Tidbits

Around noontime we picked up Annabelle for an afternoon of just "us" time. Since Sophia has come into our family we haven't had as much time with just Annabelle. We started out eating at the Piccadilly.

On the way we cut through some back streets and suddenly Annabelle got excited. "That's where I went to the doctor!" she says. Then it hit me that we were indeed in the area of where one of her appointments for evaluation of speech therapy had taken place. We zigged and zagged around and since we obviously didn't go in the same way, things didn't seem quite the same after a certain point. But she was right, I'm sure, that it was the same place she had been earlier.

One conversation completely out of the blue with Annabelle, while we were eating lunch:
Annabelle: Molly cheers for Georgia. I don't cheer for Georgia. I cheer for Tennessee!

Grandmomma: Why does Molly cheer for Georgia?

Annabelle: Because she likes Georgia. I don't like Georgia. I like Tennessee. I want them to win. We (Daddy and Annabelle) watch football on t.v. We cheer for Tennessee!

Grandmomma: And why do you suppose Molly likes Georgia?

Annabelle: Because her Mommy and Daddy went to school there.

Grandmomma: And your Daddy went to...?

Annabelle: TENNESSEE!

Grandmomma: I don't like Georgia, either. I have to cheer for Tennessee. Well, sometimes I like Georgia...when they aren't playing Tennessee.

Annabelle: YEAH!

I have no idea what provoked that conversation. Georgia and Tennessee had not even entered the conversation. But so much for what thoughts run through her head.

I think she's quite good for a 3 1/2 year old when it comes to noticing direction and where she is. Really amazing to me. Of course she is quite the traveler so I guess that helps some..

And she has a good memory for other things as well. As soon as she had finished her meal she reminded me she wanted a balloon. The same lady almost always takes our tray and seats us. She always remembered to ask about the other two who were missing in the family, too.

But first, from the visit to Journey's End yesterday, she wanted to play a game of putting a small amount of food in her mouth while she had her eyes closed and she would guess what the food was. I was reprimended for not following Mommy rules for eating her food.

Annabelle: But you put too much food on my plate. Mommy doesn't put that much on it.

Usually Mommy puts a litte bit of food on her plate and requests that she at least try it and if she wants more she can have more. I'm accustomed to putting amounts of her favorite things on her plate in amounts I'm sure she will have no problem eating. That didn't work this time.

We did play our game for a few bites until she was all finished and ready for her dessert of bran muffin (the whole one she didn't want to share with me.) Then it was onto the balloon. And our kind waitress obliged by bringing her a pretty red one this time.

Since she had barely eaten the pile I had put on her plate we took the remaining food and beloved balloon home for safety and the food for her to eat later tonight. She asked that I tell Mommy not to eat the rest of it while we were gone so she could have it later. I doubt she ate it later, but that was her request.

Then it was on to Stone Mountain. She kept telling her Granddaddy he was going the wrong way. And he was because he had turned too early and we had to change our route. She knew this wasn't the way to Stone Mountain because Daddy didn't go that way. He takes her out there on Saturdays sometimes...enough that she knows her way....maybe. Every turn we made brought on the same statement. We weren't going the right way, Granddaddy. At one point she even reminded me we couldn't go that way because we had to stop by Publix to get some hotdog buns or some cereal or something to feed the ducks. And, of course, we didn't turn the right way to go into the park. She's such a little back-seat driver. When she drives she's going to have to be behind the wheel because only she and her Daddy know how to get there.

At one point I told her we were going to let her drive next time, to which she replied in a soft little voice, "But I'm not old enough to drive!"

After a few real life unintentional mis-turns and Granddaddy not following her directions we finally made it down to the lake for her to feed the ducks. Four baby ducks, or four young ducks I should say, and their Mommy attached themselves to us. We figured the biggest duck was "Mommy Duck" because she stayed right on them and she would quack her warnings out to the babies. I'm sure she was telling them, "Don't get too close to that little girl. You don't know if she's your friend or enemy. Stay back. Don't fight over the food. Let me have a chance for a bite of it." There were several other bigger ducks out wanting so much to be able to get their share.
Mommy Duck was determined they wouldn't bully her babies around. After she was more comfortable with us being around, she would turn herself around, duck her head low and she would fly out at the others, keeping them away from her babies and their feeding time.

Even the sassy Blue Jays were perched in the trees waiting for their chance to swoop down to eat their share. They got very few chances because those babies were on that food as soon as it hit the ground. We had to throw Mommy Duck her food above the heads of the babies.

