Miss Lilly - Little Joys, Big Toys

MISS LILLY - LITTLE JOYS, BIG TOYS

"Gator!"  Miss Lilly spied the rear end of our mower and thought it was a Gator like the one she rides at her other grandpa's house.  She insisted on a ride.  I told her it wasn't a Gator it was a Zero Turn, so she went to Grandpa John, "I wanna ride your zebra turn."  LOL!  

Since John was feeling bad, It ended up her dad, Clint, took her a couple laps around the yard, and every time she got near me she raised both arms up "Whee" like she was on a roller coaster ride!  LOL, the little joys.

***

After church Miss Lilly's parents commented that they wanted to come to over, but I wasn't feeling up to it, and I hadn't prepped the house for visitors, so, I used the excuse that I hadn't swept my floors.  It matters 'cause Lilly's brother, Master Jacob, crawls and taste tests every little thing.  

Guess she really wanted to come to GrammyPam's because once we were seated next to each other at the restaurant, it was obvious they had given Miss Lilly some explanation, she said strongly, "GwammyPam.  Sweep.  Your.  Floors."  ROFL! 

***

Early one Saturday we took Miss Lilly and her dad with us to get lag bolts and a garden hose at Home Depot.  The men wondered if we should get a shopping cart.  "I'll show you what to do" as I headed for a supply cart.  I call it a rolling play ground, LOL. 

It's wide and comfortable enough for a kid to sit Indian style, cross legged, especially when they're tired or their feet don't like their shoes.  We'd done it before with Jaden and her.

While John and Clint were immersed in hunting lag bolts Lilly reached into a bin and got herself some jumbo wood screws.  She lined them up, blew on them, and when they "accidentally" fell over she claimed, "I blew out the candles."

She's a candle!
She's a bright light in our life, whee!

Jacob -- A Little Yodel With Rings, Flings, and Clanks

Master Jacob yodels.  He turns his head up to you, his bright eyes excited, and talks in jibber-jabbers, but with the way his little tongue folds in and out, and the gutteral and falsetto sounds that come from him, you'd swear he's yodeling!

Since he's under a year old, I picked him up to introduce him to our wind chimes.  He's discovered that if he throws up his arms, someone will pick him up, LOL.  So, I did. 

He wasn't sure about being face level with the chimes.  His little fist gingerly reached out to one, and gave it a bat, but he was very studious about it all.  He wasn't sure he liked the loud unusual ringing sounds.

And as sounds go, after church we went to KOTO, a new Japanese hibachi grill where I was holding Jacob when the teppanyaki chef lit the fire.  Boy, did the instant flicking, rising, searing flames scare him!  He reared back and trembled, poor little guy.

Jacob's always wanted to walk, he's wanted to get to Miss Lilly so he could play!  Watching his eyes you can see what he's thinking,  He's thinking she's great!  And exciting!

So, when I rearranged the corner toy bookcase, that was perfect for him.  He could get right in there with the rest of the kids.  Jacob's toys, since he's still a crawler, got put at the end for easy access; nothing in front to hinder his reach.

It was a hit.  Jayden, his older cousin, walked up, chose a toy he hadn't played with in a while, pulled it down, and since it had all the pieces exclaimed "You found Batman!"  Miss Lilly played with a small princess house that had been buried.  And then, Master Jacob stood on wobbly feet, with his back to us, and began emptying his tote -- "Fling" went the rattle, "Fling" went stuffed Humpty Dumpty, "Fling" went teething toy, and "Fling" went a 100 more!!!!  Tossing toys over his shoulder, Jacob had a field day!

Got loose at church, he did.  I'd had him, but he wiggled and squirmed and struggled to get loose.  "Free at last" he crawled to Aunt Mary.  We already had a plan in place for this contingency.  He managed to get free from her, too, while she was distracted.

With a wispy grin, and smiling eyes, Mom got him!  He was on his way back to me, with a toy in his left hand, when she emerged from the restroom and retrieved her son.  

There was no subtility, there was no sneaking, there was no getting by.  Like a pirate with a wooden leg, he clanked as he crawled -- crawl, clank, crawl, clank, crawl, clank.  Hot Wheel cars clutched in the hand aren't quiet, you know.  LOL.

Master Jacob can crawl faster than you can turn around and shut the bathroom door!  Shifting to sit on his bottom, he can tell you all about it, in the language of yodel.

Alayna -- Catchers, Ducks, & Chocolate Goo

Hopping up onto the deck, after running her little legs off chasing the ducks, Alayna with toddler squeaky voice complained, "I can't get a duck, him too fast", gasp, gasp.  


***

Alayna ALWAYS frowns when she realizes you're going to take her picture, then when Amanda, her mother, says, "Smile, Alayna, smile."  She gives you the biggest sweetest grin!  She's quite a girl -- bouncy, strong, loyal to her brother, head strong, mannerly, and a go-getter. 

4th of July was simple; it was fun, and they all left late and happy.  After the grilling and eating, and the kids playing in the wading pools we went to the wood pile at the barn where we pulled out some brush to build a very small bonfire to roast marshmallows and make s'mores.  We sat in lawn chairs and on the tailgates while kids sat in a red cloth-sided wagon.  Later they got free to sit on a blanket to play with Piper the cat and some ants, chuckle.

