I realize that sixty-three is really not all that old. However, do you know what really makes me feel downright elderly? Having our grandkids stay over.
Their energy! Their exuberance! Their flexibility! Their strength! Was I ever that young?
Grayson really wanted me to ask the guy next door if we could pet his dogs. Who could resist this face?
Work had been crazy busy last week, and at about 8:30 pm, my energy just whooshed right out of my body–especially since I had exerted so much effort in showing Noah how a pogo stick should be used. (Spoiler alert: I never accomplished even one hop.)
The kids, however, were still going strong and ready to par-taaay! Thankfully, Steve, my own personal night owl, took over and got them all settled in for a movie and then tucked into bed.
Madi slept on the couch and moved all the pillows over to the chairs. Andrew, who has always been a climber, found a great opportunity to climb the mountain and take a little nap high up in the air.
Nathan came by about 11 a.m. Saturday (Meagan is out of town), so I made lunch, and we had a mini celebration of his 36th birthday. (September 18.) Part of the celebration included Happy Birthday, played by the Smith Family Band.
Here’s a screen grab from the video of Nathan cheering them on.
They were very creative in making a keyboard stand for Madi. (The brown rocker is over a hundred years old.)
It’s always fun to see all the signs of kids on the premises.
It’s such a joy to spend time with those precious grands.
Having said that, I honestly don’t know how young parents keep up with all the things. When I see Nathan and Meagan dealing with responsibilities, kids, homeschooling, job, sporting events, church activities, housework, and everything that comes with having a young family, I wonder how they do it. And then, so often, the verse from Isaiah 40:11 comes to mind:
He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young.
I always love to think about the line, ” . . . And gently lead those who are with young,” in the context of families with young children. I know Nathan and Meagan aren’t parenting on their own. Every day they pray and ask God for wisdom and strength and patience, and every day they (and their young) are gently led.
Steve and I are so proud of them. They have faced many challenges which have drawn them closer to God and to each other. We’re thankful to have a part in investing in those four grands–even though our investment usually requires lengthy naps afterward. It’s the best kind of tired!
What about you?
What is a favorite Bible verse or quotation of yours? Why is it meaningful?
What was your favorite activity as a child/teen? What were you especially good at? (I loved tetherball and table tennis.)
Have you ever jumped on a pogo stick?
Were their ads showing up randomly on your computer?
A favorite Bible verse of mine is Philippians 4:13. This verse is meaningful to me because I often add …including whatever I am struggling with.
My favorite activity as a child/teen was reading. I used to be a voracious reader. I am not as much…too busy doomscrolling on Facebook.
I have attempted to jump on a pogo stick and a pogo ball. I do not think I was ever successful at the venture.
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Rachel,
I think anything that starts with the word “pogo” is something I need to stay away from.
Love that verse . . . and love how you add what you are struggling with to make it more personal.
I have always loved to read; books are such a gift!
Yes on ads, but I’m pretty good at ignoring them!
I’ve enjoyed reading other people’s favorite Bible verses. I’ve never been good at picking favorites.
Oh my, grandkids! I have 2, ages 8 and 11. My husband and I raised 4 kids, homeschooled, and I remind myself often that I used to just go with the flow, run all over everywhere, and the house looked in constant chaos. Now, I’m an early to bed person, with the house in order, so when the kids stay over, they know that Grandpa and Grandma are NOT late night par-taaayers, and the kitchen closes after supper. (Ok, every now and then we stretch the routine, but not by much!) I remember staying at my grandparents as a youngster, and it was interesting to be part of their calm routine. That pic of your grands, all lined up with snacks on the couch is wonderful! Bravo to Steve! And bravo to you, Becky, for taking yourself to bed!
We have a pogo stick, and I think I’ve managed a small hop, probably no “air time,” as the kids like to say.
My favorite activity as a kid was swinging on a tree swing that my dad installed on a tall maple in our woods. Also, we had an old piano in our basement. Especially as a teen, I would often go down to the basement late in the evenings and play away, while the rest of my family was upstairs watching TV.
Ann,
I lovee the idea of you down in the basement creating your music all by yourself, just alone in your creative bubble. What a great way for a teenager to spend time.
Kudos for homeschooling four kids! I did two and that felt like a lot. “Constant chaos” is probabaly the default atmosphere for a mom with young kids who are homeschooled. There are only so minutes in your day and sometimes piles of things just have to stay piled for awhile.
I’m like you–an early to bed person with the house neat and orderly. I’m so thankful Steve can handle the grands later at night when they come; I try to stay up but getting up so early and working all day pretty much makes that impossible.
It was interesting to read how you enjoyed being part of your grandparent’s calm routine as a kid. So many ways we are shaped and influenced by our grandparents!
It is GRAND to be GRAND! Looks like fun times with the Grands!
It’s hard for me to pick just one favorite verse. But one that is top on the list is the 100th Psalm. It was one of my Mom’s favs & mine too!
1 (A Psalm of praise.) Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
I was a baton twirler! My cousin gifted me one of her used batons and the local elementary school had free lessons! I was pretty good. My grands are impressed when I show them them that I can still twirl.
I was a pretty good bike rider! My brothers and I loved to ride bikes with friends/fam that lived nearby.
I tried a pogo stick once….no balance!
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I guess my post was too long – this was cut off……I was a baton twirler! I was pretty good at it. My cousin gifted me one of her batons and our local school had free classes. I loved it! I loved riding bikes with my brothers and friends when we were growing up.
Pogo stick – tried – no balance.
