Nine years ago today, our grandson Timothy Alastair McLain made his appearance in this world, and nothing has been the same since.

He didn’t come into this world particularly easily, causing his mom to have to work very hard to introduce him to us. And he pretty much hasn’t taken the easy route any time since. Maybe that’s because he’s a boy surrounded by sisters.

He’s busy all the time. Particularly when he was small, we often thought he simply couldn’t hold still. And yet, he can sit for literally hours working on designing a

Doesn’t he look so concerned?

bridge or a building or a spaceship. He loves to read, and he and Addie spend the last minutes of each day sitting next to each other on her bed reading a book.

Happy birthday Alastair, and thanks for making me smile.

Have a good weekend, All.

Going to work with Dad.

Alastair and Papa are trying to figure out how to approach the White House Lego sculpture.

Apparently when you’re spending the night at Nana’s, you can order huge donuts and you don’t have to comb your hair.

Nana’s Notes: Alastair Update

We telephoned him at 8 o’clock in the morning his time to wish him happy birthday only to learn that he was already at the emergency room with his mom as a result of an injury received from the chemistry set we bought him for his birthday. Oy vey! Non-life-threatening injury apparently. Sorry Buddy.