Grandson - ATS

This is our youngest grandchild, he's 3 1/2. I remember when he was about four months old that my sister-in-law was visiting us and we took her to his house and she was holding him and he laughed and laughed for a very long time. I had never heard a baby laugh like that. Just when we thought he would stop, he'd start up again. He still has that same laugh. He's a constant blur of movement and loves to be around people. He has a lot of cousins on both sides of his family and from the time he could get around, he has always wanted to be right in the thick of things. He's a tough little guy, recently he was playing outside and got stung by a bee. Even I carry on when that happens to me, he just wiped the bee away and went on playing.

I think he thinks he can do anything. In fact, his house is surrounded by farmer's fields and one day the workers had left some large equipment around. He and his dad were riding bikes near them and he got off of his and started to go towards the equipment. He told his dad that he was going to climb on it and his dad said 'no, you're not.' He looked at his dad and said, 'why not, I'm a guy?'

I watched him for five minutes this summer while he shot baskets with a small basketball and made a handful of them. He kept throwing it up and going back to do it some more even when he didn't make a basket. He learned to ride a bicycle by just getting on it and going. When we were on vacation all four of the children had their bikes and we adults walked with them as they rode around the block and to a large deserted parking lot. He kept up with the rest of the children, never slowed down.

He's playing soccer now with kids older than him and he runs and plays and kicks and falls down and jumps right back up to get the ball so he can run some more!

I love this picture of him. He's so sweet, when he sees me, he always lets me hug him and he hugs back.
When we were on vacation, he ran into Lake Erie and jumped up and down in the waves with the older children. He'd go under the water and swim around just like it was something that he had always done. At the pool he had a life jacket on and he jumping and diving and playing all day in the water.





These last pictures have a funny story with them. On the beach he found this piece of drift wood and picked it up. First he played it like a guitar (his dad is a guitarist). Then he looked at the wood and took off toward the water with it and was about ready to see if he could surf on it! I grabbed my camera and took video, I'm having trouble adding video, or I'd put it on. But he was certain he could surf on that wood. Now where did he ever see surfing? Certainly not on Lake Erie. Our fun was soon ended, however, when the lifeguard told him he'd have to give him the wood. Spoil sport! It was okay, Andrew gave it to him and went on to do something else.



This boy amazes me with his confidence and full-spirited adventurism. I think he'll do some mighty things. And I'm going to have a whole lot of fun watching him do them!!!!!!