On The Way to Drawing Class

So, one of the neighbor ladies, Wendy, invited me to a beginner's drawing class.  She gave me the address with directions.  I thought the directions were not as direct a route as I percieved they could be knowing Indianapolis as I do.

The map came up quickly via GPS on the car's center screen.

Down Indiana 37, through horrendous road construction where they're digging deep valley's for underpasses, then west onto 86th street.  Soon I'd be merging onto 71st St.

GPS siri-like voice said, "Make u-turn here."

That didn't make sense, but I did.

GPS voice, said, "Object in the road" "Object in the road" just as a car pulled out in front of me from the right.  That white car's forward quick motion took it out of view but that didn't stop GPS.

"Object in the road"!

Well, durn, there were some orange cones!  The city road crew was busy with a water main.  And I was not finding 71st Street, so, I pulled up next to one of the crew members wearing a yellow reflective vest talking on her phone.

Oh, that got her excited.

She got off her phone FAST!

She started waving her flag, tiny-step prancing her feet, and raising her voice, and telling me I couldn't stop there!

"I just want to know how to get to 71st street."

"You go to the next light and turn left," then it was "YOU.  Follow me and I'll get you back into traffic safely."

LOL,  I could've told her about my trips to Tybee, or the lone drive to Nashville, or how I have a million miles of safe driving, but I just grinned and let her have at it.

Fed up and not being successful, I called Wendy.  

"I'm lost.  Give me the address again, please."

"Where are you?"

"I don't know."

This time West got changed to East.

I pulled over and parked in a church parking lot to catch my breath.  That durn GPS with the ciri-like voice was cheeky.  It told me ... that cheeky voice told me, 

"You Must Walk From Here" !

Alayna November 2021 & 2024

Alayna,  Noelle, Ainsley

2021

One evening I called Rusty.  I asked if the kids could come over so we could practice Fum, Fum, Fum, a Christmas song for the church program.  

"You do know, don't you, that whenever that song comes on Alayna comes in right where she's supposed to and sings the right words," he said.

Ah-ha, so, I've got her to working her mouth in a figure 8 like a camel that's chewing!  Yay!  

"And the other day when we were at the store "The First Nowell" was playing over the PA system.  Noelle froze," he adds, "right there in the store she exclaimed, "Dat my name!"  

He does a hearty chuckle.  It's so satisfying to hear his enjoyment of his kids.  Who knew he’d love a big family!  He’s so fatherly.

*******

2024

Later, another evening, another year, we were all at the kitchen table that was covered with a craft mess - markers, toilet paper rolls, glitter glue, scissors, etc.  Rusty, dad of the kids, says, "Time to clean up and let's go."  

4 y.o, Noelle, got done, slipped down from her chair, and disappeared.  

Then the doorbell rang.  I was thinking, "Who's that this time of night?"

Alayna, 7 y.o. sister to Noelle, piped up, "Yep, she's definitely outside!"

Noelle Bugs, Grandmas, and Run

                  Noelle Bugs, Grandmas, and Run - with Jayden

October 2024, just before Noelle's 5th birthday we were playing Mean Grandma.  That's hide and seek, but with me as the grandma.  With the lights out (we always play inside after dark) I would hide up high and reach down, such as hiding on top of a countertop and reaching down, to touch a kid on the neck and scare the bejeebers out of 'em.

This time Noelle was hiding behind the couch.  I searched here and there, knowing where she was but letting her have the thrill of anticipated discovery.  Finally, I pulled out the couch and there she was!  She let out a really good excited squeal, and then because I was blocking her way, she suddenly got serious and implored, "Let me run.  K?"

 

*****

In November, just after Noelle's 5th birthday, she was looking up at the pretty floral antique plates on the bulkhead in the kitchen.  I had told her they used to belong to my grandma, and some were my great-grandma's.  She's very articulate for her age.   Noelle's so adorable I couldn't help but smile when she said, "Do you kweep 'em for a decoration?  So you don't want to forget about her?"

Aw, you're so right.

*****

I was practicing a couple of Christmas songs on my crimson baby grand piano.  Noelle came bursting into the room, "That's my song!" she declared, "It's called Noelle.  It puts me to shweep."

Hummm, she indicated mom uses the song The First Noelle as a lullaby.

*****

I opened the screen door of the glass sliding door, and exclaimed aggravatingly, "Three flies just zipped right in!"  Jayden had previously been using my blue flyswatter and spent a good 10 - 20 minutes killing the black buggers.  Then he went outside and started swatting box elder bugs.  We're overcome with them this year.  

I thought it was a shame that 3 more flies had just entered the house.  After a bit, after he had lost interest, then Noelle gave us her two cents worth, "I think it was a bad idea to let 3 flies in cuz they can get our foo-ood!"

LOL, a bad idea?  LOL, yes it was a ba-ad idea!

*****

We were making pie crust for pumpkin pie.  Spencer came to help Jayden, Noelle and I.  I spied a signature on the bottom of one of the pie pans and showed everyone that my mother's name Gail was etched there.  Noelle said, "Did your mom died?  She'll be very happy that you're using it."

Jayden added, "And she'll be happy you're a very good grandma."

When I told Mary Ann this conversation she said, "You are!"

Well ... I love my grandkids! 

Toddler's Halloween Fest of 2021

TODDLER'S HALLOWEEN FEST  of  2021

We're having a Toddler's Halloween Fest,

-- it was be a monumental mess!

First we iced the cupcakes, and fixed a box of a baker's dozen with the extras to send to work with grandpa John for the community table in the bus barn lounge.  
 
Our little party included painting wooden faces, driving staked pumpkins in the ground, baking cupcakes and icing them (that's always an extra step, a messy one!)  and finishing off the evening with "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown"!  

4 toddlers, 1 infant, and 2 DIL's and plenty of talk and lots of action.  So we had Jayden, Alayna Noelle, Lilly, and Jacob, and Ainsley not pictured.

Alayna 4 y.o.            Jacob 3 y.o,

Jacob pulling the little wagon  Jayden, Alayna and Lilly

Jayden and Noelle       Alayna and Lilly

Watching "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!"  They'd never seen it before.