Grandkids Say the Darndest Things…
Summer is rolling by – and
we are trying to fit in all kinds of adventures and fun excursions before it is
time to go back to school. The very
rainy spring and summer, along with the crazy heat 100º heat index days has
sadly had an impact on some things.
A couple of weeks ago, my
husband and I brought the 4 grandkids back to our house so they could pick
raspberries. We were merrily singing in
the car and then we spied some ominous looking storm clouds in the sky. Ruh-roh…. As fate would have it, the rain
started pouring as soon as we climbed out of the car, which, if you have ever
hauled little kids around – you will know that it can take ten minutes for the
little darlings to shuffle their way out of the car seat and onto the surface
of Mother Earth. To say that we were bummed would be an
understatement. However, the munchkins
soon perked up when we brought them indoors, set up the little kids table and
chairs in the living room, and let them have berry shortcake with ice cream and
whipped cream. After about 5 bites,
Althea pushed the yummy treat aside and declared, “I am ready for my other
food!”
Now, let me state for the
record, that I am NOT the Betty Crocker Gaga, that’s the other Gaga, Gaga
Jill. She is a great cook and baker (as
is my Mom and my daughter). I hate the kitchen and all that it stands for. I had been patting myself on the back for
making those berry shortcakes. I sighed, rather dramatically and said, “What
other food? It’s 7:30 at night! There is no other food!”
Althea’s lips puckered and
quivered. I caved and asked, “What do
you want Gaga Pam to make for you?” She
replied, “Soup!” Mackenna and Declan
joined in the chorus and stated to chant, “Soup! Soup! Soup!” What could I do? I dragged myself out to the kitchen to make
soup. My husband was the only one who
could watch what I was doing in the kitchen.
I was clanging and banging around.
Mackenna yelled out, “We just LOVE your soup, Gaga! It’s the best!” And that’s when my husband
lost it and actually snorted out loud. I
was running the can opener, opening up 2 cans of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle
Soup! He said, “Oh yes, Gaga, YOUR soup
really is the best!” I had to
laugh. I replied, “Well, it is a lot of
hard work – but you are worth it. This
is my old family recipe – no one can make soup like me!”
At their annual 4th
of July party, Mackenna set up a lemonade stand to raise money to donate to
foster kids. She and her Mommy outdid
themselves creating this stand. And Gaga
Jill baked cookies with Mackenna and Althea to sell. Mackenna had a little money box to keep her
“paper money and coins” in. (She ended
up raising almost $130!). She was serving lemonade to her Pap Joe when Mother
Nature called. She made a mad dash up to
the house after collecting her 50¢ but before she dispensed the lemonade into
the cup. “Hold on, Pap!” she
exclaimed. “I will get your lemonade
when I get back!” He tried telling her
that he could help himself, but she insisted that he wait until she came
back. So, he did. He stood there so patiently for at least 10
minutes.
We had a photo shoot at the
lake last week. I had brought along this
enormous inflatable swan. The grandkids
were worried that the swan (and them) would be swept out to sea. Well, Althea actually stated that she wanted
to be swept out to sea. I explained to
them that we were actually on a lake and that could not happen. Mackenna proceeded to tell me how I should
position the swan on the sand. “I will
tell you what to do, Gaga” she said.
“You always do, Mac, you always do”, was my reply.
Declan, at the age of 2, is
at that age of seeing how far he can push my buttons. He’s really good at doing that, I might
add. “I need carried!”, he will wail
when we are out and about. I will argue
that I am old and tired, but his sad pleas break me down and I bend over to
pick him, and he then declares, “No, I walk!”
I ask him if he is a big boy and he will earnestly reply, “No, I am
Declan!”
Baby Ophelia is truly a
happy, smiley little girl! Althea likes
to search for music on Alexa and somehow discovered a song that asks, “Whatcha
gonna do with that big fat butt? Wiggle!
Wiggle!” Ophelia LOVES this song and
when you sing the words to her, she grins and indeed does wiggle that big booty
of hers!
I know that these precious moments with my grandkids are indeed fleeting and I am savoring our times spent together – well, except for making the soup. Hey, it’s exhausting making soup from my old family recipe!