Gavin Loves Family

Gavin has expressed in several imaginary stories or dreams he has of his WHOLE family living under one roof. One story he told me went like this:

What if we took Grandma Kay's house and we cut our house to sit on stop and Grandma Jacine's house was cut to sit on bottom? We could have a garden on top of the house where rain could get to it and we could grow our own food and we could have dinner together and hang out?

Another story went like this:

Wouldn't it be cool if we all lived next to each other? If daddy lived back with us and Grandpa Stan sold his house and built one next to Grandma Kay and we bought land next to them and we all lived close enough to see each other everyday?

When he cried tonight, upset that his tooth was loose and hurt, scared of having to have it pulled out he opted to call Grandma Kay.  "Grandma will you tell me a Sonic story and make me feel better?" And she did. The crying stopped and he was able to eat. Something I couldn't convince him to do despite my efforts. I'm sure my Grandma had those magical powers back in the day too. I sure do miss her.

Gavin loves to have family all around him. He never gets tired of the company, the noise, each of the family members idiosyncrasies.  He finds joy in being close to grandparents and aunts and uncles. He hears stories of his friends hanging out with their extended families who live next door or down the street or across town and he knows he misses out on so much of his own extended family craziness because we are so far away.

Shannon and I dislike the midwest and have become true southerners, but I'd do just about anything to be close to extended family so that he can experience sleep overs and gardening and memories with those he loves the most, just as I did as a kid. I love each and every memory of my time with my grandparents and aunts and uncles  and cousins as a kid and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I don't want him to have to trade it all in too.

Here's to hoping the next few formative years for our son are in the Midwest, before he shuts us all out behind teenage closed doors with only the noise and vibration of a pounding stereo escaping the room.