Oh, oh, oh, and Alayna, the 2 y.o. was the high-point of the evening -- she crawled in the truckbed behind our backs and ate ALL of the remaining Hershey chocolate squares!  Oh, my lands, was her face covered in chocolate goo!

And that was our 4th, no fireworks, but we still had sparks -- "ew, ah".

***

The oldest and his family stayed way past John's bedtime.  He had to get up early to go to school and take the kids, too.  He's a bus driver, you know, LOL.  

Anyway, I digress, back to Rusty's family staying late.  It wasn't the parents fault.   We couldn't find the treasured sippy cup.  We looked and looked.  Upstairs.  Downstairs.  Back bedrooms.  Under tables.  In the toy corner.  In the diaper bag.  In the sink, "Did she toss it up and over and we not hear the clank?"  Exhausted, we all stood still looking at each with wide eyes of "I can't imagine" and shrugging shoulders.  Then I spied it.   The cloth was a little bulged and the green top of the sippy cup was peeking at me.  Since it was child high, she must've walked by and just dropped it in -- in the pocket of the armrest remote control caddy!

***

Alayna came to stay for a couple-three hours -- she's no problem.  This bouncy girl entertains herself.  She found John's stash of sun catchers.  He keeps a couple during each season on the dash of his bus then gives them away.   As a group Alayna would move them from room to room upstairs.  

Mostly, they are people like Scarecrow, Mummy, Hawaiin Hulu Girl, Snowman, Santa Claus, Cupid, but today they became something else, she made them "ribbit-ribbit" and hop over each other.  Ne'er was there a frog in the bunch! 

The photo is of the next morning.  The first thing I saw was five of those sun catchers all lined up at the foot of my bed!  Too funny; I didn't see her put them there.

***

Another time we babysat, she gobbled a bowl of spaghetti while pretending she's a hungry hippo, she got read 2 story books, and then John brought her to me, "I don't know what she's doing.  She's limp, not talking, and just stares."  Well, he's a right to be concerned 'cause she's known to have after affects of her mom being on meth while pregnant.  But...with a smile I said, "John, she's just sleepy."  And no sooner did he drop her in my lap but she conked off.  She slept on our bed for an hour.  Amazing.  She trusts us.

***

Let's end with another Alayna and ducks story.  Poor Alayna, outsmarted and tired, she just stands and pants.  She saw the ducks in the pond.  Ran up to one end "I getta duck!" The duck spies her and furiously swims to the opposite end.  They reach the same point at the same time, not to be caught, the duck jumps up, does a 180, jumps back in and furiously swins to where he started.  LOL, so fun to watch!  

And now, we end where we started, "Gasp, gasp!"

CROW, CHICKEN DUCK, CROW!

If you remember my earlier post, you'll know that our baby ducks as they grew would not swim in the pond.  Nor would the chickens roost on the rungs in their coop.  I'd asked the feed and seed store clerk, since the ducks wouldn't swim, and the chickens wouldn't roost, could I have a refund.

He just smiled and shrugged, "They can be dumb sometimes."

Well, there's more.  

I don't know who bred these 2-legged fowls but I'm sure there's been a fence jumper!

The neighbor's dog attacked our biggest and stately white rooster, so the only rooster left was the little red one that we separated once in a while to help it survive and grow.  Since he was bullied he kept himself in the midst of the ducks.  

Not good.

Chicklets and ducklings need parents from which to imprint.  We did not know this.

So, it was "a wonder to behold" when the 3 matured ducks would take off running as they flapped their wings, and then take to the air.  "Quack, quack, quack."  It was always 3 quacks.  And they're gone!  

But wait.  What did I just see???  Oh, good lands, I can't believe this!

The rooster had taken off running with them!  He flapped his wings virilely!  He was "running with the bulls"!  He...he...he slowed and stopped.  Alas, roosters can't fly.

Knowing he hadn't parents or imprinting, last month I loaded some youtube videos of roosters crowing, and went on a campaign of introducing him to them.  I'd prop my phone on the fence post and "cock-a-doodle-do" would reverberate in the yard.  He'd pause, periscope his head, cock and look left, cock and look right, to take it in.   One day he gave a little croak in the middle of the afternoon.  

Sheesh.  That's all we got.

This morning, as I came out of the bathroom, I heard a weird screeching sound.  We get strange sounds all the time.  Sometimes it's teenagers driving by on the highway with windows down and boom boxes rumbling our hill.  Sometimes it's arguing voices from the nearby campsite.  And once in a while we hear the next-door neighbors carrying on.  

When I heard this screeching this morning, my first thought was our renter had brought his kids with him and they were scampering about in the yard, but then my second thought was maybe sis had popped by with her dog and was giving him instructions, but none of those quite clicked.

Going to the window to see who was out there, I heard it again.  It was that dumb rooster!  Thank the Good Lord, he'd learned to crow!!!!

Yet, why did I say "dumb" rooster?  Because the sun wasn't up!  It was still pitch-black out there!  Sigh.

But, hey, he crowed!  He's getting the idea!  He's closer!  He's supposed to crow up the sun!  

Crow!

We'll hold off on that refund, the videos might be paying off.  He may be screeching, he may be a little early, but this is proof he's gonna get it right.  I'm grinning.  

Yay, our rooster cock-a-doodled-dood!