Feature Friday-My Grandparents

Today for my feature Friday I am featuring all four of my grandparents. Growing up I lived in the town beside all four of them. I also had three of my great grandparents until I was in College. Granny and Pa lived on a farm and we would go see them once a month. Grandmother lived in a retirement home in the same town as my grandparents. I would go and spend the night with her. She taught me to make chains with her yard and play dominoes. She thought Carol Burnet was tacky but would watch her Soaps.

First off I will tell you about Mom and Dad Helm, my dad’s parents. When my oldest cousin was born they thought they were too young to be called grandparent names so we called them Mom and Dad. It has been that way ever since. When I was a little girl I would call them on a Friday afternoon to inform them that when my daddy got home I was spending the night. My grandmother is from Puetrico and has lived in the states since she was in her 20's and has never lost her accent. She would scrub us down when we were little like we had not been bathed in a week. She would always tell me how pretty I was and as I got older it was followed by asking how much I weigh. She is a mess but we love her. It is funny to make her laugh because she has the best laugh that is full and uninhibited. Dad is the caretaker. But this sweet man who is so good hearted unless you put down his Texas Aggies or his Democrats. He has his doctorate from Texas A&M and we learned not to take him to a Tech game or a UT game. He almost got into a fist fight at Tech one year because one of the fans kept talking about stupid Aggies. Now that one of my cousins is a starter for Texas Tech they have changed their tune. He now has traded his maroon and white for the black and red. We don't talk politics at his house. I learned that the hard way when I talked about how much I loved George Bush. So we don't talk about our different opinions of Obama. My favorite memory is that he has pictures with all of his grandkids holding us above his head and kissing us when we were about two. He calls me Precious, or "Nokinoke" to this day. He loves to rock babies. When each of my kids were born mom would announce, "Awe they look like one of my kids. These are Helm babies." People will ask me who Dalton looks like and if you look at pictures of him and my grandmother you will see it. When we go see them my girls beg him to take them on a ride in his golf cart. I can always count on my birthday at around 9 pm that I will be getting a phone call with them singing "Happy Birthday" to me.

Nana & Granddad are my mother's parents. They were school teachers and retired to be farmers. They have always been very conservative, hard working staunch Church of Christ people of the great depression. They loved it when I married a Baptist minister. Nana can sew beautiful quilts and outfits. We just argue about the patterns. She does not understand that some of her patterns are out of style and has always told me, "That just does not matter." She is so practical. My mother said she always had shirts that matched the kitchen curtains growing up. You just have to check everything she has sewn for pins. She forgets and leaves them in everything. My wedding ring quilt she made me had all pieces from outfits she had made me growing up. She used to paint and write. I love to get emails from her. I saved most of the handwritten letters she wrote me. She loves to tell stories of her life growing up on the farm in the great depression. They are really neat to listen to how much life has changed. She loves to rock a baby to sleep. My kids call her "Little Nana" because my mom is Nonna too. Granddad has always taken care of things for us. I will never forget the Thanksgiving last year when he drove up in a White Explorer and Nana was driving his truck. He got out and asked me to get into the car with him. As we were driving he asked me if I liked it. I said yes and he told me, "Well it is yours. I think a Soccer Mom needs a good soccer mom car." His neighbor was going to sell it and he wanted something bigger for me to drive with my three babies. I was so excited! I love that car! He and Nana love their grandchildren and great grand children. My kids are so lucky to have all of their grandparents still living and 4 great-grandparents.