rowan and sweepie

i've been meaning to post these pictures of rowan gathering up leaves with my grandfather last fall. i can't remember exactly when they were taken, but rowan is 10 or 11 mos. old. my grandfather is named alvis everett (he's my mom's dad), but i call him sweepie. it's pronounced sweep-y. my grandmother, rachel, calls him sweetie; i think i have heard her call him alvis maybe one time. when i was little, i was sitting on her lap in their living room, and she called out, "sweetie! bring hannah a popsicle!" (or something like that, so the story goes)... and when my grandfather rounded the corner, i cried, "sweepie!" the plan was for the grandkids to call him granddaddy, since my grandmother had already been christened "grandmommy" - and since my mom and my aunt still call them mommy and daddy. but, i was the first grandchild on either side, so i made the rules. "sweepie" it was, and still is; everyone at our church calls him that. my cousin emma later changed their names to grams and sweep, but i stick to the originals. ; )

another funny story about my grandparents and me... i was over at their house once, and i caught them smooching in the kitchen. i put my hands on my hips and said, "are y'all married or something?"

okay, one more. i don't actually remember saying any of this stuff, but my grandmother likes to tell these stories at every family gathering. we were on a road trip, in the middle of nowhere, and i had to pee. my mom and grandparents were trying to convince me to just squat on the side of the road instead of waiting for them to locate a rest area. i was getting more and more upset at the idea, and finally i cried, "no, no, mommy, we've got to keep america beautiful!"