Gridiron Grandpa and the Evolution of Robin Thicke

source: officialbrettfavre.com/

Brett Favre, 5x NFC player of the year, 2x NFC champion and (of course) Super Bowl XXXI champion, has another achievement to add to his long list of honors – he is now officially a grandfather!  His 21-year-old daughter, Brittany, gave birth to her baby boy, Parker Brett.

Brett and his wife Deanna posted the following statement on his website:

“Deanna and I are very proud and excited to welcome our new grandson Parker Brett to the Favre family. Parker Brett was born on Friday, April 2, weighing 7 lbs. 7 oz and we’re pleased to say that both Mom, Dad and Parker Brett are healthy and doing great”

Courtesy of EPA/ANDREW GOMBERT

Congratulations to Brett Favre and his daughter for their newest edition to the family!

Plus, it’s a boy!  Cheers to Robin Thicke and Paula Patton’s new baby, Julian Fuego, born on Tuesday, April 6th. Wishing you the best – we know he will be a big bundle of son-shine.

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How Cute Is That???

As I was driving to work this morning I noticed my neighbors beautiful hydrangea bush – it was loaded with gorgeous blue blossoms.  Hydrangeas are one of my very favorites!  I think I notice hydrangeas more now than I did many years ago – because they always make me smile.  Why do they make me smile?

When Karen’s son Nicholas (the grandson of my heart) was just 2 ½ years old he was learning the names of the flowers in the garden – (don’t let him hear me say this, but he is really, really bright!) His caretaker Virginia walked around the garden saying “rose” – “daisy” – etc.  When they got to Karen’s beautiful hydrangea bush the name was pretty big for a 2 year old!  So Virginia broke it into two parts and taught him “Hi Drangea!” – so it sounded like a greeting.  Nicholas repeated “Hi Drangea!” several times – he got it! 

The following day as they walked around the garden Nicholas remembered the names of all the flowers.  When they walked by the hydrangea bush he said “Hello Drangea!”  How cute is that???

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Names for Grandparents

Nana and Peepaw as penguins this past Halloween

A very close friend of mine, Tom, became a first-time uncle several years back. Of course, the chain of familial ties would then make his parents first-time grandparents. It would not be an understatement to say they were ECSTATIC to become grandparents. When this first grandchild was old enough to utter her first few words, she christened her grandfather, “Peepaw”. This distinguished man, having graduated from the Citadel, retiring after decades of service at GE as an engineer, and having raised 4 children with his wonderful wife, is now known by family and close friends as “Peepaw”! We have no idea how his adoring granddaughter came up with Peepaw, but it stuck. Peepaw’s wife is called, “Nana”…a name that I just love. I told her I’d always wished for a “Nana” of my own, and of course, she told me she would be mine…which so touched me that I teared up, so I got a big, loving hug from her…of course!…that’s what Nanas do!! 🙂

With her adoption of Henry Mantu, Carol, another close friend, made her parents into grandparents four times over. Henry Mantu’s grandparents are called, “Oma” and “Opa” (the German version of grandma and grandpa).

I don’t know, it seems like no matter what new name I hear, they all sound so endearing and special…I’m so charmed by them…probably because there’s just something so special about grandparents.

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le•top Takes: Out of the Mouths of Babes!

No, I did NOT say that!

Otto thinks about jail

My grandson, Otto, recently had an outing with his other grandmother – Nana. As they drove down the street, the ever-observant Otto noticed a parked police car, facing traffic, with a radar gun pointed at oncoming cars.

Otto: That policeman was pointing a gun at us.
Nana: That was a radar gun, so he could find out if someone is speeding.
Otto: What would he do?
Nana: He might give the person speeding a ticket.

Long silence…

Otto: Then what would happen?
Nana: They might have to go to jail.

Another long silence…

Otto: What is jail?
Nana: It is a place you go until the judge sees you in court.

Very long silence…

Otto: Is it the same as a hotel room with a fruit basket?

Obviously Otto has stayed in nice hotels…

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Cement Slide Memories

Seeing my grandson on the cement slide the other day not only made my heart smile at his joy, but also brought back some great memories of my own fun times there. Hmmm, should I confess? During high school, everyone had to be out of the park by nightfall – yeah, right! One night, when I am SURE I was not even supposed to be in the vicinity, a bunch of my friends and I decided to pay a visit to the park. Of course we just HAD to go down the slide (we actually kept a roll of wax paper in the car – to make our ride faster)! The new fad at the time was wearing ‘petti pants’ under your skirt – something like a slip, only with legs (okay, giving away my age again!) – back then, girls mostly wore skirts. My mom had just given me new petti-pants that were so pretty – pale yellow fine cotton, with lace trim. So, here I am, at the slide, with my brand new petti pants – now what??? I can’t pull up the petti pants…so I just hitched up my skirt and rode the slide with those! I ripped out the whole back side, and caught some SERIOUS trouble the next day – there was ABSOLUTELY no way to explain what happened to my new, cherished piece of clothing without admitting to our very late night trip to the park! Man, oh man – was mom mad! But truth be told – it was so fun, it was worth it!

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Slip-Slidin’ Away!

My grandson Otto on the cement slide in Berkeley, CA

Ahh…spring! Even the most devoted fan of winter must smile as daffodils bloom and spring rolls around! My grandson, Otto was out enjoying a cherished Berkeley tradition – the cement slide at Codornices Park in the City of Berkeley, CA, connected by tunnel to the Berkeley Municipal Rose Garden. I think every kid who grew up in the area has memories of the Rose Garden and the “scary” tunnel under Euclid that connects to the park via the ‘infamous’ cement slide! It made my heart smile to see the look on his face, even though he lost his cardboard at the top! So what if his pants rip? It is just too much fun!

The Berkeley Rose Garden is beautiful – set in a natural amphitheater, facing the bay. It is a bit too early right now, but come May, the roses bloom and inspire kisses and weddings – both have been in great abundance over the years. Connected to the Rose Garden is Codornices Park – of course you can walk across the street, but it is much more fun to go through the tunnel under the road! The park has the normal playground equipment – but the cement slide – now, there is where the fun really starts! Grab a piece of cardboard and SLIDE!!! Fast and fun – and definitely not just for kids – I have some of my own very memorable moments from the slide!

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