They are in my heart

Children don't care who was married to who, or when.
Grandma is Grandma.
It was hard saying goodbye.
Much harder than I thought it would be.
I became very attached to these little girls
while they were in our care.

Den and I were remarking yesterday before they left, as I told the girls to go in the bathroom and comb their hair, how GOOD they are. Whenever we asked them to do anything the past 8 days, they just automatically did it. I would expect them to at least a few times say things like, "Okay, but not right now." or "I don't want to comb my hair today." or "I'm not tired so I'm going to stay up longer." No, they just got up with a smile on their face and did it. Granted they are 9, 9 1/2, and 11, and I would not expect them to be this well behaved when younger (or with their parents), but they are certainly growing into wonderful, sweet, responsible, polite, and even charming young women.

JESSICA is very responsible. She mothers the younger 2 perhaps more than they want at times. She wants everyone to do the right thing. She wants the whole world to do the right thing. She has a very clear sense of right and wrong. I'm not trying to say she is controlling, she just wants everybody to be happy and safe. She will be a wonderful mother some day! She is learning from the good example of her own mother. Jessica is also thoughtful and considerate. Several times during their stay I saw her put others' needs before her own.

EMILY we call Mary Sunshine. Always happy, always smiling. She wakes up happy, she goes to bed happy. I told her that I want her to be very careful when she starts dating and to choose a really good husband who is just like her Dad. She put her thumbs up and agreed. I don't want anyone taking advantage of her good nature. Emily is also very social. She loves to meet new people. I love the way she talks with her hands, just like her Mom.

KATELYN is affectionate and compassionate. If there is anyone hurting at all in the room, she will sense it and climb into their arms, or put her arm around them. She doesn't even wait to see if they will be okay on their own. She just lunges right to them. If she is watching TV, she can zone out everything in the room...she won't even hear you if you talk to her...but still, if she senses any hurt feelings it's like she wakes up from her trance. She tends to be the quietest of the 3. But interestingly, when meeting new people, she suddenly stands up straight, reaches out her hand, and says, "Hi, I'm Katelyn."

Their parents have done an excellent job of protecting them from the bad influences of life. The side of life they don't need to know about yet. I can tell from conversations I have had with the girls this past week that their parents are very careful about what they let them watch and what they are exposed to. They know about dressing modestly and speaking kindly. Instead of having sleep overs with their friends, they have "late overs"...I think this means their friends go home by 10pm even though they come in their pajamas. I like the idea that their parents know where their children are, and what they are doing, in the middle of the night. I feel this will really pay dividends in the years to come.

As Grandpa sat there drying their hair Friday night,
my guess is he was reminiscing
back to when his twins were this age.

Katelyn

Emily

Jessica

It was fun having so many girls around me last week. It seemed one was either sitting on my lap, straining over my shoulder to see what I was doing, or sitting right there beside me talking. Whether I was washing my face, getting dressed, it didn't matter, they were there.

Now the house is quiet. Den and I love our quiet, but right now, I'm missing them. There is something about having grandchildren to yourself to create a lasting bond.
They are in my heart now.
They always will be.