Time for an Update?

On Friday, I met my grandchildren's stepmother in Castleton (Indy's northeast side) at Trader Joe's at 1:30 PM to make a kid trade. Apparently they didn't have school that day. When we arrived back home, we had decided to surprise the neighbor friend, Jack, at the school bus an hour later. The bus arrived, but Jack didn't get off! That could only mean that Jack didn't go to school... That threw things into a bit of a tizzy. Turns out, Jack wasn't really sick...just kind of malingering...so the kids got to play with him outside in the leaves while his mother raked until dark.

The children and I went to Deals, which is what? Five minutes from home?? Suddenly Ryan had a bathroom emergency...then so did Robin. We had to ask a worker for restroom instructions...in the employee storeroom, dirty and dark...but we got the job done.

Robin got a bath. Ryan was instructed to get jammies on. By the time I got both to bed on Friday, it was easily 10:00 or shortly thereafter. Bless them, they both went right to sleep. No begging to sleep with Grandma or to watch TV.

Saturday was to be a special day for Ryan. We--his family on this side--were celebrating his 6th birthday early since he would be gone on his real birthdate next weekend. I was up quite early, but so were the children! After giving them breakfast, I washed the kitchen floor, chose their outfits, took a shower, and waited for Megan and her boyfriend to arrive.

The plan for the day was to take the children, plus the neighbor friends, to Monster Mini Golf in Avon, then have the neighbor kids' grandpa pick up his grandchildren so we could go to Olive Garden for supper with the Heffelman grandparents, then meet at my house for cake, ice cream, and presents. (Actually, the neighbor kids [5 and 9], were invited to the whole day, but their mother told me they didn't do well in restaurants because they are picky eaters, etc.)

But first, back to Deals...this time to pick up balloons. We got four...one that Ryan specially pickedf out...and three more that Robin decided were good for her and the neighbor children. Okay...but since it was windy, I took control of the balloons before we left the store. Ugh!! The exact balloon that Ryan declared was to be his got yanked off the string by the wind. It sailed off into the blue. Nothing to do but go back to the store to buy another. Ugh!

My grandchildren got bored by about the 15th hole of the 18-hole golf course. Little Grace never did get into it. We decided to leave early. While we waited for Jack and Grace's grandpa to arrive, the kids played arcade games. Ryan and Jack were playing air hockey...and the next thing I knew, little Grace was crying, "I want to go home!" I thought she had gotten hurt. More likely, the boys wouldn't let her play. Thankfully, their grandfather showed up that instant and she settled down. The rest of us retired to Olive Garden.

Ryan loves Olive Garden which is why we chose that as his birthday dinner place. Could have been cheaper elsewhere, but he's my only grandson and deserves what he loves! Megan, Denis, Robin, Ryan, and me were in attendance. Grandma Judy and Grandpa Phil showed up shortly thereafter...then Uncle Dan. We had a nice visit, then retired to my house for cake and presents. (The neighbor children came over for that.)

Ryan tore into his presents. Gone are the days of playing with each one as it is opened! Jack kept saying, "Let me help you. Oh...I have that. I have that one, too." Blah, blah. And as soon as everything was opened, Ryan was playing with his new toys. Jack complained that he wanted to go home because Ryan wasn't playing with him. I sent him and his sister back to their house (right next door) since the time for Megan and Denis to take the children to Terre Haute for an overnight.

Megan brought the children back here a little after 1:00 PM on Sunday. Apparently they had been to a play park...and apparently Robin had been bored with the "play" between Denis and Ryan. Here, they played a little bit with Jack, but when he went inside, it was clearly time for us to prepare for our trip to the northeast side to meet their father.

When we got to the "north split", there were signs saying that there was a "load spill" and that the right two lanes were closed. Things started to slow down as we got near. I called Nathan at 4:00 saying that we were tied up. He was still 25 miles out of town. As we soon got past the overturned semi, we made good time and pulled in at Trader Joe's right behind Nathan. (When I got to the same location on the opposite-bound road, the semi was still on its side...but the backup went clear to Harding Street. Whew! )

This weekend, Megan announced to her children that she is moving to California with Denis just before Christmas. I was only apprised a couple of days earlier. Apparently, she is totally okay with leaving us all behind...being a mother by web cam, letter, and phone call. She doesn't talk to me because she doesn't want to deal with my feelings. She speaks eloquently about how this is "best for the children" and "best for [me]"...but she didn't consult any of us before she made her unilateral decisions. She says it has nothing to do with her relationship with Denis...which is total nonsense. I was here and watched the progression. I am coming to deal with the holidays sans my daughter, for the first time in 30 years. She'll figure out her own life, as she wants it. All I have done for her and with her is collateral damage. I'm scared to fall asleep at night for fear I won't wake up and no one will be here to find me. I can't fix it. I never believed, in my wildest dreams, that I would be so alone in life after working so hard for my daughter and grandchildren. As my brother-in-law says, "That's what having kids does to you." I always wanted to believe HIS kids did this. Guess what?? (You get the picture.)

I think my little Ryan had a good pseudo-birthday. He now considers himself Catholic. God bless my grandchildren. They didn't deserve what they got...