Gratitude & Grandkids

Looking back over some of my Thanksgiving posts, chaos seemed to be the driving theme. Having the whole family together, including my grandson Ryder, who had an innate fear of dogs, could get very hectic. The fact that most Doodles crave attention made it even worse.

ELBEE He didn’t even like me. Can you imagine?

This year was different. Although not exactly Norman Rockwell material, it was spirited rather than chaotic. We even played games like celebrities claim they do.

As for the grandkids and the dogs, Ryder’s ten year old sister Bella really likes them. My teenage grandkids Samantha and Ryan, are kind of “whatever” because their mom, Jennifer, has persuaded them that grandma’s a bit crazy with her dogs.

The major change was Ryder. On his last visit a few months ago, he overcame his fear of the dogs. Hard to believe but huge Henry was the catalyst. My son-in-law Jay sensed Henry’s gentle nature and encouraged Ryder to give him a chance. It went so well that on the back of Henry’s UCLA trading card, his greatest accomplishment is listed as “helping Ellen’s grandson get over his fear of dogs.”

I won’t lie. When they first arrived on Wednesday and the three dogs excitedly ran to the door, Ryder forgot that he wasn’t afraid. But to my relief, within five minutes, he was smiling and petting all three.

I was amazed at how Ryder’s whole attitude had evolved. With lots of treats, he and Bella had the dogs doing basic commands and a few tricks. Having the two big ones weave through their legs had all of us laughing. When we went on a hike without the dogs, Ryder wanted to go home and see them.

This was a special holiday in another way. It was Ryder’s eighth birthday! Knowing all of my dog props, he was very excited about picking out accessories for a birthday photo.

My daughters have a running joke pretending (I think) that they aren’t sure which dog is which and how much I look like the dogs. They even brought up my very memorable cameo in the movie I Love You Man where I was called a “bowser” for just that reason. I mention it because when we took this family photo and Stanley unfortunately got cut out, Jennifer wanted to know if that was me or one of the dogs in the picture.

ELBEE That’s hysterical.

On a bittersweet note, having lost my parents before my kids were born, I feel such gratitude for my grandkids and for the laughter.