“I’d love to see it and read that with you Ainsley,” I said as you told me about the letters sent to you by new classmates you had never met.

You ran over and got the little book filled with handwritten notes.  We snuggled together on your sofa in Madbury, NH, the house you had lived in for the majority of your seven years.

It was a confusing time for most of us as we tried to answer unanswerable questions about the future and deal with nervousness brought on by your family’s impending move to start a new life.

In a few days you would leave New Hampshire behind and become a resident of Scarborough, Maine, saying goodbye to a school, a neighborhood, a house, friends and family that had become central to your young life.  To be honest, It was a big deal for me and Grammy, so I can only imagine how many questions were spinning around your mind.

You read the letters earlier; now it was my turn to get a glimpse into your future.  Based on what everyone was saying, your future was looking bright.

“Isn’t it nice what this girl says about you Ainsley,” I said, “she thinks you’re pretty, and she’s right, you are!”

“Wow, this boy wrote a long letter didn’t he?  He’s excited to meet you.  That’s so nice, I bet you’ll like him.”

“This girl already wants to be your friend – and she hasn’t even met you yet! How cool is that?”

“Whoa, what’s this about this boy wanting to be your boyfriend?!  You haven’t even started school yet and he already wants to be  your boyfriend??!!”

We laughed and talked about each one as we read the letters out loud.  I could tell you were getting excited as invisible strangers came to life before your eyes.  What a kind thing to do…  your new teacher sending you those letters ahead of time!

I’m so glad we shared this special moment, Ainsley.  I hope the time we spent together helped calm your nerves a little bit…  because I’ve got to admit, they calmed mine!

Ainsley, you will be just fine because you’re smart, friendly, athletic, curious, proud, a great little student and pretty.  You’ve got all the ingredients for success, now and every day of your life.

So ‘Go forth and conquer.’, as I often say to others.  Go out there with fire in your little belly, make new friends and reach new heights.

I love you lots and lots forever and ever.

We were at Ben’s soccer game in Dover, and I had ventured over by the baseball dugout with you, Molly, Jack and Madigan because you all wanted to be free and run around vs. sit in one place.

Close to the field, there are four tall poles, joined at the tops on each end, forming a rectangle.  During baseball season, the poles are covered with a net and the area inside is used for pitching and hitting practice.

Trying to figure out something you could do that would enable me to still watch some of Ben’s game, I asked you and Molly if you knew how to climb poles.  A motivational lightning bolt seemed to strike you because in an instant you had grabbed hold and were scaling great heights. That’s you in the pink shirt, upper left in the first photo.

Although the poles must be 20-or so feet high, you were – and are – fearless.  At one point you wanted to climb across the horizontal pole to the next vertical pole!  I had to tyell you, “Ainsley, do not go to the right across that pole, stay where you are.”  You would have done it, and I’m pretty darned sure you would have succeeded.  But it was too high a span – if something happened, you would have fallen a long way down and hurt yourself big time (or me, trying to catch you!).

Molly had never climbed that kind of distance, so it took her awhile to learn and get the hang of it.  The two of you took off your shoes and socks and at times spit on your feet to give you more traction.  I was amazed at  your strength and endurance and fearlessness!

Grammy and I moved into 44 Waterloo in February 2002.  Things were different back then, let me tell you why:

• Josh and Nicole, aka Mommy and Daddy, aka Auntie Nicole and Uncle Josh weren’t married yet.  They tied the knot four months later, in June, 2002.
• None of you Beaupre & Clickman grandchildren were born, can you imagine that?  It would be another 14 months before Ben, the first, came into our world.
• Tim and Tarah, aka Mommy and Daddy, aka Uncle Tim and Auntie Tarah, were dating.  They wouldn’t marry for another 28 months.
• The successful business Grammy and I started and successfully built – Beaupre & Co. Public Relations – was at its peak, three years after our company had been acquired (bought out ) by a big company in New York City.
• I was 48 years old and Grammy was 46.

Fast-forward 12 years to Sunday, June 22, 2014:

• All 7 of you, my beloved grandchildren, were together at 44 Waterloo for one final time.  The “big house” (8,000 square ft. across four floors) had been sold and Grammy and I were moving out in two days.
• why are we moving?  It’s too big and way too expensive and we want something manageable.
• Ben is 11 years old; Emma 8; Camden 8; Ainsley 6; Molly 6; Jack 3 and Madigan 2.  The big house was “Grammy and Papa’s house,” a place that will stay within your memory banks for most if not all of  your life (except Jack and Madigan).  Six of you literally went from tiny babies in diapers to self-functioning, independent spirits.

