Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Bartel Grandparents

Today we went to my Bartel Grandparent's house for a few hours in the afternoon.  They are moving soon so every time I go to their house now I feel like I am trying to soak it all in, just one more time!  I love their house and their beautiful yard and have so many good memories there.  My parents were married there and so were my uncle Larry and his wife Alyce, and Greg and I were married there 10.5 years ago.  This has been the only house I have ever known them in so it is going to be a big change.  As kids we spent many over nights in the bedrooms my aunts and uncles grew up in and were amazed at how Grandma could hear us whispering (they have an old intercom system).  As a teen I sometimes retreated to their house after getting back from an emotional week at camp (when I would otherwise be very grouchy and hard to live with) and they provided a buffer for me before I returned fully to normal life with my large family.  My Grandma has always made huge meals for our family and rarely accepts help with food prep.  Both my grandparents have worked hard over the years making their yard and flower beds look beautiful and be functional.  They have always had a huge vegetable garden that has supplied multiple families including mine.  They are amazing and loving people, and this house and yard are just beginning to get to be too much work for what they want to do.  They haven't slowed down on keeping it up, but just are ready for a little less to do.  Since where they are moving to will do all the yard work for them they will have a garden to work at my parent's farm instead and I know they will keep on working hard and loving well in so many other areas.


Anyway, part of my excuse to go to their house was to give my Grandma a pair of socks I had knitted for her.  I realized around Christmas time that I hadn't made socks for either of my Grandma's so I decided that was my next project and I finally completed both pairs this morning and couldn't wait to give the last pair to my Grandma!


Aaron wanted to be in the pic first of course...


They fit!


Then after trying them on Grandma took the boys to play, first down stairs and then outside so I could ask Grandpa to tell me some of his childhood memories!  I am working on a project for the boys of recording memories from their grandparents and great grandparents of their childhood memories.  As my grandma says, you get my grandpa started and he can talk all night, and I have lots more questions to ask him.  My grandma says she doesn't have any stories to tell like Grandpa but I am sure she does!  My Regier grandparents have been writing letters for me about their childhood memories and after this year is done I hope I will have lots of memories to put into a book for me and the boys and any other family members that want a copy.   


When we were done we all went outside for a little walk around the yard.





My Grandparents have had solar panels as long as I can remember, not sure if they got them when they built the house or not, but how cool is that?





As kids we always loved to play by the water, of course my boys do too.



Aaron loves airplanes and pointed this one out to me.




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