Why I love grandparents

Grandpa Wilson

Grandpa Pratt (thanks Ernie for the picture!)


I feel very fortunate to have all four of my grandparents alive and living very close to me. Although I don't get to see them as much as I want to or should, I still love the time that I get to spend with them. I feel as though much of what they say is always profound enough to be written down in a book to be remembered forever. The advice they give is as precious as scripture to me. I can remember one time when I was maybe 16 years old, I was really struggling with a lot of things (oh, the dramatic life of a 16 year old!), particularly my self-worth and the way other people treated me and felt about me. I was in desperate need of a Priesthood blessing, and my dad was out of town on business. Actually, it was right around when September 11th happened, because I remember he was stuck in Florida, unable to fly out. I was distraught and felt very alone. My mom had the idea to call my grandpa Pratt. Without any hesitation, he was over at our house, sitting next to me, arm around me, and having what he would call a "hearts to hearts."
In the Pratt family, "hearts to hearts" is a tradition that I cherish with...well,all my heart! When we were little, all the grand kids would scurry to gather on Grandma and Grandpa Pratt's big water bed with the silky blue quilt. My grandpa would call out "whoever's last is a dooflunkie!" Now, I don't know any better now than I did then what a "dooflunkie" is, but I do know that I never hope to find out! When we were all cuddled up on the bed, Grandma and Grandpa Pratt would hug us and tell us stories of when they were growing up and we would wiggle and giggle to our heart's content. I have very fond memories of these "hearts to hearts" and sometimes, when I'm lucky, I still get to have this special time with Grandpa and Grandpa Pratt, only this time it's usually more personal, because I don't think their water bed could handle all of us cousins all grown up anymore!
That night when Grandpa came over to visit and to give me a blessing, I poured my heart out to him. There were lots of tears on my part, but my grandpa sat there through it all, hugging me and telling me everything would be alright. He used that situation to bear his testimony of the Savior to me, and I remember very vividly, for the first time in my life, really beginning to understand the Atonement and the love the Savior had for me. My grandpa gave me a very profound blessing that night. To this day, I remember little of what was actually said, but I do remember the way I felt. I have never felt so immediately calm and at peace in my entire life than I did at that moment, sitting in that chair in the middle of the room, my grandpa's worn but strong hands placed upon my head. Whenever I am having a hard day or am in a difficult situation, I still remember that almost tangible feeling of loneliness and pain leaving almost immediately and being replaced with love and warmth. I remember feeling that I was not alone, nor would I ever be alone, and that it was up to me to turn to the Savior for comfort. I have used the lesson I learned that night time and time again throughout my life.
Today, we received a letter in the mail from Jason's Grandpa Wilson, explaining to us the importance of paying our tithing and being prayerful in these sometimes difficult financial times. It was a seemingly simple letter, but it touched our hearts to have his testimony written out, allowing us the opportunity to read it over and over. It made me realize how wise grandparents really are, and prompted me to record my thoughts somewhere so that I would be able to remember the deep impact having faithful grandparents has had on my life and the lives of my family.
Three of Jason's grandparent's have passed on, and I knew two of them only briefly, but Jason still shares stories about them with me, and through those stories I feel as though I do know them, and am incredibly grateful for the example that they set for us and our children.

Vacay?

I don't know if it's the constant sickness that's been going around, the dark and dreary weather outside, or the fact that Jason has been studying and taking finals for the past 3 weeks(...wait..Jason... that's his name right? Sometimes I forget because I never see him!), but I would just like a good old fashioned VACATION. To where, you ask? For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to visit Greece - Santorini to be exact. There is no particularly good or intriguing reason why I'd like to go there, other than the fact that it looks absolutely stunning in pictures.
Case in point:




So, who's with me?

Reagan's numbers

Today she had her belated 9 month doctor appointment. It was uneventful as most doctor appointments go, but hearing how tall she is and how much she weighs is always fun. Looks like we may not have a 6 footer on our hands after all, but she most surely will be taller than me at some point.
Her height is 30 1/8 inches. Still a big tall girl.
Her weight is 21 lbs even.
Her head circumference is 45 3/4 cm. A nice, big head? Still confused about the mandatory head circumference measurements.
Also she may have some allergies. DUMB!
Someone tell me why I, one who has NO allergies and who will eat ANYTHING, has a baby who has sensitive skin and eyes and is such a picky eater??
Oh wait, I do recall about two years in my life growing up that I would only eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I guess it takes a few years for a more adventurous and mature palette to develop.

