Month at a Time

I guess it's a tribute to how busy we all are that I'm not able to post but once a month. In just the last month daughter Julie turned 40, went to Hilton Head Island for a weddding in mid-June, twin grandson came down with serious coughs and ear infections ( they are no doubt asthmatic like their brother Sam ), I turned 64, Marsha and I celebrated our 41st wedding anniversary, I picked up two more consulting engagements, grandson Brian turns 5 today, etc., etc.
Glad to say the twins are doing just fine now, on the right medicine to clear up their congestion and stop the whizzing. Sam's back into playing T-ball with total enthusiasm. In fact, we celebrated our wedding anniversay at Sam's T-ball game, watching him play and playing with Ryan and Luke on the sidelines! Perfect evening as far as we were concerned. That's what comes with being grandparents.
Later, Mike.

Passages

Back from two weeks of vacation on Hilton Head Island. Much needed break after this past year of grandson-care duty. I learned an important lesson. I can, in fact, be away from those little boys that I have become so close to. I wondered about my ability to cope with being away from them after becoming so attached. Hey, I'm a very sentimental guy who puts family first. In any case, I did get away and was also able to see my two grandsons in Georgia. Though I am certainly and understandably more emotionally ties to my three grandsons here in Colorado, I do want to have a close relationship with my Georgia boys as well.
So with another "passage" behind me, I move on. Back to my work and looking forward to my reunion with my three little buddies.

... And so it begins...

April 29, 2008.

It's the evening before my son Mike's 37th birthday. It's also two days before I spend my final Thursday watching and caring for my twin grandsons, Ryan and Luke. For the past 13 months, since they were 3 months old, I have cared for them all day on Thursdays and half-day on Friday's. All while maintaining a very busy independent consulting practice of my own. It has been a physically draining experience and one that I will cherish all the days of my life. What a gift I have been given and so I've decided to share my experiences and thoughts about my life as a Grandpa with you. Ryan and Luke have an older brother, Sam, who will be 6 yrs. old in October. Sam and I have been as thick as thieves from the first day I held him.
Sam, Ryan, and Luke have two cousins, Brian and Joseph, my other two grandsons. Brian will be five this June and Joseph celebrated his first birthday last month.

The above will serve to set the stage for My 5 Grandsons. Overtime I will catch you up on some of the highlights of my life as Grandpa. Then we'll proceed into the future together. What I didn't know, couldn't have expected, failed to anticipate is the absolute pure joy of being a Grandpa and the recepient of the love and hugs of 5 little guys. Thanks for joining me on this journey.