Da Boys!

The first grandchildren sometimes tend to be the ones that seem to dominate the pictures. You document every moment, every smile, every adventure. Then you become tired somehow.

I'm not sure if that is what happened, but regardless, I'm glad we took pictures like we did at the time.

I remember calling my mom when the boys were both one. They did the babble and goo thing when speaking, and raced about on all fours. It was what memories seem to be of for most parents and grandparents. What I said to my mom is this: it isn't that they are curious and into things continually. It's the fact, that they seem to be communicating with each other that is sometimes shocking.

The scooted about from adventure to adventure.

But there was always "down-time" in the evenings, when I held them on my lap and enjoyed the moment.

It's what you do only a few months after a doctor diagnoses you with leukemia and tells you to get your things in order.

He wasn't talking about cleaning the hospital room.

The picture still shows me recovering at the time, and it was a short period, before I made the attempt to return to work in my teaching career.

Lydia and Jeff were in Idaho Falls at the time. Jeff did work after medical school in two different offices, so it was a pleasure to have everyone home at the time.

I returned to work, and I'll never forget the day, when Lydia and Kristin surprised me at school by showing up with my two boys. I held both in my arms and strutted through the office area to show off my grandsons to the teachers.

It was a time when everything was so upbeat and positive. It appeared that I had beaten the odds and emerged victorious from the fight with the disease. Life is an illusion.

But there was still fun times to be had.

I had used all my sick leave days, so having applied to the "sick leave bank," I was positive that I had about a week or so to use, in case I needed them.

I often went to school sick and in pain.

When I mentioned that I didn't want to stay home, intending on using those days I "purchased" for the next year, if  I needed them, my principal told me I had better check with the district's policy.

A quick call at the district office was maddening. They told me that I automatically lost those days, without compensation. It was not good news. I was angry.

We had planned a trip to Disneyland just after school. I was to lose the days, so I used them. My classes had a number of senior classes in English, so I didn't have to worry about them, and as for German, we finished ahead of the final two weeks, so it wasn't a problem either.

I used those days I purchased.





Before Tommy and Lydia and Jeff arrived, we spent some time at Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City, where we bought the stuffed animal. The boys loved it. We took pictures and had fun the night before Ann and I left for Disneyland.

Lydia and Kristin would leave a day later on a plane. The boys sensed something was happening. They sat on my feet in front of my chair the night before we left.

Ann and I drove as far as Vegas the first night. The next morning found us at Disneyland early.

Ann booked a suite at California Resort in Disney Park. It was new at the time, and we "scored" an incredible deal.

It was one of the best trips.

 And I will never forget the view from our room, which overlooked the pools and a bit of California Adventure Park.

The day the boys and Lydia and Kristin arrived in the van was fun to watch. Ann and I waited at the area for the shuttles. We spotted the boys immediately, and when they saw us, smiles swept across their faces.

Disneyland was new to them. Nothing had every happened to either of them like this before. And they shared the moments of the day together.

The girls had this "double" stroller by a company called Jeep. I'll always remember the boys and how excited they were to be there that day.

Each ride was an event.

Every new spot was an adventure.


It was a time when it didn't take a series of wrestling moves to get them on some of the children's rides in Fantasy land, although I have to admit that both have been good when it came to riding those rides.

They had favorites beside the horses. Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, Mr. Toad's Ride, and the little train ride near Dumbo were all hits.

The day began somewhere that would set the day. We took them on It's a Small, Small World. 


If I have already blogged this into a short description, a second entry is proof of this: the trip was an incredible time, a once-in-a-lifetime thing.

Both boys clamped their hands on the golden bars on these horses. They wouldn't let go--even after the ride finished and others begin filing off the small area.

Each picture brings back so many memories for me, all of which are positive.

I was a trip to remember.

 It was a simple moment in time, one where the favorite ride for the boys was playing in the curtains at the hotel.