Copy Cat

After a week of questioning whether or not this "mom" thing was all it was cracked up to be (sick baby, sick me), we have had the best past couple of days. I forgot how much fun and how smart Penny is. It will never cease to amaze me how smart babies are and how quickly they learn new things. Every time she learns a new "trick," she will be so proud of herself. I will say "yaaaaaaay Reagan!" and she will just grin from ear to ear, clap her hands, and squeal. Why can't I be this amazed when I do something as simple as standing up for a few seconds without falling? Haha, I have a lot to learn. Maybe I'll go put in yet another load of laundry and then take a few moments to congratulate myself by clapping?
Anyway, lately, Reagan's favorite thing has been "copying" whatever we say or do. Her favorites are waving, clapping, dancing (the usuals), but lately she has started to repeat what we say. We are currently learning what sounds animals make and she thinks it's hilarious to listen to me do the sounds and then impersonate me. Our current favorite is a bird "cheep cheep!" and a cow "moooooooo." Something SO FUNNY about those two sounds, apparently. The only one she has down so far is a dog. She claims they say "whoo, whoo" which is totally fine by me because even I can't keep straight what they are saying these days. Bark? Woof? Ruff? Bow-wow...seriously? Bow-wow? (anyone catch the Brian Regan reference?)
Today, we were driving home from running errands and to keep her happy in the car, I was saying "I love you" over and over to her and what do you know? She said it right back! My jaw dropped. Her version was slightly imperfect in pronunciation but perfect in everything else: "yai yuh yoo!" I kept saying it over and over just to be told that I was loved over and over. I was amazed - it was truly a defining moment in my short life as a mom. No, she probably doesn't understand what it means just yet, but hearing those words come out of her mouth was the sweetest sound I have ever heard. I wished that I had some way of recording it. I'll work on that.
Jason has had fun with her new "copycat-ing" and likes to make her say "da-da" in a big manly, robust voice over and over. I wish that I had video of both of them doing this today because Jason was even funnier to watch. He was standing there and would throw a fist up in the air and say (or rather, growl, as you will hear) "DA-DA!" and she would say it back, hand motions and all. This isn't the best video because I always end up remembering that I should record these moments too late but it's still pretty funny. OH, and I apologize for Jason saying "oh...she's pooping" about halfway through the video. It's actually probably the most amusing part of the video but, just do me a favor and ignore that part. Not one of her most "lady-like" moments. HOWEVER, it is a moment that is to be rejoiced in our house because it doesn't happen often enough...my poor, sweet, irregular little girl. Enjoy.

Jason apologizes for his scary voice. You may want to turn your volume down.

Scary

One time we did this thing online where you upload a picture of yourself and your significant other and it generates an exact replica of what your future babies will look like...

A startling resemblance, isn't it? Actually, I can't even tell if it's a boy or a girl. Funny, we actually have the same problem with Reagan and people mistaking her for a boy. Maybe it's just in her genes!

Blackmail?

Some time ago Jason scanned a bunch of his old family photos onto our computer. I have been wanting a reason to post some because they are so fun to look at and yes...I do have some blackmail! Mostly of Jason - go figure. I'll refrain from blackmailing this time until I can think of a good legitimate reason to blackmail him...any ideas? In the meantime, I thought this picture was great. It's Jason (on the right), his dad, and his brother, Chas, at an Angels game. Jason was just talking the other day about his memories of going to baseball games with his dad. This picture has such a nostalgic feel to it. I can almost smell the popcorn and hear the crowd cheering...

A Special Day

Tomorrow (Wednesday...yes, I am up late) is my mother-in-law, Lynn's, birthday. She is one of those people that will never get older - she is very hip, has the best sense of humor, always looks elegant and put-together, is intelligent, and just has a great attitude about life. The thing I love most about her is that she raised my husband and helped him become the great man that he is today. In fact, she raised all of her children that way and I think that is one IMPRESSIVE accomplishment. Whenever I think of my future, I like to think that I will have raised my children to become successful, happy people the way she has. The only thing that I think she has done wrong as a mother is let Jason do this:

Which, I think she would argue was not so much her fault as it was a teenage boy's bad decision-making skills in the first place!
I also know how much Jason loves her. He loves talking on the phone to her and could probably talk to her for hours if she let him! I know he considers her to be one of his best friends because he is always anxious to talk to her whenever he has to make a big decision or tell her about something important. She is so fun and makes us laugh a lot. Her laugh is contagious!
Mom/Lynn/Grandma Lynn or "Grandma Yin" as some of the grandkids like to call you, we hope you have the best birthday on Wednesday and that it is full of contagious laughter and smiles. We love you so much.