One Saturday in January 2008 Mike brought over the two kids and we walked up to Airplane Mountain. The hike was fun and the kids picked up sticks and were all over the trail. It was amazing to see all the housing where it used to be fields. Mike and Scott used to go up there and fly their remote control airplanes. Now the mountain has new uses... like going for an afternoon walk with Grandma and the kids. It was a fun afternoon and we even saw a coyote up on the mountain.
Grandpa is a favorite floor toy for the kids... they love climbing all over him.
We gave Maddie a little English muffin and she took a "bite" ..... if you look closely you can see the tiny little bite her tiny little teeth and tiny little mouth made in this great big muffin... sooooooo cute...
Well, here are two little Grigoruk "stars"... Emily and Aiden. They have brought so much joy to our lives. They both go to preschool and are learning so many new things. I went to their preschool on "Grandparent's Day" and they were so surprised to see Grandma at their school. I was watching them outside the chain-link fence for awhile and finally they spotted me and then came over and put their hands through the chain-link to greet me. Aiden is very loving and caring and is so thoughtful and inquisitive. When he comes to Grandma and Grandpa's house he loves to play with the toys and especially loves grandpa's toys (like the penny machine and the singing cowboy santa clause). He loves books and the other night I read "The Gingerbread Man" to him 4 times. Emily is such a little character. She is always one step ahead of herself and is very sure of what she wants. She loves grandma's little dolls and I remember when she was just tiny she was rocking them and patting them on the back... and now she loves tucking them into bed and covering them up in grandma's doll beds. She recently got a haircut (Aiden was the cutter) and it was traumatic until she got styled and recut by the beautician who gave her a "do" that would ultimately be copied by another little girl at her preschool... that's our Emily, a little trendsetter.
Needless to say, we are smitten by our two little Grigoruk munchkins. (Did I tell you they love to pick oranges, lemons, tangelos and limes from our backyard... well, they do!)
Maddie is about to turn one year old... can't believe it's been a year since we welcomed her. She's such a good baby and is starting to get around now (almost walking). She looks like a little doll (literally) and gets lots of ooh's and aah's when she "goes out". At Christmastime she was doing a little "stinkbug" stance, standing on her tiptoes and fingertips at the same time... she loves oranges and is a good eater. She loves her dogs (I think she's partial to Theo because Theo will let her do anything to him) and they love her. She lights up when her Daddy comes into the room and she's a snugglebug with her Mommy (and Grandmas)! In short, she's loved a lot by all her family!
All the rumors are absolutely true... it is wonderful to have grandkids and we're enjoying our four... Aiden, Emily, Mason and Maddie are wonder-children... no group of children have ever in the history of time been so cute, loving, intelligent, and perfect! It's a fact.. and here are some pictures to prove it...
Aiden, Emily, Mason and Maddie were all together this Christmas (along with their moms and dads) in Yorba Linda at Grandma and Grandpa's house! All dressed up and looking so cute on Christmas Eve they partied and saw Santa Clause and played with all their cousins. On Christmas morning we had lots of fun celebrating. The best part was just having everyone together. There was lots to do on Christmas eve and Christmas day, but occasionally I'd have to just stand back and make a memory in my mind to look back on... it's such an amazing thing to see your own children start a family and have children of their own... the whole picture of family becomes clearer and now I have SIX kids instead of just three: Michael, Laura, Scott, Molly, Laura and Shawn.... and FOUR grandkids, Aiden, Emily, Mason and Maddie, (and still only one husband, Paul)... all these special people to love and cherish! These blessings are not wasted on us... we know we are blessed and are thankful for all these beautiful people in our lives.....
