My grandchildren pictured in a thousand words (or less)

I'm sure for those who know I'm a grandma wonder "where's the pictures?" It's our family's personal preference not to post names or picture of the children, and those guidelines keep me from turning this into a photo album of those precious grandchildren. I do, as all grandmothers, think my grandchildren are incredible. I also temper that with the fact that I am a teacher because I think all children are awesome in their own unique ways.

I will describe my grandchildren in words rather than with pictures. My oldest daughter has 3 children. The oldest is 6 and will be in the first grade. She loves school, is generally sparkly eyed and excited about lots of things, and very outgoing with people. She also had an immediate love for language and interest in words which were responsible for her reading quite early and constantly. Her younger sister knows a lot of words and loves to be read to, but doesn't understand why her big sister wants to read "all the time".

This younger sister is 4, soon to be 5 and will be in pre-kindergarten. These 2 girls get along quite well considering that they have been each others' playmate ever since either can remember. As with my own two daughters, it seems one gives in and the other gets used to and expects that. When the compliant one decides to assert themselves, the other one understandably takes a while adjusting to this change in dynamics. You will have to guess who was who in each situation.

It is interesting to note that the older sister is very outgoing with new people, while the younger takes longer to warm up. On the other hand, the younger is more outgoing in terms of trying new things while the older is more cautious by nature. The PIGS (again, not farm animals) from the previous post had bought for the baby shower a plush pink singing rocking pig. Great fun, but my older granddaughter did not get on it until little sister was big enough to ride and push the button for the song until we were all singing it in our sleep. After watching several times, big sister decided to give it a try, and of course, loved it too. The same happened recently with roller coasters. Little sister rode 3 times and wanted to ride again before big sister decided she wanted to try it too. Again, she loved it. If I were to post any picture, it would be the one of her face on this roller coaster--which would make you seriously wonder if she liked it or not.

The little brother is 2, soon to be three. He is happy, funny, talkative, loving, and BUSY all the time. While some would call him stubborn sometimes, I always prefer to see this as the future characteristic of determination--which is a very good thing. His sisters will put up with much more from him than they would each other. This is the same dynamic my husband had with his two older sisters. The family agrees that they spoiled him. Little brother is fairly tolerant of his sisters except for the "chubbying" the 4 year old sister does. She has inherited the gritted teeth that goes with the desire to pinch cute cheeks from her great-grandmother (my husband's mother--Grandma Jenny). Little brother does not care for this.

What I love most about these kids is the fun I have with them. I get to have very little uninterrupted conversation with my daughter when there because I'm like a new cuddly toy that reads and plays on demand. Uninterrupted conversation with my daughter (as much as possible with a mother of 3) happens over the phone for us. Grandpa is also quite a fun toy--but more the action packed variety. I also have to say how much I enjoy observing my daughter and her husband be parents. They are loving, calm, playful, and fun while having a strong code of good behavioral expectations. This little family is a huge blessing in our lives.