Adventures in Grandparenting

During one of the days that we spent in California, we had the good fortune to visit my grandparents, the Vehawns. I should mention that all of my biological grandparents died in the 80's. These folks, bless their kind hearts, are actually the parents of one of my dad's high school friends, Mike. Lacking ideal familial support from his own parents, my dad was "adopted" by Tom and Joey Vehawn, whom he began to call "mom and dad," and who forevermore became known to his children as Grandma and Grandpa Vehawn.

Not only have they adopted us as their own grandkids, they have cared for more than seventy foster children in their home over the years, a few of whom they have officially adopted. Basically, the amount of people who call these two "Grandma and Grandpa" is innumerable, and yet they still love us as their own, going camping with us, and showing up to all of our baptisms, weddings, and high school graduations, as well as our babies' blessings. I am shocked and enamored by the fact that they still even remember our names, (and the names of our kids!) so you might understand why I felt such a sweet twinge when my Grandma introduced me to one of her friends by saying, "This is my Katie."

All for the sake of loving and supporting a teenage boy at a crucial time in his life, these two absolutely amazing individuals effectively filled a void in the grandparent-less life of the Walker children; and for that, they will be loved and adored forevermore.

Me, Grandpa Vehawn, and my dad.

Grandma and Grandma with me and the kiddos.

I love these two so so so much!

On a side note, my grandparents have owned this

 weird thing ever since I was a kid...I have no idea 

what it is,or why it exists, but I was so happy to 

see that, (like a lot of other things)

they have held on to it after all these years.