Grilled Grandma: Ann

Ann (center, in green) with most of her grandkids and two great grandchildren in 2001.How many children do you have? I have seven children, ranging in age from "39" to 39 (for real, my youngest).

How many grandchildren? What are their ages? I have twenty grandchildren, ages thirty down to the youngest set of twins, who just turned fourteen.

Any great grandchildren? Ages? My four great-grandchildren range from ten years to eighteen months.

What do your grandchildren call you? Half my grandchildren call me Gramma, the other half call me Nonnie (due to a beautiful, hard-headed little girl who influenced  everyone younger-- she's now twenty-one).

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? I get to see my some of my grandchildren every couple of months, others only every few years, due to long distances and family circumstances.

What is the best thing about being a grandma? The best thing about grandchildren is seeing the faces of my own beautiful babies, only better, and their characteristics displayed and re-born into a new generation is positively glorious.  Besides, now my children will eventually understand just how THEY made me feel, all those years ago.

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma?

The most challenging parts of grandparenting are those aforementioned long distances and family circumstances.

Describe a recent time one or more of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud. I think I laughed the hardest when, shortly after my stroke, I had a table full of grandchildren for dinner and was trying to cut up chicken for little Ravenn, who was sitting to my left.  I must have pressed too hard with my basically uncontrollable left hand holding the fork and the chicken flew off the plate and bonked Ravenn in the head.  Across the table sat Coltan, Ravenn's twin, and he laughed so hard he fell off his chair and, cackling like a hen, he said, "Let that be a lesson to you; you can't sit close to Nonnie's "Crazy" hand or you'll get hit in the head with a piece of chicken."

What is your favorite thing to do when your grandchildren visit your house? My favorite thing to do with my grandchildren, either at my home or theirs, is to listen to their recent activities, their plans, and their dreams.

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? I would like most to pass on a dependence on God for all things good and an ability to rely on Him and thank him for all good things, large and small.

What is one word you hope your grandkids think of when they think of you? There are actually two words I'd like to be remembered with: love and laughter.