Wednesday, June 13, 2007

A memory...

This week Caleb has been at Super Hero gymnastics camp, having such a great time, especially since Duncan is there with him. So, that has left just me and the girls for 5 hours each day. Last week it was the reverse, they were at dance camp and Caleb and I had "alone time" as he calls it. And we had a great week reading, watching movies and cuddling on the couch.
With the girls, it is a bit different. Monday they had to fight all day and couldn't agree on what movie, what book, what computer game, who got my lap....and I thought, "they can go to camp, I will keep Caleb with me :)" But yesterday, they told me they woke up with better attitudes (!) and we had a fun day playing games...(here is where the memory part comes in)
I grew up in a family that played games and I still love to play them. I prefer them over playing dolls or watching movies with the kids...and so, we were able to agree on games and played Aggravation that I just got at a garage sale, and Disney Yahtzee.
I can't play Yahtzee without thinking of the Yahtzee woman herself, my grandma, Helen Williams. There was a woman who liked to play games. I don't even know how many card games she taught me, and I need to try and remember them. She would play anything but Uno. That's because my sister Beth beat her one time with a "Draw Four" and she about lost her mind with what a "stupid game this is" She was also a sore loser :)
Grandma didn't even need the yahtzee game, just 5 dice. She knew all the scores and how many points you needed to "make it on top" Many fun days and nights were spent playing this game with her, and it is still one of my favorites. And so as I looked over at Bekah, who looks so much like my mom, and Elisa, who looks so much like me, I was wishing so bad for Grandma to be sitting there playing with me and my girls. She would have loved it.
My grandma died seven years ago this month. I still cry when I think about her being gone. She only got to see one of my children, Caleb when he was 2 months old. I catch myself sounding like her sometimes over the "injustice" in the world, or over a scene in a movie, or even when I am talking to my kids, and I wonder, would she be proud of me? As a mother, a homeschooler, a daughter, friend, Christian? I hope so.
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Jun. 13, 2007 - A Memory
Posted by LaDonna
That reminded me of my grandmother, as well. She LOVED to play board games and was not a very good loser, either! And I also miss her and find myself sounding like her. The other day I even noticed that I have her hands!! There are certain smells that instantly take me back to her house and it's been 17 years since she's been gone! :( I'm so glad you're enjoying the Aggravation game...that one HAD to leave my house before someday got murdered!! It made someone mad everytime, which is probably why it's called "Aggravation!"
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Jun. 14, 2007 - I am very confident...
Posted by QueenoftheHill
...that your Grandmother would feel so proud about every part of who you are. Especially that you play Yahtzee with your kids. :-)
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Jun. 14, 2007 - Absolutely your grandmother would be proud!
Posted by arajbrown
She'd be proud because you remember. You know what she did ... she talked to you ... imprinted her voice on your life ... it's her voice you connected with and integrated into who you are ... it's why we talk to our kids ... read to them ... sing with them ... play games ... TEACH THEM so that they are hearing our voices more than the voice of a relative stranger ... engaging in a bit of imprinting ourselves.

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