Sweetness Personified

I wrote my earlier blog today about Alyssa just before we left for Church. I received the photo last evening, but waited to post. We got to Church and I casually looked at my iPhone for another reason (don't tell the Bishop) and there was a picture of our newest little granddaughter, born July 2. She is sweetness personified - but then all of our granddaughters are. That smile could melt the hardest heart, calm the strongest storm, calm the wildest wind. At least I think it could. So, as I stated in the earlier post, they grow up, but right now we need to take full advantage of Charlotte and her sister and cousins - regardless of their age. They are special spirits.

As a note to the grandsons, you are adorable too, but I just can't keep up with you. I will write about you soon!

Who Let her Grow Up?

One of the great mysteries of fathers is how their cute daughters can grow up, mature, marry, and have children. However, much as we resist it, we somehow adjust to all of those changes when the grandchildren start showing up, especially granddaughters. You know everything will be okay again, because there is another generation of little girls. In my mind I was sure these girls would never grow up. That is until now. I received the following picture yesterday from our 2nd daughter, Jeni, and it is of our oldest granddaughter on her way to a 6-stake dance (that's a church dance with hundreds of youth and you have to be 14).

I received the photo yesterday evening, took one look at Alyssa (on the left) and thought to myself, this can't be happening again. And yet it is. Grandpa's are inherently selfish when it comes to daughters and granddaughters. We love them at any age, but we remember all the sweetness of being young and while the sweetness doesn't go away, it's harder to hold them close and cuddle them. Of course, it's not like this grandpa doesn't have plenty of little girls to hug and sometimes hold, he does, but they too, all too soon become independent and while Grandpa (and of course Grandma) is still important in their lives, it's just not the same. And that is as it should be. We love them at all ages and enjoy, often vicariously, their experiences.

It's great being a Grandpa and watching your grandchildren grow up, being part of their lives, and just watching each family mature spiritually and physically. It leaves a warm glow at the end of the day.

This Week's Mail

I will be the first to admit that I'm not typically excited by the mail. In Las Vegas we receive more ads in the mail than we used to receive in the Sunday newspaper. If they were putting ads through the mail elsewhere like they do in Las Vegas the Post Office wouldn't have a budget problem and we could still send mail for 25 cents (well, maybe not).

However, I learned from my dad that he had received Allison & Mike's wedding announcement. I hadn't. Or at least I didn't think I had received it. That was Thursday evening. I came home, but it was late enough I really didn't think about the mail. On Friday morning I found it on the kitchen counter. You can see the photo above. JoAnn had gotten the mail just before she left for the temple, so she took it with her. It was great to wake up and find the invitation and photo first thing on Friday morning. It's the best mail we have received in weeks.

On the down side, now we have nothing to look forward to in the mail until that next grandchild arrives. Or unless JoAnn, or one of our children (hint) sends us a surprise. On second thought, I guess we will just have to wait until Hattie is born - and then I have to look at email, MMS, facebook, but no real mail. I guess I can live with that - as long as we get something showing the cute little girl.

Notes, Thoughts, and Mostly Ramblings

It has been a busy start to the fall semester. I feel like I've been behind since the day classes started. We have already completed week 4 - now over 25% complete - and it was the first week I was actually at work for 5 days. Between holidays and family events it has been busy.

Some random (emphasis on random) thoughts I have had over the last few days/weeks that have little or no meaning, but then again. . . .

• We are about to see the beginning of fall in Las Vegas. That means the "dog days of summer" are almost over (see photo below). If we can put 5 days together without reaching 100 degrees then I think we will officially be in fall. We are still looking forward to the day we can keep our windows open for several nights, not just one now and then.
• I've noticed that we are anxious to get past summer the way we used to be anxious to get past winter. Now winter is just a diversion from summer.
• On the positive side, we did not turn our furnace on last year until almost mid-December.
• Even in Las Vegas if I wash my car it rains. Of course a rain here may only cover 2 or 3 square blocks, but my car always seems to be in that zone.
• Ever notice how your phone rings all week long (our's does) and on the weekend no one calls because they are busy with family or football games or whatever?
• My daughters write their blogs all week, I write mine on weekends. If I write during the week it's a clear indication I've found some free time.
• It doesn't matter how much quilting material JoAnn has, she seems to need a little more. In fact today she was cleaning out her closet to make room for her new material. Plus she purchased more storage containers to put the material in. That's okay, I love her.
• She could say the same thing about me purchasing art prints, or shirts, or shoes, or ... well you get the idea.
• We are now allowed to water only 3 days a week (September & October) and it must be Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Imagine my surprise as I was sitting at the kitchen table and I heard the watering system (we use a drip line) come on this morning (Saturday). All I could see was a big fine if the water authority caught me. I ran to the garage and sure enough the "watering brain" thought it was Wednesday.

That's really about enough for now, since not much of it made sense, but gave me a chance to dodge doing work I really should be doing.

I took this photo at a scooter rally the Bradley's came down for. It speaks well for the "dog days of summer" and how we should just embrace the experience.

Pretty in Pink

Labor Day weekend we went off to Idaho to visit family and to help bless our newest addition to the McLean clan - little Charlotte Ann Bradley. It was a great trip and we had lots of fun. We got to spend time with 7 grandchildren, 3 children, 2 son-in-laws, and a soon to be sister-in-law. It was also very busy. You know you can't get Mom and 2 daughters together without there being a shopping experience, and that started on Saturday at 8 am (that would be 7 am Las Vegas time and JoAnn is not a morning person). Each evening ended with an extended family get together, talking, laughing, keeping track of the kids, and on Saturday the BYU football game (Go BYU!).

Little Charlotte (above) has lots of pink, hence the title, and I could not resist a shot of her in her pink pajamas on top of her pink pillow. Of course she is a McLean/Bradley and has an attitude, but a good one. One of the great joys of a grandparent is holding new borns. You realize just what a miracle life is, and what a joy it is to bring little children into the world.

On Sunday afternoon we were off to Church (you can read Sally and Suzanne's blogs on this) to bless Charlotte. We took up almost 2 rows with all of the family present. It is exciting to see how many family members show up for special events.

Sally and Charlotte were beautiful in their preparation for Church and the blessing. Mom and Charlotte Ann are below, all dressed up for Church and Charlotte in her blessing dress. When she was blessed she was a perfect angel. It is always a great weekend when we can spend them with our family.