July 1 Valley Life column

July 1 Valley Life column in AG Weekly
Grandpa gets ‘fireworkinated’ for grandkids

I can’t believe it’s already July, not that I’m complaining. Actually, I’ve been looking forward to July because that means school is finally out in Vancouver, Wash., and soon my three grandsons, Dmitri, Dante and Kennedy, will arrive for their annual summer visit.

Last year, while the boys were here, we celebrated Kennedy’s second birthday with a trip to McDonald’s, a pirate birthday party, and later a display of fireworks orchestrated by the boys’ father and grandfather. While the boys and I sat on the steps and watched the fireworks, we clapped our hands and cheered at the skyrockets and roman candles. We stomped our feet and hooted at the duds. When the men ran out of fireworks, Papa Paul lit a handful of sparklers and ran around the yard, drawing circles and writing his name in the darkness.

“Boooooo,” I encouraged the boys, who were having so much fun hooting and hollering they followed my lead.

Later, as I helped the boys get ready for bed, I asked them if they had had a fun day. “Uh-huh,” Dante nodded, his eyelids heavy with sleep. Kennedy was still wound tight from his sugar high, running around the house in circles like only a 2-year-old can.

“Yeah,” Dmitri said.

“What part did you like best?” I asked.

“When Papa was fireworkinated.”

“Fireworkinated?” I repeated, wondering if I had heard him correctly.

“Yeah,” Dmitri said. “That was cool.”

“Cool,” Kennedy repeated as I tried to settle him into bed with goodnight kisses.

As I turned out the lights and crawled into my own bed, I couldn’t help but smile. Hanging out with the grandkids, learning a new word -- “fireworkinated” -- and seeing fireworks again through a child’s eye, now, that’s what I call cool.