Way to stop Sideline in her tracks, little one.

It was a true sideline day.

On Saturday Sept. 10 after spending the morning along the football sidelines Sideline Grandpa and I took our spots in umbrella chairs behind the backstop of a softball field as the two littlest granddaughters played.


Softball player!!!!



Also a softball player!



And it was hot, and sunny and summery. And beautiful. And my daughter's birthday.



Here's my daughter's son, this Saturday's football player,
at the playground last week with his little cousins,
the almost three year old and our 9 month old little guy.



Throughout the day the memories of Sept. 11 hovered in the back of my mind.

We looked forward to babysitting for the two littlest grandkids that evening and to watching the University of Michigan play Notre Dame in a night football game at 8 p.m.



Here's Mr. Happy Face with his nearly 3 year old brother who loves Wipeout and will jump off anything, rarely stops talking and comes up with great play ideas, "I KNOW.!" he says before asking us to do things like playing Xbox. This poor kid can not understand why his grandparents are lost in a fog when it comes to running that thing/toy/game/fun gagget.  



It was the 3 year old who stopped both Sideline Grandma and Grandpa in our tracks last evening.

At 8 p.m. he was perched on a stool at the kitchen island devouring his bedtime snack of home canned peaches and yogurt. 

Grandpa Sideline sat next to him.

Since the little man rarely stops chattering when he did stop talking we both turned to find out why.

He was staring at the TV in the living room.

With his little right hand up over his heart.

He wasn't saying a word.

Because the National Anthem was playing prior to the football game. 

And he remained silent not taking his eyes from the TV until the anthem was finished.

We put a hand over our heart too.

He has no idea what that song meant to us yesterday. 

Or how I will remember the look on his face and the precious example he set for us.

May God truly bless the U.S.A.. please.. 

Sideline Grandma