Six months ago we made our last dump run, filled our front lawn with the last of the give-away free-stuff, watched the movers load up a houseful and drive west, and then we shut the door on our Vermont home one last time. Late July can be an iffy time to drive across the stormy mid-west and most certainly the scorching west but without too much strain we arrived in our new SoCal condo unscathed. There was some lag time before the movers arrived while we “camped” in our empty place, but with makeshift “furniture” and one-skillet cooking, we did just fine. I always swore I would not move somewhere just because that’s where my children now lived, but life certainly changes when a grandchild arrives on the scene. After a year of flying back and forth, we decided he just might be reason enough to move to the Gold Coast, with the ocean biking-distance from our home and palm trees swaying under blue skies most every day. Six months in, yes, he’s worth it.

Of course we keep busy with all the concerns of today’s world, commerce and labor, pastimes and passions, and explorations and adventures, but rediscovering the joy of childhood upstages most. The goofy, zany, and silly stuff that occupy this little man, eclipses most worry or even the practical matters that might draw our attention. He wants little more than laughter from us. Stick something on your nose or join him on the playground and he’s beyond thrilled.

So we play, a lot. There are toy cars and mini-trucks everywhere. Parking spaces. Ramps and roadways. Crashes and chases. Songs get made up about forklifts and cement mixers. We never tire of hearing him say excavator with a b instead of a v.

But there is another pull in childhood that I remember from my first time around, and that is the love of learning. Kids want to learn how to do everything. From bikes to tennis to puzzles to reading to cooking and even cleaning, this guy is ready at go. So we attempt to do it all. Sometimes showing him an easier way, sometimes letting him discover his own way. He lets us know with little ambiguity. Forming his own opinion is another wonder to behold. No thank you and yes please are on the list of preferred replies, and we hear these a surprising amount of the time. Terrific two is generally the outcome with grandparents. I guess we paid our dues, made the missteps, and had the terrible beforehand. LOL

Get them outside! This mantra runs in my brain on-repeat. Get wet or dirty or cold or hot or just ragged and tired seems to be an inherent creed I am born to uphold. Run them as best you can, in whatever space you got. Right now we have more sidewalks and concrete than my own children encountered, but with mostly sunshine, we are out and about, feeling little but gratitude under an azure sky.

There are quiet moment even with this active guy. The tiny passages where you can actually see ideas forming, life clicking into place, and imagination ignited right behind his eyes. Time when quiet play stirs his creativity and awe. I’m a big fan of extending those minutes, allowing wonder to guide his artistic curiosity.

Did you know kids love to cook? Of course you do, but this is a big surprise to me, since I really don’t like spending any time at all in a kitchen! Thankfully one of us does, now joined by this budding baker. He loved decorating the Christmas cookies they made, roasting pumpkin seeds from the pumpkin we carved, even squeezing orange juice from the oranges we picked. Today waffles are on the menu… actually every Tuesday with Jackie involve waffles.

It is no secret that I love being in water. Cold temps, rough waves, rocky shores, do not dissuade me. But I often swim alone, until now. This little guy will paddle around in the pool with me until he’s blue. I am, obviously, overjoyed to share my passion with him. And that is indeed another perk. Sharing what you love most, with all the appreciation granted to whatever it is that you fancy, feels like a holiday.

So, how’s it going? you ask. I would say, once again, getting to hear his first words now strung into sentences while being gifted the moniker of Amma by this little guy makes just about every day shine bright. He’s leading us straight to joy.