Dried Apples and Old Sleds

Grandparents are great for many things. The really awesome thing about Grandparents is that whatever they do with us, no matter how small, it makes us feel loved, cherished and special. They seem to always know what we need when we need it. They go out of their way to make sure the memories we have with them are never forgotten. They usually have a great way of mixing past and present together to make one really fun moment in time. This is often done with activities that we enjoy and while we are doing them with our grandparents, they tell us of memories they have from when they were our age or when they used to do this with their grandma or mother. It may not always be treasured or fully understood at the time, depending on the age of the grandchild, however, it is later remembered and cherished and for this I am very grateful. I love and appreciate my Grandparents for who they are and all they have done with me in my lifetime. I appreciate the most, the many many prayers that they have taken to the Lord for me and my life. I believe they have truly left me the greatest gift they could ever give me, their prayers. I feel very blessed to have such awesome mentors and leaders in Christ by my Grandparents. They were Heaven sent for sure.

Because of how much my Grandparents mean to me, I realize how much it means to me that my kids grandparents, (Micah’s and My Parents) are so involved in our children’s lives. I love the fact that my kids have real relationships with all four of their grandparents. Here is just an example of how my mother-in-law made my daughter feel special and cherished with just a small activity at hand.

Grandma and Pappy Bumbaugh came to our house one night to have dinner with our while they were there, Grandma dried apples with Ava. They cut them and laid them out on pans and then spread some cinnamon on them. Ava was so very excited to have this time with Grandma and while Grandma was patient enough to allow Ava to do much of the work, she also was telling her stories on how she did this with her mama.

On this same night, Harry, Micah’s Dad, came to the house and brought a surprise for our kids. He was so proud to show them this old Sled that he had Redone and finished to look better than knew. He had completely restored it. It was beautiful and such a great way to tie in their daddy’s past with their present memories. I literally could have cried at how excited the kids both were for this gorgeous refinished Lightning Glider. I love stories where old antique items are used to make new memories. Micah had this sled when he was young and it was a lightning Glider. Some of his favorite memories growing up consisted of him sledding with his siblings and John. Thanks goes out to Pappy Bumbaugh for all your hard work. Job well done.

I know my children will never remember EVERYTHING each grandparent does for them, but the they will remember the feeling of being Loved and Cherished that they felt every time their Grandparents were near. For that I am eternally grateful.