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.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jill, This is so sweet. What a tribute to them and to their parents. This brought tears to my eyes. I bet these girls will be talking about this trip for years to come.

Anonymous said...

Aunt Karen is right! I echo her words exactly. What an exceptional experience for the girls. You did a super job of enhancing your relationship with them. Congratulations and enjoy your rest. Love, Susan and Dad

The Gage Cage said...

Those pictures are so precious! What a sweet man!

Kris said...

Thank you so much for writing this. I got teary-eyed as I read about your thoughts on each one. You really hit the nail on the head with each of them. Thank you for being so thoughtful and genuine. They just loved being there. The next morning when Jessica woke up, she came in the room and said, "Hi Grandma!" Oops. It was so cute. She just laughed at herself and then her and I got to talk even more about what a wonderful time she had there. I love you, Jill. I love you, Dad. Thank you again for making the girls feel so loved.

Anonymous said...

I just had a chance to read your blog, and I am so touched. Thank you for taking such great care of them, and really showing your love and concern for them. In talking to Em, there were some wonderful teaching moments she had with you and dad. As we were walking in the airport she said, "mom, I'm a little teary-eyed...I already miss grandma and grandpa." I thought that was so sweet. On the way home I said to her -- "Think about how much fun you had with them...now think about how lucky I am to have grandpa as my dad growing up." Thanks for all the memories you have given the girls that week. They will always treasure grandma and grandpa.

Look what happened last night

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