Elly comes over for her school pictures every year and this year she gets to bring along her little brother. This was a big year of "firsts".
Elly's first day at the Middle School, I get a picture on my phone of her all excited and I tear up...
Josh's first day of High School, I get an email from Shawna.... oh I remember his first day of school...
Garrett's first day of Pre-K, I get a picture of him very excited to start school.. again I cry
Mallory's first day of Pre-K, I get another picture, come on now this Grandma can't take it.... I tear up again.
Well no matter what we try to do these children are growing up and becoming more and more beautiful everyday.
Elly is 10 and in 5th grade. She loves to sing and dance so while I was getting ready she was dancing and singing to The Band Perry "If I Die Young" she was just belting it out and she's very, very good, she made me smile by being so goofy.
That song has touched my heart in a different way the last couple weeks. We went for lunch one day up north in a bar that we never have been in before. It was a nice bar with a couple young guys sitting there. We ordered our lunch and a few more guys and gals walked in. I noticed they were all wearing black but didn't think much of it because it was kinda a biker bar. We get our food and the bartender asks us if it's okay if she turns the jukebox up for the next song. The growing crowd that had formed in the bar just came from a funeral of their good friend who took his life. Yes of course you can turn it up as loud as you want. The next song was "If I Die Young" and we ate our lunch in tears. Those young kids continued to visit and share in their friendship knowing they have each other for support, the song played loud and free as they healed their hearts.
Grandpa walks in and says "Elly you're 7 so stop posing"
Elly says "Grandpa I'm 10"
I've tried to keep her 5 but she didn't listen.
I got this bench from Shannon, it was just plain stained and she didn't want it anymore. I painted it up this last weekend and now Elly thinks she can have it back.
Garrett did well starting out. Garrett is 4, soon to be 5 and he's in Pre-K
He didn't want to wear that shirt or button it up.... typical boy.
He had a bit of a melt down, pictures are hard work. I talked him into sitting by the bench that's mommy's favorite color.
Then he got grumpy again so I pretended I didn't know how to use my camera and thought maybe he could show me how. I would let him tell me what buttons to push and then he'd have to pose to see if it worked.
It worked all right...
But that wore off too, or he caught onto my game.
One last bribe for a couple pictures of them together......
Ice cream with chocolate and carmel syrup when they are done.
That also worked like a charm.
I love these kids more than I could ever imagine.
