My Blessings: My Grandchildren

In His infinite wisdom, God didn't endow me with good teeth or great beauty or a lot of hair, but He did give me something more precious:  grandchildren that I adore.  And this past week, I had them here with me, on my turf, doing what we do best (which isn't always conducive to the lives that "tweens" like to live), but it worked for me!

The children spend the summer with their mother (my daughter), but live primarily with their father the rest of the year (with allowances for weekends and holidays, etc., with mom)--all in far-northern Illinois.  This summer, their father's side of the family was having a family reunion here in Plainfield where I live, so it was arranged for the kids to be at the reunion last weekend, then spend the rest of the week here with me while dad and stepmom took a vacation trip alone together.  Our week together ended yesterday when we met mom and stepdad in Merrillville, IN (just before the Chicago area in northern Indiana) for a late lunch.  In retrospect, I look back at all that the kids/we did while here.  This is the run-down:

Friday and Saturday:  Family reunion.
Sunday:  Lunch at a Japanese steakhouse with the Heffelman family, complete with fancy knife-work and fellowship.
Also Sunday:  Children delivered to me when father and stepmom took off on their trip; kids and I ate a nice supper at the other grandparents' house and played cards with the cousins.
Monday:  Robin went to the Children's Museum of Indianapolis with Aunt Ann and Uncle Eddie and cousins, while Ryan stayed home with me.  He and I went shopping to buy him new soccer cleats and shin guards, etc.  Kids went swimming with the cousins at the cousins' motel in the evening.  (Robin got to see the Chinese Terra Cotta Warriors that are making their only debut in the US this year at the CM.  I think she is aware of how special that is.  She has talked about it a lot.)
Tuesday:  State Fair with Grandma Judy and Aunt Ann, Uncle Eddie, and cousins.  Big day!
Wednesday:  Took Robin shopping at Hot Topic as her birthday present.
Supper at McDonald's, then went swimming at Splash Island.
Thursday:  Robin went to the park on her own twice, looking for other kids.  Ry stayed here with me.
Friday:  Not much went on.  We did go to Orange Leaf (frozen yogurt place) for a treat.  
Saturday:  Kids went to a ceramic painting place with Grandma Judy.  They picked out something to paint for $5.  The finished product will be glazed and heated in the kiln, then returned to us to be shipped up to them in a week.  Then all of us had pizza with the grandparents Heffelman.
Sunday:  Packed for the trip home, but first a trip to Five Below to spend a little money!  Drove to Merrillville, IN, to meet their mom and stepdad who were only there about three minutes before we pulled in.  (Are we good or what??!)  Ate at Golden Corral, made the kid trade, and departed for our respective homes.  All's well that ends well.  I miss them already!!

We won't talk about how much all of that activity costs!  I'm not flush with money, and I had to dip into savings some, but my thoughts on that are this:  I am not with my grandchildren often these days. I live modestly and have nothing on which to splurge, except for them.  I've been told that I spoil them.  So??  That's my job!  If my grandbabies go home feeling good about being with Grandma Peggy, spoiled or not, I'm okay with that.  I can't throw money at them because I have no money to throw, but if they are given opportunities that will last them awhile, I'll find the funds!

I am grateful to the other grandparents, Judy and Phil, who did all they could to keep the kids amused and happy, and delighted that Robin and Ryan are so much more civilized than they used to be.  In spite of the fact that I no longer have the energy or strength to do the things that I used to be able to do with them, we still endure in love.

I am so blessed!