Last year when our granddaughter, Shelby, was three years old, we all went on a beach vacation. I was so excited for her to see the Atlantic Ocean. I took her hand and walked out to the beach and told her it was like a big sandbox with all the sand. We got down to the sand and she turned to me and said, "Where's my sandbox?" She then looked out at the ocean and said, "Wow, that's alot of water!" The ocean was terribly rough, but she got right in holding tight to Gramma and Daddy's hand. It was a wonderful experience with her that I'll never forget.
-Sue, Gramma to one
I recently took my 9-year-old granddaughter on a trip by airplane. Her other cousins had been to see these relatives (4 cousins, an aunt and uncle). I thought my granddaughter would love this vacation with grandma! However, the 9-year-old granddaughter and my 11-year-old grandson mixed like oil and water! They have always gotten along before. My daughter and I spent the entire 10 days playing referee, and it wore us out! Not an enjoyable trip for anyone. Of course, we had some fun and saw some amazing things, but the two grandchildren seemed to argue about those, too.
-Cathey, Grandma to nine
We always take our Disney World vacations with our grandchildren, ages 2, 5, and 7. Although we get adjoining hotel rooms, they always end up in our room -- snuggling, laughing, eating treats. Once, when getting on the Pirates ride, I realized I lost my glasses. Our little 2-year-old sensed my distress but she did not know about my glasses. She sweetly looked up at me and held my hand, stating, "Gramma, I will hold you on the ride so you are not so scared!" Precious.
-Judy, Gramma to three
When my husband Jerry, their Pappa, retired last year he took all of us on a cruise -- including the boys Logan, 20 months, and Brady, 18 months. We also took their parents. It was a seven day boat trip from Key West all the way to Belize. We had a blast! The cruise line was wonderful. The boys would get tired and we would return to the room and when rested, we went out again. The hard part was coming back and getting them back to "normal." They thought they could eat or go swimming anytime. We had some major melt-downs when we returned, but the memories and pictures are priceless. Their parents were great to have along and we would gladly do it again.
-Grace, Nanna to two
We traveled from Ohio to Boston with my granddaughter. She traveled pretty well -- we had a DVD player and played SpongeBob videos the whole way. On the way home she started screaming; I took a picture of her and showed her what she looked like and she quieted down right away. After hearing my daughter-in-law calling me Barb, my granddaughter now calls me "Bar."
-Barb, Momom to one
Vacations with the grandchildren are wonderful. There's nothing like seeing them in their pajamas at night, getting ready for bed and then again in the morning with their tousled hair and half-opened eyes. It's fun to experience things with them for the first time, whether it be a trip to the beach, climbing the sand dunes, running from the waves, or a family reunion where family members "meet" them for the first time. I love vacations with my "babies," all three of them!
-Mary Beth, Meme to three
