the picture that you scooched under your jumpy thingy and were trapped. Love the look on your face.

“Hey, Nana, what the heck? How did I end up here?”

Nana just started laughing at you and you laughed back. Here’s the thing. You will “roll and scooch” a lot in your life. We call this “exploring” and “stretching,” like I talked about before. But, the most important thing to remember is this…

Your mommy and daddy and the rest of us are there with you as you explore and stretch. Your heavenly daddy is with us, as He is with you, too. God adores you more than the rest of us a trillion times over. You will understand that. In the meantime, we all will be there and make sure that if you feel, “trapped,” freedom is as close as our love for you.

Carry on scoocher…

Love,
Grandpa