SPENDING TIME WITH MY LONG-DISTANCE ARIZONA GRANDKIDS!

Asher became our granddaughter in 2004 at the age of five.  Jeremy and Kristalee, both single parents, married in November of that year.  Now, at age 11, she's entering in those pre-teen years that can be so confusing to her as well as her parents.  Because I don't get to see her often because of the distance between us, one of my goals was  to spend time with her these two weeks we were in Arizona.  I gotta tell ya, Asher has the coolest room!  Her bed is over her study desk.  I absolutely loved it!  It's a bed loft, in a sense.

We shut the door in her room and I became a school girl myself.  (Well, I WISH!)  But back to reality, we talked about her love of art and writing.  Her teacher is giving her class an art appreciation course so she was giving me all these detailed facts about Miro, Degas, Jackson Polluck, and others.  Because my husband and I collect regional art, we are very interested in the visual arts.  (Our son is a bronze and silicone sculptor as well!)  Hearing a grandchild discussing this with excitement truly tripped my trigger!!  Before long, however, our conversation led to her one favorite piece of art:

Should have known!!  After I wrestled her lips off of Beiber and pulled her back to the life of a pre-teen, she began acting her age!  (I don't know about the weirdo standing next to her, however!)

Our little Jeremiah, or JJ as we affectionately call him, is a five-year-old in constant motion!  You can hardly get your arms around him because he is always moving, most notably in football formations.  He is a football fanatic (along with Carter),  especially the Iowa Hawkeyes!  I personally think he could be the cutest mascot they've ever had!  GO HAWKS!!!!