It’s impossible to remember everything we said and did together at 44 Waterloo.  Some of your memories will undoubtedly be shaped by the word “big” – after all it was a bit of a  monster with five bedrooms, four floors, seven bathrooms, a giant attic, a hot tub room, exercise room, massively gorgeous kitchen and a warm and inviting office (mine).  It had three decks and a big front porch.

The rooms you will probably remember best are the big “basement” (as you called it), aka family room aka Larry Bird room aka Man’s room.  And of course running across the beautiful kitchen and giant “Great Room” with the wood fireplace.

So many memories!

Sunday dinners, all together.  The sweeping views of the saltwater Piscataqua River from the kitchen and Great room.  ‘Hikes’ down to the “sitting rock” and ‘brook.’  Carefully walking down the 59 steps to go across the metal bridge to the big dock. Playing baseball, football, soccer on the front lawn.  Sitting on top of the pool table.  Me making “Papa Corn.” Playing baseball and football in the basement.  Playing “dogcatcher.” Playing “Smoke on the Water” (Loud) in the basement in between periods of our knee hockey games, strumming our fake guitars.

There are hundreds more.

It was a loud house that’s for sure – whenever we got together we noticed how the sound escalated because of the room size and high ceilings, especially the Great Room where the ceilings were over 20 feet high.

For our last get together, Grammy and I did four special things:

1. we had a “burn party” in the fire pit, burning boxes upon boxes of old business papers. Everyone joined in.  Jack, I think you liked it best!

2. we had our last Sunday dinner together at 44 Waterloo and everyone actually looked at me and the camera!

3.  we got together – the seven of you and me, and then I gave you these instructions: “We’re going to run through every single room in this house, across all four floors.  And while we’re running we are going to scream and holler and make all kinds of noise.”  And that’s what we did – starting with the Great Room floor, then into the basement, then to the third story, then to the attic.  It was a crazy, wild, funny way to say goodbye to 44 Waterloo, to Grammy and Papa’s house, to YOUR grandparents house.

4.  we took an official photo in front of the house:

The big house may be gone from our lives, but each of us will remember something special about it.  That’s the best part, isn’t it?  The memories we create.  That’s all any of us ever leave behind in the end.  Remember this – always.   Make sure when  people think about you they will be filled with positive, inspirational, kind, fun, uplifting thoughts.  Those are the best kind of memories because they fill people’s souls with warmth, sunshine and smiles.

You’re brave! You’re a trooper! You’re amazing!

On an early June day you and your brother ventured into the cold Atlantic to jump waves and kick off the 2014 boogie boarding season.  You beat your cousins, Ben, Emma, Molly and Jack who haven’t made it in yet.

Very impressive, nothing can stop you!

Grammy and I stayed at your house for a couple days while your parents went off and celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary.  We had a blast playing board games, making Lego’s, coloring, eating together, going to Emma’s lacrosse game, watching Camden play baseball (while you ran around the field) and most important…

… playing games like Mother-may-I, Simon Says and Red Light Green Light. You can’t get enough!

Mother May I is always a favorite.  You, Camden and Madigan like to take turns doing some of the crazy things I tell you to do like:

“Take one snakey crawl”

“take two princess spins”

“you may take three froggy jumps but you must say ‘rivet’ while you jump”

“take one giant Frankenstein step”

and a bunch of other things that I make up on the spot.

You also enjoy it when I make up games (I’ve blogged about that before).  This time we played “the object match game” which involves me walking around your house (with you not looking), drawing sketches of random objects on tiny scraps of paper.  Then you and Camden take turns looking at the little drawings and have to figure out and find the actual object.

Another one we created together is “hot lava.”  We spread put cushions and blankets on the floor around your house and you have to jump from one to another under time pressure, being careful not to fall off lest you fall into hot lava!   This one gets a little crazy and sometimes you end up crying.  There’s a lot of pressure I guess!  So when it gets too crazy, we move onto a new one.

we had rain at Camden’s game, but later on the sun came out and you dined “al fresco” on your deck:

We all went back to Grammy and Papa’s house for a Mother’s day celebration with Great Gram. It was a beautiful day, and you ate on the big deck:

At night the Clickman’s joined us for dinner at Margaritas.  What a fun, busy two days we had together!