Being Grandparents

 After I posted some photographs of Jim with Jamie on Facebook, one of Jim's high school classmate wrote, "Is it just me, or is it hard to believe that we are now grandparents?"  His reply: "It is not just you...but isn't it wonderful?" In the span of one week, we managed to have that wonderfulness threefold, fillings our days with all three grandchildren, the ones far away in North Carolina and the one much closer, still south from us although yet in the same state.

This week, Jim accompanied me for my Rosemary day.  Rosie, now a six-month sitting up sweetie was her normal enchanting self.  I dressed her up in a Christmas present to me from her dear mama.

 Because last post, I featured Alex, I include his brother in this post. Now all three of our grandchildren are here with us on this page, just as they were in person during the past two weeks.

Grandparenting really is the greatest thing...

Our Crazy Eight

Alexander turned eight on Friday.  Eight years old!  All boy now, he is growing and changing in delightful ways.  Possessing his own developing sense of humor, he appreciates a good joke, Grandad's sense of humor, and even Nana outsmarting him in Connect Four.  

He delights in discovering new worlds through his microscope and the pages of the chapter books he now reads silently to himself. He independently walks the short lane from the school bus to his house.  He is making a car for the pinewood derby.  Even though he wrote out the valentines for his classmates in record time (all 22 in 10 minutes he claims), he sustains lengthy telephone conversations and composes sweet and thoughtful thank you notes.

 His drawings are detailed and imaginative, summoning Richard Scarry comparisons in some of the scenes he creates.  He knows how to negotiate the iPad and Netflix with greater ease than the rest of us. He makes models and can assemble hard ones pretty quickly with only just a little help. He is a good speller, knows his math facts, and is conscientious about completing his homework. He has friends and loves to hang out with them. He is a really good big brother...

He loves surprises, even though it is still hard to wait for them. He remembers things.  He is gentle. He is loving. He is kind and loyal.  He is our first grandchild, our first grandson, and he is quite adored...

(He also generously indulged his nana by modeling, posing, and mugging for pictures with this hat, her most recent knit!)

This day

I thank you God for this most amazing day, 

for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, 

and for the blue dream of sky 

and for everything which is natural, 

which is infinite, which is yes.  

--e.e. cummings 

Creativity

"Nothing feeds the center like creative work."

--Anne Morrow Lindbergh

This photograph represents some metering work with my camera. The image was made with a spot evaluative setting at 0 compensation.  I never even knew my camera could do this, nor did I know that I could also adjust the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.  I didn't know either that all these adjustments make for better photographs in certain situations.  Can you tell I am taking a photography class?  

I have been wanting to study photography, primarily to illustrate this blog, capturing images more clearly representing things I knit and sew and the ideas I write about.  Especially during this monotone season of grey, the ability to focus on some creative pursuits is soul filling and spirit lifting.   

This week I did a little sewing and finished a prayer shawl for our church's Nicaragua medical mission team to take with them.  I attached a little gold cross to one of its tassels... 

(and here is my shawl, presented to a woman in Nicaragua on the Mission trip!)

 And, I have been reading a lot about the why and how of keeping a spiritual journal, preparing for a workshop at church today.  Snapping pictures, knitting coverings, writing in journals, and this blog all feed the yearning for creative expression and offer different ways of ordering and making sense of the world and life.  I need that.