I'm not even going to address how tardy I am with this post. Shush it, people.
Greggy, our oldest nephew, turned 10. Yes, Karen has a kid in double digits, and recently started coloring her hair to hide that fact. No, you shouldn't share anything with me that you don't want everyone else to know.
I don't know how she, or anyone else, does 3 kids. I think the pic below shows one of those (fleeting?) moments that she must have melted at the sight of her three. L-R, we have Rhettford, Sara, and birthday boy Greg. Gregory Lourens, to be exact. He's a thoughtful, artistic and very sensitive young man who reminds me of his Oupa (they call him Grandpa) in many ways.
We did make Grampie some awesome art. We didn't mail it till weeks later, but whatevs. Here's a behind the scenes look at the art in the making...with soundtrack provided by our favorite character on PBS.
We, and our boys, love Grampie. He's a tough outer shell with a lot of love for dogs and little ones, and he always has pinot graaaaagio for me. How can a person not love that? Grampie drives Grandpa Ellerman's truck, which is a GMC. Last May, when we were in Peru, the boys played in Grampie's GMC and Grampie made a little G-M-C chant that had accompanying dance-moves. Now, at random times, we'll hear the boys chant G-M-C when they see a similar truck. Or sometimes they say G-P-C. It's at least close, you know?
In my mind Grampie is perpetually oiled and sunning at the beach, but his talents and interest are varied-from picking a good pinot graaaaagio, to helping me beat the redheads GG and Keith at pinochle ( go team brunette!), to making the cutest boys' side/toy containers (to look like these), giving my dad the best tour of the Naval Museum, and of course, most important, dancing, and chanting G-M-C, complete with arm pump.
This picture is one of my favorites, it's 4 generation of Ellerman men.
We lost Grandpa Ellerman not too many months later, but we are so glad that he met these two. Grandpa Ellerman had an uncanny ability to remember small details about a person and then to ask about that detail later. When we saw him last and he was not doing well, he remembered about my little black dog, Madam, and asked about her. Grampie shares this same ability-he remembers the small things and asks about them later, often surprising all of us at his interest in the mundane and minute details of our lives. It's how he shows he loves us (besides the big bottle of pinot graaagio). Happy belated Bday, Grampie, we love you and can't wait to get all suntan-oiled up on the beach with you*!
*this applies only to me. The boys will have kiddo SPF, and their ghostlike dad will also be hiding under a t-shirt and sun umbrella.
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