I can't believe it came and went! It was so chockfull of so many things and we did them all in the short span when Donica was home, before flying off to Barcelona on Sunday evening.
Besides the birthday and Father's Day late celebrations, we had Nicholas for an overnight! We miss that little twerp when we're not home, so we just totally spoil him when we have him.
It's way too hot in Atlanta to play outdoors these days, so we took Nicholas bowling...a year after the last time (when split happened, remember?). What a riot!
It tickles the heck outta me to see him bowl and love it. A year ago, it was all he could do to get in two games. This year, after 2 games I asked him if he wanted to play a third? YES! What a difference a year can make. He's a bigger, stronger boy!
And just for the record, this "old lady" still knows how to bowl! My average was 144 after those 3 games. Well, that might not seem much to you but I was tickled pink. When Donica and I bowled on the same team almost 10 years ago, she says my average was 139. So there. I guess we do get better with age. HA!
After the bowling, Nicholas knew we'd hit the arcade games, just like last year. He and Donica go at it, sometimes side by side. G'ma watches and takes the pics. :)
That was Saturday morning...all 3 hours of it! Later in the afternoon we went back to Amy's for the gourmet snapper dinner she cooked for my birthday celebration. That's when she showed me the SEVEN pages (count them) of Nicholas' birthday wish-list! His first ever.
A couple weeks ago Amy told me that Nicholas started telling her what he wanted for his 7th birthday (July 12). As he rattled different things off, she told him that he needed to write a birthday wish-list. THEN when she saw how long it was, she had to tell him that just because he wished for all those things didn't mean he would get them all. She wanted to prepare him. And I piped in to tell him that Donica and I had already bought him his birthday gift before we had seen the list. So don't be disappointed, in other words!
What would we ever do without our kids and grandkids! You tell me!
So now we wait expectantly for almost a week of togetherness as a larger family in Michigan next week!
So now we wait expectantly for almost a week of togetherness as a larger family in Michigan next week!
Thanks for sharing! As always, I love seeing photos of Nicholas when I wasn't there to share in the experience. I enjoy seeing how he interacts with others and in public spaces. It's like being the perverbial fly on the wall! :-) And, of course, you know how much HE loves these times with you both. Such wonderful memories for all of you!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful family , Ginnie. I love the way you write about your grandson...the love's there for all to see.....:)
ReplyDeleteand since i wasnt around here a year back.......i went and checked out the split happened post.....as u said ...its remarkable how kids grow in a year and still stay so much the same :)
its great that u are documenting it here ......it will be a lovely gift for him when he grows up :)
Amy: Most of my posts on Nicholas are for you and the others who love him. So glad you can see him through my eyes. That's not something I ever really got from YOUR g'parents! We live in such a different world today, don't we!
ReplyDeleteMoi: I love that you said that because maybe some day when he's an adult he WILL see this and have a big smile on his face. Thanks.
It's strange, I never thought about these blogs being a document for the next generation. I wonder if they'll be around still?
ReplyDeleteI thank you for sharing too, it's so much fun to see, but not as fun as being there. That wish list sounds familiar, like toys I hear Don talking about from his kids at school.
Well it sure looks like grandma was having a good time watching grandson and also is that you next to him playing on the game machine. I have 7 grandkids and i don't get to spend any time with them, at least not as much as i would like, they all live too far away. glad that you were able to have that time with him.
ReplyDeleteGosh been yrs since i bowled, average used to be 199 but then i bowled at least 6 times a week. also worked at the bowling alley.
thanks for sharing
Ruth: Don't you wonder, indeed, what technology will be like when Nicholas is older! It was a new idea for me, as well, to think of this blog as an Archive for him of his childhood. I like that!
ReplyDeleteL&N: No, that's Donica in the pic. I was the one taking the photo. :) I can't imagine having 7 g'kids or having them live far away. But actually, my 2 kids lived far away from theirs, so maybe that's why we spoil Nicholas so much. :) And that is quite a bowling average. OMG! You can be proud of that!!!
Awesome 144!! I played once in a league 12 years ago and when I started my average was a humble 97. By the end of the season, my average went up to 134. I got Most Improved. I think I've only played once since then so I'm sure my average is back down to around 100.
ReplyDeleteYea, it's great to see the development over one year and sometimes you feel older when realizing how they grow - but also happy for their improvement. And your so right: what do we do without them!
ReplyDeleteWooow, an average of 144 - I feel lucky if I go over 100!
What a lovely wish list - hope he are able to show it to a lot and lot of people:-)
Mad: HA! Well, now I DO feel pretty good. I think it must have been beginners luck again. :)
ReplyDeleteRenny: We just love to spoil that kid. I could eat him up! Wouldn't it be fun to get a league of bloggers to bowl together?! :)
Wow, what a great report from Nicholas visit (my second son is named Niklas;D ).
ReplyDeleteSorry, we miss the oportunity to go to Mi this year, but i wish all the very best for your family when up there at the family place.
That's a very handsome youg grandson you have, and I'm so glad that he comes to stay with you at every opportunity.
ReplyDeleteIs it as hot there as it is here? 34C here today. And I went to the gym to work out.... I must be mental.
Oh, I love that list. My son just pulled out his Yu-Gi-Oh! cards the other day and started sorting through them, which is amazing, considering he is allergic to anything that seems like organization.
ReplyDeleteLooks like that Nicholas is a smart little cookie, too, with very neat handwriting and attention to detail.
Just look at his wonderful handwriting. And I LOVE his birthday list(s)! A boy who really knows what he wants, eh? And guess what, I can identify every single thing on there, in fact I think we have aquired every single thing on there over the years. :-)
ReplyDeleteP.S. No computer problems on this side, but the weather is very strange and I'm dropping things like crazy!
Tor: I'm sorry we'll miss seeing you in Michigan this year as well, but maybe next year?!
ReplyDeleteEx-S: HA! It always feels hot here in the summer, even if it's only 80, so it must be the humidity! We DO try to get Nicholas every chance we get. He's with his dad every other weekend, and then we're often in A'dam when he's with Amy. So we don't always have the options we'd like. But we just make it more special when we have him then!
Karen: HA! It's fun to see you a bit ahead of us and find out the similarities. And oh yes, Nicholas is so attentive to detail that sometimes he'll take forever to get something done, even at school!
Christina: Awww. Yes, he clearly knows what he wants. So funny. We never did this when WE were kids! Did you??!! Glad you're not having computer problems right now. I think we're making up for you!
Oh, I love the list, you have to keep that one! And you really do spoil, playing those "awful" video games. Glad Donica likes it!
ReplyDelete