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Eswim,
A baton twirler!! I had a baton, too, growing up. I twirled it very badly but had a lot of fun trying. And yes, I was fortunate to live in a town small enough where we could ride bikes everywhere. Loved it.
Eswim,
I remember when I was a lot younger learning Psalm 100 as a song. I can still sing most of it and love every word of it. Thanks for including the whole Psalm; I loved reading through it in the middle of the day and being inspired all over again.
I replied to your baton twirling in another comment. 🙂
63 with that bunch is young! Im 10 years older and have just started on the grand journey! Beautiful family!
Catherine,
Hooray for starting the grand journey–no matter the age. Enjoy!
Oh your grands are homeschooled? I homeschool my son too. I have found a fantastic homeschool community in Wilmington. I hope Meagan and Nathan have had the same wonderful experience in the Charlotte area. It’s hard work for sure but also an incredible privilege to help your children learn, and watch the amazement in their face when they get excited about a new topic. Passing on my love of learning and my wonder towards this world has been one of my favorite parenting joys.
I only see one very small, and non-obtrusive, ad and it’s well below the actual blog text. I’m on an Android phone.
Ellen,
Yes, Meagan taught at a Christian academy the last two years in Charlotte but this year decided to homeschool. I also homeschooled my kids till they were 7 and 12 and I know exactly what you mean about the privilege it is to help your children learn. One of my greatest joys is that I taught them both to read.
Glad we both found joy in doing that hard, wonderful job.
I did NOT see any ads – yay!! Back in my younger days I enjoyed basketball and badmiton. Once upon a time I managed a few hops on a pogo stick. My favorite Bible verse is Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”. My favorite word in the whole verse is HOPE. To me there is such promise in that word. Have a wonderful week!
SueEllen,
You must have been in good shape to play basketball! That is a lot of running to try to get through a game. I’m always amazed by those players who just endlessly run back and forth.
I used to be good at badminton but in recent tries, it seems as though I have lost every badminton skill I had.
Yes, HOPE is a fabulous word. No matter how dark things get in life, we are never without hope. And Jer. 29:11 is also a favorite of mine.
His mercies are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness! Have a feeling the pictures are fantastic, but there is nothing on my screen, unfortunately. Our great-grand kids are about 40 min. away, but their Nana (our daughter) is a little closer and does not have a full time job, so she is able to do the babysitting. I liked playing with my dolls and marbles. Beat most of the boys! No ads popping up, just no pictures!
Sharyn,
So sorry you didn’t see any pictures. Was it just a glitch and they have shown up since then?
LOVE that verse and I think about it frequently when I get up. His mercies ARE new every morning. What a hope to hang on to.
Your comment about marbles reminded me I used to play; I had forgotten about that! Good for you for beating the boys.
My favorite verse is Isaiah 55 12-13 I just think it is beautiful to think of the earth rejoicing.
I was never good at sports, but always enjoyed playing outside. I always wanted a pogo stick, but when I finally got to try one as an adult I was in the same boat as you and never got it to bounce.
I read the post on email, but did see ads while I was typing a comment.
Patti,
I remember singing that verse in church as a kid. As soon as I saw the words, I started singing it in my head. 🙂 I love the idea of the earth rejoicing.
Yeah, a pogo stick looks really easy when a 12-year old is on it but it’s a whole other deal when you try it for yourself.
Thanks for the ad report; I think they got most of the ads deleted.
I’ve never jumped on a pogo stick but I sure would love to give it a try! It may not turn out favorably for me but you don’t know if you don’t try. I never knew anyone with one. My mom probably appreciated that. Heh heh.
I really liked playing table tennis as a kid. We’d have tournaments at the family reunions. So much fun!!!
I love that your grands love to play music together! That’s awesome! Great times, great memories too.
No ads until I was done reading and then done replying.
LeeAnne,
I have always loved table tennis and back in the day was quite good. I would have fit right in at your family reunions!
That’s funny that you never knew anyone with a pogo stick. I wasn’t sure if they were very popular/well known, or not.
Thanks for the ads report; very helpful!
Isn’t it wonderful to get those grands anytime you want? We have a two year-old grandson and anytime we get him, we are reminded that we are not young people anymore. He is precious but exhausting! I love this stage of life where I get to do all the fun things and his parents are responsible for the heavy lifting. It’s a blessing to get a front row seat to watch your children parent. I am so proud of my daughter and her husband as I watched them figure things out. They are so good to ask for and take advice from both sets of parents. I love seeing my parenting played out through her life as a mom. She has some of the same rules for Davis that we had for her.
I had a pogo stick as a child and was pretty good on it. I would never even attempt to jump on one today. You are a braver woman than I.
Lisa,
So true. Grands are delightful but quite tiring.
Our kids are the same way as far as being willing to ask for/listen to advice. The agreement is, of course, that they can take it or leave it, but I love that they seek out wisdom from us oldsters.
I love that seeing your daughter raise kids makes you proud. Few greater joys than that.
And hooray for pogo-sticking!
As a single Mom, I held tight to Jeremiah 29:11-13. At 70, I still do. Swimming, ice skating, tennis, roller skating, bike riding, judo then jujitsu, racquetball. Yes, I’ve done a pogo stick, but not as an adult, lol! Kudos to you, Becky!!! I did try a skateboard as an adult. One time only.Yes, some ads have popped up.
Guerrina,
Wow. You have done a bunch of active stuff in your life! Sounds like you were quite the athlete–and very possibly still are because seventy is not very old. In fact, it gets younger and younger. 🙂
God bless single parents. I think about them so often and the challenges of raising children alone. I can only imagine how you held on tight to that verse and I can understand why you still do. Some verses carry us through our whole lives. Hugs.