I am not sure how it all happened. I know I was in the room when eight out of the ten of our grandbabies were born. I was there to sing Happy BIRTH day in a hushed whisper to each one of them for the first time. I took their first photographs with their Mommies and Daddies. Mommies crying tears of joy, Daddy’s cutting cords…. I took the first pictures when the older siblings met the new baby. I was there. I was. And yet……how can it all be. It seems inconceivable to me that I am 51 years old and have three WONDERFUL grown children of my own AND now have TEN grandbabies under the age of nine. What a sacred blessing it was for me to be invited into those moments. Memoires more precious than the spoken word can express. I am grateful God allowed me to be here to see it all. There was a time when I was battling cancer and wasn’t sure I would survive to see our first Grandbaby born. Not only did I live to witness the birth of Baby Benjamin, but there would be eleven more grandbabies after him. I am grateful to say I am a survivor.
It can be crazy and loud at Omie and Papa’s house. (Omie is German for Grandma).
There are almost three sets of twins between our two daughters. Each of our daughters has been pregnant and delivered three babies each and each pregnancy had been within 5 months of the other sister’s delivery. We have a set of 2 years olds, a set of 4-year-olds, two babies at the moment, and then there are three older grandchildren….. 7, 8, 9, and they have a little sister that is 2 all from our son. Life is full and happy and loud and chaotic.
At least one or two days a week you can drive by our farm and you will see all those yellow and red plastic little tyke cars left discarded in the yard, children riding tractors, bikes, or tricycles. You may see them all climbing up the two-story playhouse that I built for the first of our grandbabies about five years ago.
We have a central boiler outdoor wood burning stove, and Papa and I built a shed to store wood in. Then I built on top of that shed.
Last weekend, our playhouse received an upgrade. With the gift of two previously used slides, one normal and one of those ugly enclosed, curvy slides. Then I decided to add 8 feet on the second deck and add yet another yellow slide. So we have slides going to the east and the west. A large green enclosed slide on the backside (not visible from the road…).
When the grandchildren come for a visit, they are beyond excited about the play area. You cannot slow them down and I seriously wish I had a little copper penny for every time one of those children climb the stairs and race down a slide…..they do it hundreds of times in a day. It’s crazy all the energy they have.
I am very grateful for this piece of ground that I can be the steward of while I walk on this earth. I appreciate this wonderful farm that our children and grandchildren get to play and explore on. It wasn’t handed to us…we struggle to make the payment every month like so many people today, but I am grateful for the opportunity to wake up here every day and look out the windows at the beauty that surrounds me.