Great-Grandparents

I share my middle name, JoAnne, with my grandmother. (Did you know that JoAnne also means "God is gracious"?! So both my first and middle names have the same meaning!) I hope to emulate her gentleness, compassion and faith. I especially hope I have inherited some of her humor too :) 

When we come to visit my family, we most always make a stop to visit my grandparents. I'm grateful that they are only 10+ minutes away and that my children get to know them. I have loved getting to know them better over the last few years via our monthly (give or take) phone conversations. They're such a joy and I'm grateful for my relationship with them. 

Lollipops and balloons! Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa know how to please the crowd,

We attempted to get a picture with the four great-grandbabies, but this was the best we could get. It's pretty darn difficult to get four stubborn, uncooperative kids to take a picture.  

Annie was the most pleasant out of the bunch.

Love this picture below! Such a treasure to me. 

My grandparents sure love and cherish each other. 

One thing I love about my dad is the way he loves my children. He plays and plays with them and my kids just adore him! I love how he knows how to play rough with the older kids, and knows how to tone it down to a gentle play with Anna. I also feel like I get a little peak into how he played with me and my siblings when we were little.

Checking out Papa's big ol' ears!