Travels With Gaga

 The older two boys are in a summer program sponsored by the public schools.  The bus picks them up on our street. It has been incredibly hot this week, but they arrive here in long sleeves because the building they go to is too cold.  The first day, after we waited 10 minutes for the bus (Gaga is always early!) they were wishing they had someplace to sit.  Julian said he thought we should bring lawn chairs.  I told him there was no way I was dragging 3 lawn chairs back down the street to the house after they boarded the bus.  This morning, he disappeared for a few minutes right before time to leave, and when I called him, he said, so cheerfully, "Coming, Gaga!  Wait til you see!"  Usually "Watch this!" or, "Wait til you see!" comes right before me shaking my head in disbelief.  Today, I was thrilled.  He brought out our folding wagon, opened it up, told Messiah to get in and get comfortable, and piled the backpacks in on top of him....

When I was a little girl, one of my favorite things was to go with my father on the occasional Saturday that he went to his office in Chicago.  Normally, he was a Monday to Friday guy, but on these days when he had something to pick up, or something that needed attention on the weekend, I would ride with him and hang out while he worked.  My very favorite part of these days was sitting at his secretary's desk and playing with her office supplies.  The tape, the stapler, the rubber bands and little rubber finger tip covers fascinated me.  Her life seemed so glamorous to me; working for my father and being surrounded by all the tools of the trade. Messiah arrived at my house yesterday morning with his backpack on his back, and his "Wednesday Folder" in his hand.  This folder gets sent home weekly with communications from the teacher, and goes back on Thursdays with signed forms, items to go to the classroom, whatever is needed to go back to school.  I asked h...

  I'm not much on hard, fast rules for my grandchildren, but manners and grammar are sticking points.  Every time one of them calls my name, I respond with, "Yes, Sweetheart?" Or, "Yes, {insert name} because this is what I ask in return.  When I call them, I don't want them to just yell, "what." back at me.  And I correct their grammar.  Messiah uses double negatives sometimes.  OK, frequently.  "I didn't have no breakfast."  "I don't have no pencils."  Every time, I correct him.  This morning in the car when he said he didn't have no time, I said, "Messiah here's a rule.  If you're using the word don't,  then use the word any instead of no .  So for instance, say I don't have any time, or I didn't wear any socks, etc." A half hour later, Julian was busy blowing up a rubber glove for no apparent reason, and I said, "I wonder how big that can get."  He looked at me and said, "I ...

 Messiah loves animals, trees, flowers, bugs, and all things sun and moon.  He talks non-stop every day in the car, a running monologue really, peppered with questions, most of which begin with, "What happens if..."  Today the sunrise was an absolute, blinding fireball to our east as we headed north, and he asked me if birds liked the sunrise.  I told him I imagined they did, as it meant the beginning of their day and their quest for worms.  From there we talked about nocturnal animals and how they were safely asleep at sunrise, and which ones probably went to sleep first.  Messiah is familiar with raccoons and bats, but he said he had never heard of opossums.  He wanted to know all about them, and when I told him they were great because they ate ticks, he then needed to know all about ticks.  We then discussed how bats ate millions of mosquitoes, and how we loved them for that.  He asked if opossums ate mosquitoes, too, and I said I didn't k...

 Of the five of my grandchildren, Messiah is by far the busiest.  He has to be in motion, at least with his hands, most of the time.  He loves to build things, he loves to run and jump and is unaccustomed to the concept of sitting still, unless he is engaged in an activity that takes his full concentration.  He rolled over in the hospital at 24 hours old, he walked at 9 months, and if you turn your back on him outside, he's up a tree or on top of a fence.  When walking to the bus in the morning, he runs down the sidewalk way ahead of me, with me screaming, every single day, "WATCH THE DRIVEWAYS!!!!"  One thing I've learned in the years we've lived here is that most people are extremely mindful when backing out onto the street, but my heart is in my throat the entire time. He has a specific thing (many of them, actually) that drives him nuts. He cannot STAND to have someone clean up a project before he feels he's done with it, so if he starts building someth...

We drive down the street where a newly renovated apartment building has balloons outside the rental office. Messiah:  Gaga, what if there weren't no balloons? Gaga:  ... Any balloons, Messiah.  What if there weren't any balloons? Messiah:  Yeah. Gaga:  Where?  At the party store?  Walgreen's?  The grocery store? Messiah: ANYWHERE! Gaga:  Uh...um... Julian:  Messiah.  Nothing would change.  The world would be the same.  Technically, it wouldn't make any difference at all. Gaga:  Well, I don't know...I think it would be sad if there were no balloons anywhere.  Balloons are fun! They're colorful and make people happy.  I like balloons. Messiah:  OK, so what if there weren't any? Gaga:  I guess we'd have to buy more flowers and party hats and decorations.  We'd still find a way to celebrate. Messiah:  I think it would be bad.  Very bad.  Julian:  Messiah, don't worry.  The...

 With the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccine, we committed anew to spend time with each grandchild individually, giving them the attention and space that Julian has enjoyed his whole life.  This weekend it was Jaylon's turn.  When you have them separately, their personalities really reveal themselves; they are not just feeding off each other or showing off for their siblings, or jockeying for position.  It took Jaylon a good two hours to calm down enough for us to see what his real likes, interests, and conversations are like.  He is by far the silliest of the three boys, and also extremely provocative; pushing the envelope at every opportunity.  That said, after he calmed down, he was dear and delightful and in some ways very matter-of-fact and straightforward.  We played, we attempted to read to him ("too boring"), our dear friends came over to visit with him, we had dinner, he took a bath, and I got him dressed for bed.  On the way home, he starte...