By Susan Bromley
Staff Writer
Brandon Twp.- Vonna Reins, 79, met her first great-great-grandchild last weekend and was completely charmed.
‘She was so good, just a-cooing and smiling and kicking,? said Reins of the baby, Karsyn, who was born Oct. 26 in Germany to parents Hailey and Brock McNaughton, who are stationed there while Brock serves in the U.S. Air Force.
On Feb. 28, Vonna was thrilled to host a family gathering at her township home, at which a five generations photo was captured, featuring the matriarch, as well as her daughter, Vicki Gentry, granddaughter, Kimberly Langelier, great-granddaughter, Hailey, and the newest addition, Karsyn.
‘I am not in good health, I can’t walk and my liver is really bad, so I was afraid I wasn’t going to get to see her and hold her,? said Vonna. ‘I looked forward to it for so long, I was just hoping it would come about.?
She was not alone in that hope.
Vicki Gentry has been watching the growth of her great-granddaughter on Facebook, and at Christmas, the family Skyped to see the baby in real time.
‘It’s very exciting, we counted down the days til they got here,? she said. ‘I’m a little worried because they are out of the country with everything that is going on, but where they are is pretty safe… She’s a happy baby and a delight to be around. It’s an emotional time.?
Kim said it was a blessing that Karsyn was able to meet her great-great-grandmother.
Hailey and Brock returned to Michigan for the wedding of a friend. The couple were married in 2012 and have been in Germany since May 2013. Hailey has many childhood memories of making sugar cookies with her great-grandmother, playing dress-up, jumping on the trampoline in the backyard and painting watercolors at her kitchen table.
‘Karsyn won’t get to do that stuff with her, but she got to meet her and that’s enough for me,? said Hailey, who adds that her daughter’s middle name is Ann, which honors Vonna, who shares the same middle name.
Vonna said she will call the baby Annie. She hopes to see the youngest family member again before she returns to Germany next weekend.
‘When they all left, the house was quiet again and how depressing that was!? she said. ‘I like my quiet, but it was so special having them here. You never know what the day-to-day will bring… I never pass up the opportunity to say I love you. Each generation is better than the last. I think you appreciate them more, have the time, and realize what you’ve got.?