California: Day 3

Today, I followed my parents and we drove up to see my grandparents Bruce and Pat Carter. My grandma Pat is in the last stages of Alzheimer's and my grandfather's health isn't very good either. They currently are living together in an Alzheimer's assisted facility, and I really wanted to see them, but I also knew she probably would not recognize me. I wanted my sons to meet them, and I have to say it was one of the highlights of my trip. My grandmother immediately fell in love with Andrew and although I know she has forgotten how she is related to me and to him, she just loved holding him and playing with him. Andrew was all smiles for her, and it touched my heart to see them together. There is something about seeing the oldest generation and the youngest generation of a family together. It really brought life into perspective for me in the sense that I owe a lot of the blessings I enjoy now are in large part due to the faithfulness of my Grandparents and the great life that they have lived. I really sensed the importance of my role now in rearing up the next generation to carry on the traditions of family and faith in the gospel that they successfully established with their sons. I had a wonderful time talking with my grandma in particular because although at times she doesn't remember things from one moment to the next, we could talk extensively about motherhood and about children. I realized those are things that cannot be erased from her memory because it is ingrained in every fiber of her being. I asked her how she did it with 5 boys because I feel like 2 is hard! She laughed and shook her head and said it was hard because boys are active! I love my grandparents and I will always be so grateful for them.
(I couldn't decide which picture to post, so I figured all three were good)