A couple of times Annabelle apparently got a bit generous with the amount she threw and Mommy Duck grabbed up the big piece and moved down into the edge of the water where she promptly ducked her bill down into the water to make sure it was soft enough for her to eat without choking. Maybe she was teaching her babies a lesson or maybe she knew it was too much for her, but she did this several time. Quite interesting.

Granddaddy had just pulled our chairs out so we could enjoy watching the ducks and Annabelle when she decided she had to go potty. Since we didn't have the portable potty with us (one thing I had forgotten to ask for) we had to pack everything up and go back up the hill to the potty.
We had enjoyed the ducks already for a good bit of time, so instead of returning to the lake, she decided she wanted to walk down to the grist mill. Well, she thought she wanted to go to the grist mill. She really just wanted to walk along on the ledges and run ahead of me. She and I spent a good amount of time just running (that would be her, not me) along and just enjoying ourselves.I kept reminding her I no longer could move as fast as she moves. I was really afraid she would fall on the stone steps and get hurt, but she didn't seem to see the danger.

She found a bit of sand in one area and decided she needed to stop and play in it. She wanted to take her shoes off, but I discouraged that, so she promptly just pour the sand over her entire shoe, down into her socks and shoes. Uggg!

We stayed down there for a good while and then finally I convinced her we needed to move back up to where Granddaddy was waiting in the car. I never realized just how old I'm getting until I tried to keep up with her coming and going to and from that car. I was completely exhausted by
the time we got back to Granddaddy.

One other thought, when we pulled into the parking spot to go to the bathroom, beside us was a pretty little convertible, top down and all. She said, "I like dat car!" I'm sure she did and I'm sure that will be one of those things in life that will totally drive her Mommy to her wits end once she gets her very own convertible. She's already showing signs of being a wild woman in her future years.

The train came by while we were turning to go down to feed the ducks, earlier. She decided she was through with the ducks for now and she wanted to go down near the train tracks. She also stated she wanted to ride the train, but we talked her into waiting another time for that. She said she hasn't ridden on it before and I thought maybe Mommy and Daddy wanted to be there for that. She agreed.

She kept telling us we couldn't park in the parking lot near the train. We had to walk. Well, I can't tell you how excited I was about that. Apparently she was right. We never found a close enough parking spot for poor-worn-out Grandmomma to make the trip down to the train tracks. I was informed we could call Daddy. He knows where it is. Apparently everything about Stone Mountain is within Daddy's realm of knowledge. She said Mommy wouldn't know. Daddy would.

Before we left the park we made one final round to feed the ducks. Armed with one hot dog bun we started out for the ducks, but not before she wanted to share with me the special place she and Daddy walked.

Annabelle: I'll show you where we walk. (Annabelle and Daddy).

Grandmomma: I'm really tired, Annabelle, maybe next time.

At this point we were out of the car and she was headed toward the fenced-in area leading to the area where they walked. I followed. And, of course, she had to hug a tree. A small tree. For a picture to remember earlier years when she had hugged a big tree for a picture. This was her idea. On the way out I pointed out the tree I thought she had hugged when she was younger. She looked at it and decided I wasn't right. It was too big. I guess we'll have to pull out the old pictures to jolt her memory.

On the way back to the car at the end of the day she said, "Grandmomma, do you think you and Grandaddy can come back and get me tomorrow? Maybe for three hours." (At least it wasn't her usual favorite numbers of 28-now-27!) Of course that made me feel good because she had enjoyed her time with us.

Finally we were on the way home with a tired little girl in the back seat. She kept rubbing her eyes and she had started coughing. That started up while we were walking down near the grist mill. She said, "I think I'm getting sick again."

She really wanted to go to sleep on the way home, but I didn't want to mess up her bedtime this late in the game so we engaged her in a conversation about what the Mommy Duck probably said to her babies when she was quacking at them.

Annabelle: What do you think she said to them, Grandmomma?

Grandmomma: Don't get too close to her. She might want to grab you and eat you!

Annabelle: What else did she say, Grandmomma?

Grandmomma: Don't be greedy!

On and on this conversation went. After exhausting all my thoughts on what Mommy Duck would/could have said/thought, I asked Granddaddy what he thought Mommy Duck had said. He thought for a moment and then said,

Granddaddy: She probably said, You better eat all your dinner. I'm not cooking again today.

Now, where did that come from? Out of the mouths of three and a half year olds and Granddaddys...

When we had talked earlier about whether she was ready to go home or not she had said, no, she wasn't ready, but then finally she said she was ready. She wanted to go home to see Mommy and Sophia.

Every good thing has to end eventually. And it was a good day for all. That's all that counts.