Bribes and Trickery

How does a grand- mother get all of her grand- children to stay in one place for a few quick photos?

Why bribery, of course!

I had five tiny Tootsie Rolls in my purse. They came in very handy for con- vincing some otherwise fairly uncooperative little people to sit on the couch.

Josh, like a good big brother, held Jake. Jake was pretty happy to sit on Josh's lap.

Simon, like a good cousin, held Austin. Austin did not cooperate quite like Jakie, but his presence made Simon feel important, and also made my grandchild photo complete.

Lucas kept asking, "Why isn't there a baby for me to hold?" I guess Aubrey has outgrown the "baby" stage, at least in Lukie's opinion.

My wish for this Christmas was to get a photo of all our grand- children together and that wish was granted. I'm not sure when we will get them all in one spot again so these pictures are special treasures.

My other wish was for a photo of all my children together. That wish was granted in an entirely different way than the grandchild photo. I didn't have any Tootsie Rolls big enough to trick the adults into gathering, but I was given a photo from Jim and Michele's wedding back in April. It has all our kids in it and that makes my wish complete. I'm happy.

Please forgive the overindulgence in grandchild photos today. I couldn't help myself.