These are my grandchildren. [Click on photo to enlarge]
The photo is a result of my granddaughter Bethany's persistence in getting a family photo to send out for Christmas last year. She's such a pushy little thing. Just kidding. Very organized. Determined. And assertive. Child of mercy, she is.
She's the lovely blonde in the photo who is expecting any day now to give me my second great-grandson. (Yeah, that means Ethan was in the photo, too. Just tucked away beneath her shirt.) The little tyke she is holding is her baby sister, Kinsey--her son's auntie.
Kinsey is a ball of Mexican jumping beans. She is in a perpetual state of doing. She thinks everything she sees is for her personal entertainment. (Including family members.) Her other sister, Haylee Jae is the tiny one in the white shirt at the bottom center of the photo Haylee weighs the same as her baby sister Kinsey. She's teensey tiny and communicates on the level of her older cousins, Brooklyn and Abby (pictured in red shirts next to her). Haylee Jae pretty much runs the whole household. I've written several blogposts about her should you want to peruse the archives. She knows big words like schedule and calendar and knows what they mean. She tells me all the time about Jesus being born as a baby and dying on the cross so we can all go live with Him in heaven with God someday. She tells me ever so often that her Uncle Chad is in heaven with God. And I smile. She thinks I should always have a bouquet of daisies in my house. I agree.
The little stinker being held by Bethany's husband, Jarrett, is Conner, her firstborn son and my first great-grandson. Conner is a routine kinda baby. Sleeps, eats, plays and sleeps then does it all over again. His favorite thing to do is be chased by his Daddy behind the sofa and recliners. His favorite food is bananas but he enjoys Apple Jacks. He ate French-cut bean casserole yesterday and thought it was mmmmmn.
The young great looking guy on the right in a white shirt is Ryan, 17. He's the one who broke his neck and back last summer while jumping in a motocross practice. (He's healed and fine--thanks to your prayers. And he doesn't race anymore. He'd rather pursue deeper studies in Scripture with his youth pastor and focus on his pre-engineering classes for college in a year or so.) Ryan is the protector and prophet in the family. He knows what he believes and follows the rules. "That ain't right" is one of the sayings you hear quite often when faced cultural complexities. It is just "not right". So ya don't do it. He sees no need to date girls till he's ready to get married. He only wants to be friends.
That cute guy on the top left in the photo is Ryan's, and Bethany's younger brother, Jordan. Jordan cannot sit still and be happy. He's a mover and a shaker. His greatest interest is motocross racing. He finished 2nd in a state competition series in Oklahoma this past year in two different classes. When he rides, it looks like he and the bike are one. He loves the thrill of jumping. He's always looking for a higher risk way of jumping on the trampoline, jumping diving boards and simply taking on the world. He would have easily been called to take on Goliath. He's that kind of boy. He's a main attraction at the lunchroom for girls who think he is simply adorable. And they are right. Any gal that wins his heart will have to love racing and going and doing. Otherwise she will be lost in his dust. He wasn't all that proud of himself for getting inducted into the National Honor Society last month. Doesn't want to be known for what he knows.
Then, there is the two little gals in red in the bottom of the pic. Brooklyn to the left and Abby to the right. They are lights in a dark space. Brooklyn is 10, ever trying to please and incredibly smart. She says she wants to be a missionary. Is always asking questions about Jesus. Her favorite seat in the house is next to me in my recliner. Her favorite seat outside the house is in our hammock. Abby is 6 and wants all of me all the time. She's my cuddle-bug. She's happiest when she's making something for someone. Your delight is her delight. And right now my delight is that I had two precious children, Chad and Holly who made these precious grandchildren possible. selahV
