April 29, 2020

Flat Stanley Part II

April 29, 2020/ Lisa Carpenter

Flat Stanley Part II

Long, long ago in the pre-coronavirus days (okay, March 11), I published a post here on Grandma’s Briefs about the super time I had showing Flat Stanley around Colorado Springs. Camden had sent the character to me as part of a school project, with instructions for me to introduce Stanley — and ultimately, Camden’s classroom via a presentation by Camden using all the materials I collected for him — to the highlights of my city.

I did show Stanley the best of the Springs then returned him — and loads of literature and pics of his visit — just as instructed, for Cam to create his presentation.

Then schools closed.

March 11, 2020

Snow day for Flat Stanley*

March 11, 2020/ Lisa Carpenter

Alternate title: Oh, the things that we do for our grandchildren!*

I don’t typically make comments or judgments about the physical appearance of folks who visit my home. Yet, a friend of my grandson Camden recently stayed at my house and I just gotta say, well, that kid was thin. Flat, in fact. So flat that the descriptor is officially part of his given name.

Yes, it’s Flat Stanley of whom I speak.

February 17, 2020

Beach boys!

February 17, 2020/ Lisa Carpenter

Beach boys!

A while back, Declan simply could not get enough of Disneyland and pleaded with Mommy for them to please go again. They did go again not long after … and again the beginning of February.

The fortunate grandsons also went to the beach — a definite delight for the desert-dwelling trio.

A definite delight for this fortunate grandma, too, who was on the receiving end of ...

February 13, 2020

Weekly pic: S.W.A.K.

February 13, 2020/ Lisa Carpenter

Valentine’s Day sentiments for my long-distance sweeties: confetti popcorn and corny jokes, of course. Sealed with a kiss and sent off with speedy delivery!

(Do kids nowadays even know what S.W.A.K. means?)

Happy Valentine’s Day, dear grandmothers and others!

November 14, 2019

Grandma success!

November 14, 2019/ Lisa Carpenter

As a grandma, you know you’re onto something when after engaging in an activity with a grandkiddo, he or she says, “We should do this every time!”

Well, I believe I’m onto something as Declan, my five-year-old long-distance grandson, declared exactly that during a recent FaceTime visit he and I had.

My success revolved around …

October 25, 2019

Grand fun: A Bearizona visit with Arizona boys

October 25, 2019/ Lisa Carpenter

Hard to believe it’s been nearly a month since Jim and I visited our grandsons (and daughter and son-in-law) in Arizona.

Hard to believe, too, that I’ve not shared the stories of all we did (other than make bracelets) during that visit. But with Benjamin’s milestones to mark soon after our return — such as his first haircut and his first birthday — details on our desert visit to see Brayden, Camden, and Declan were put on the back burner.

With temps hovering just below freezing and a snowy scene outside my windows as I write this, today seems an especially ideal day to recap one particularly grand fun-in-the-sun outing we had our grandsons at the outset of autumn. That being the day we spent at Bearizona Drive-Thru Wildlife Park, located about an hour south of the Grand Canyon.

October 03, 2019

Oh, yes we did: Bracelets with boys

October 03, 2019/ Lisa Carpenter

This past weekend, Jim and I kicked off fall with a quick visit to see our grandsons in the desert, as I’d mentioned here was on the calendar. During the visit, I did indeed make bracelets with the boys, just as Declan had requested.

Thing is, despite his enthusiasm upon seeing the paracord bracelet kit I’d brought in my Grandma Bag, Declan bowed out of the bracelet making in mere minutes. Which worked out for the best as bracelet-making was quite a feat for a five-year-old. Well, a feat for this grandma — who’s 10 times that and more — as well.