g&gb

This year our spring break feels weird.

For the past four years, we have gone to spend spring break with Jeff's grandparents.

And we have had a fantastic times.

they ate at mcdonalds for breakfast weekly
we all enjoyed going along.

Jeff's grandparents died within a few months of each other in 2011.

We both miss them.

Our kids miss them.

Unlike most folks their age, Jeff's grandparents were hip and fun.

they always had a listening ear

Jeff enjoyed spending time with them and they had many great conversations about their genealogy, technology and current events.  When I asked Jeff what he enjoyed most about our visits, he says that he liked that they were excited to be included in our family fun.

everyone loved grandma b's cooking

I enjoyed being with them because you could feel their love for each other and their family without them ever even saying a word.  I appreciated how Grandma B spoke truthfully about her role as a wife, mother and grandmother - which isn't always the easiest thing to do.  I also got a big kick out of Grandma B.'s reality TV watching

watching the great-grandkids play

The kids enjoyed being with their great grandparents because they always had time to go to the beach, would take them to the military base and talk about days of war (and peace), and because they told them stories of their lives and all of their big adventures.

they sincerely enjoyed being together

The kids also talk about how Grandma B always had homemade cookies and Blue Bell ice cream in the freezer and she had a special pickle fork.

visiting the USS Alabama

The kids have fond memories of the many hours that both Grandma and Grandpa B would spend helping them finish a 1,000 piece puzzle before we headed home.

always sweet grandma kissed when going to sleep

There were never enough days when we went to see Grandma and Grandpa B.  The kids always begged to stay another day.  Even though they lived in a small 3 bedroom apartment, it never seemed too small for our large family and we made many memories there.

yearly visit to the National Naval Aviation Museum

We also enjoyed the annual visit to the Golden Corral, which was one of Grandma and Grandpa B's regular restaurants.

spring break 2011
grandma b in the hospital and our last visit to see them

We will go back to Pensacola.
We need to go for the kids.
And for us.

2009
early morning good-bye picture

We will enjoy the beach, the military base and go to all of our normal Grandma and Grandpa B. spots.
But it will be sad.
And we will miss them.

2010
early morning good-bye picture

And we will send out our own thoughts of love for two people that made a difference in the world and in our lives.

I am pretty certain that our kids are the luckiest on the planet because they got to have such a fantastic relationship with their great-grandparents.
And even though they are gone, they will certainly never be forgotten.

our last early morning good-bye

You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother. - Proverb

(i made that list based on what the kids told me. interesting that most all of those things had to do with g&gb giving the kids their time and undivided attention. we could all learn something here.)