Happy Birthday Matty!!!

This boy changed my life. His name is Matthew Jerick Richmond and he was born 10 years ago today and because of him I became "Grammy." My life has never been the same. The picture above was taken at his little league game last week and it's just one of probably a thousand (or more) that I've taken since he was born. He is the sweetest boy ~ silly ~ great sense of humor ~ loves his toys ~ bosses his brothers around but loves them to pieces ~ very responsible ~ big help to his Mom and Dad ~ Grandpa's best customer for breakfast ~ UCLA basketball fan with Grammy ~ still gives kisses and lovies ~ and pretty much a great kid.

I think being a Grammy is a special, special thing to be. I've been mulling over what makes a Grammy different than being a Mom. What I've come up with is this - when you're a Mom - you are "it". You are the center of everything that's happening and you hardly ever get a chance to just enjoy what is happening. As a young Mom with my kids, I loved to sit and rock with them. That was such a special time for me and them. Quiet, rocking, rubbing their backs - I wish I could still sit all of them on my lap and rock them. Obviously that can't happen but it would be nice to have that quiet, soothing time, one on one with each of them again. Not that I was always peacefully rocking with one of my kids, all 4 of them could be piled on me and mass confusion reigned. At the time you think all that you have will go on forever.

As a Grammy, I appreciate my time with these little people. I'm able to give them more of me ~ more time, more attention, more silliness ~ because I have time and I'm not "it" anymore. It makes my life special and I try to always let my grandkids know how special they are to me.

So, that's the story of how my sweet pea Matty changed my life. He was just the start - then Cyrah came along, then Joe was born, Zach-a-Rach-a-Roo was next, Chloe girl came bopping in the same year and finally little Benji boy.
Life is good.

My thought to leave with you this time is ~ The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate!

Until next time . . .