Grandparents and grandchildren share a special bond. The Roloffs are certainly no exception.
Matt Roloff took to social media to share that it’s getting harder for him to spend time away from his grandbabies, even for just a few days.
And we can see why — because in the mean time, Zach Roloff took sweet baby Jackson on a surprise trip to the zoo. And these pictures are golden.
This year, Matt Roloff got to welcome two grandchildren into the world. His first two.
Early this summer, sweet Jackson Roloff was born. And then, only four months later, precious Ember Jean was born.
As a grandparent, that’s a dream come true.
(It’s also, we’re sure, exciting stuff for Zach and Tori and for Jeremy and Auj, what with becoming parents and all)
Here’s the thing, though.
Matt Roloff lives on Roloff Farms with most of the rest of his family, but he has a habit of heading down to Arizona.
Most of us are sick to death of this warm weather and would like to squeeze in a few weeks of fall weather before winter arrives, but Matt Roloff likes to enjoy downtime and the warmer weather that Arizona has to offer.
But he’s taken to social media to share how difficult that trip is becoming, for one — or two — adorable reasons.
Matt Roloff shared this precious photo of his son, Zach, and his grandson, Jackson.
Jackson, you can just barely tell, is still dressed like a pumpkin. What a delight.
Matt’s caption for the photo, however, proved to be bittersweet:
“Had to say good bye to these guys for a couple of days …”
Awww, we know that it’s not easy. Especially when you can’t explain to a baby why they won’t see you for a few days.
Matt continued: “Headed to Arizona in search of some warm sunny weather..”
Again, we’ve absolutely had our fill of warmth and sunlight for 2017, but some people like it more than others.
(And we should remember that Matt Roloff is a grandparent and some people, as they get older, become sensitive to cold, particularly in their joints)
“Getting harder and harder to leave even just for a few days. Can’t stand to miss even a minute with these precious grand kids.”
You know, that’s normal for grandparents who live exceptionally close to their grandchildren.
Kids can change overnight. What if your grandbaby learns a new word and you’re not there? What if they learn to walk?
And Zach Roloff took to Instagram to share what Jackson got up to.
Zach and Tori took Jackson on an impromptu zoo trip.
As Zach explains, he’s not usually a huge fan of the zoo:
“Great day at the Zoo and World Forestry Discovery Center Museum. Never been too much of a fan of zoos because all the people and the small enclosures but today was class. Nobody was there and the animals were all out. Great day with the family as well.”
The trick to visiting lots of places is to go there when it’s not crowded. It’s like going out to dinner on a Tuesday instead of on Friday night.
Zach also hinted at a reason that he, especially, might not be comfortable in big crowds … and it’s not his height. Not directly.
Zach ended his post with Samuel 16:7, a biblical passage about ignoring what a person looks like because what matters is what they look like on the inside.
Interestingly, in context, the passage is referring to a super good-looking man whom the faithful are supposed to reject, but we can see how the words could be a great comfort to someone who feels judged for his appearance by total strangers.
And speaking of being judged, Zach and these adorable baby photos got actual hate in the comments for going to a zoo.
Zoo animals are either born in captivity or rescued, folks. Often rescued from actual horrible conditions.
There are some bad zoos in the world, but most of them are essentially massive animal rescues with habitats and trained professionals.
Don’t hate someone for supporting an educational facility that brings joy to children while helping countless wild and even endangered species.\
Just relax and look at the cute baby:
