My Why

Today I spent two hours rocking my youngest grandson. The plan had been to rock and sing him to sleep, then put him down and finish my housekeeping chores. That plan never materialized. As I sat rocking him I could not stop looking at him and remembering rocking and holding my own babies. I held my kids a lot and my grandkids as often as they would sit still for me. They grow up way too fast. They are "my why" for wanting to get healthy. I hope to be around another 20, 30, 40 or more years to see these five beautiful children grow to adulthood. They are my life, me breath, my babies.

#1 Luke. My first grandchild. He is my never stopping, always on the go, play until you drop kid. I worried about him being in school, but he has had the best first grade teacher. She understands his needs and knows how to get his best. My kind of teacher! Luke is sometimes my challenge, but I love him dearly. He never misses an opportunity to hop on my lap, give me a hug, say "I love you, Mamaw," then go off on another ball of energy adventure.

#2 Alex. My son's oldest boy is my little gentleman. He is so much like his daddy as a little boy that I want to take him home with me and relive my youth. He loves soccer and plays with passion. (Unlike his dad who watched the birds and picked flowers while the ball went rolling by.)  Alex is caring, kind, protective, and ornery. He has dubbed me, "Mamaw Cake" because I always bake him something. He loves cake, especially ones that he helps me bake.

#3 Isabella. My only granddaughter and the princess of our family. Isabella is a dark-haired, dark-eyed beauty who is as clumsy as her mamaw. She wears her heart on her sleeve, again like her mamaw. She loves her dogs, her dolls, and her tea set. She cannot wait to be 8 years old so that mamaw will buy her an Easy Bake Oven for Christmas. Isabella is a lot like me and will always be my princess. She plans to marry James from Big Time Rush when she grows up, but first she has to go to Kindergarten.

#4 Jonny. Jonathan Patrick. I love that name and I love that boy! He is called Jonny in honor of my dad, John. Jonny is my buddy. He likes my sense of humor and loves to play tickle monster. He know what he wants and is vocal about getting it. He keeps my son and daughter-in-law on their toes. He loves his big brother, who he calls "Ga-ga". (We don't know why.) He is fun-loving and adventurous. Give Jonny a ball of any kind and he will play the sport.

#5 Gabriel. My baby. I have spent the most "baby-years"  time with Gabriel. He is sweet, loving, and smart. He loves his binkie and his blankie. He talks a lot and has never met a stranger. One of his favorite things is to sit with his binkie and his blankie on mamaw's lap while she rocks him to sleep. In truth, that is one of mamaw's favorite things, too.

 They are growing so fast. I know they must, but I love them at this age where "Ho Ho Clause" is real, hugs and kisses are free and abundant, and mamaw is a cool person with cakes, stories, and songs. Yet I know they must grow up. I want to be a part of those growing years. I want to hold their babies and remember all of this again. Pretty good incentive to get healthy, wouldn't you say?