Live from Boise following the Idaho Erben's one post at a time…

Jeep Rides

Nora is growing up fast.  Here is another quick little story.

Rewind to Sunday.  Flossie is out working in the backyard, and opens up the shed.  Inside is the Jeep, wintering itself.  Nora gets in and plays, and wants it out.  Unfortunately, the battery is in my office, discharged.  I promise her we'll charge it up tomorrow.  Monday, we arrive home from work/daycare, and we round up the Jeep, and drop in the battery, and away go Tyler and Nora.  Nora is her usual stoic, unemotional self, no smiles, no tears, just taking it all in as Tyler slams into some obstacles.  They head to the neighbors, turn in their driveway, and head back.

A few minutes later, we have Tyler's bigwheel and the tricyle out, and Tyler is off peddling and Nora is sitting in the Jeep with her dolly.  She is not really driving, but enjoying things.  Then, some of the neighbor kids come over, and an older one drives the kids around, rotating them through the passenger seat.  Tyler passes, he is a big-wheel-a-holic.  Nora enjoys her rides, but, dinner nears.  So, I start sending off the kids.  One of the kids over was a little boy, probably 6 months younger than Tyler, but he has a 2-wheel bike, and has been somewhat quiet around us so far.  I tell Nora to drive the Jeep up to the house, and she just looks at me like I'm crazy.  The little boy, as I am calling Tyler from down the street, goes "I can drive these cars."  Hrm...

See, here is where a father's mind races and the knee-jerk reaction is to find the shotgun.  I look at him, size him up, and look him dead in the eye, attempting to ascertain whether he wants to drive the Jeep, or drive my daughter around in the Jeep.  After a few seconds, I cautiously go "Ok kiddo, hop in."  He eagerly jumps in, but Nora is trying to shut her door on her side, so he gets out, and goes and shuts it.  Little punk is kissing up to me...must remain sharp, little boys become little men...

In a matter of thirty seconds, the little boy has driven the Jeep with my daughter in it up to the house under the awning, parked it perfectly, and gets out and helps Nora out.  Well, at least he tried to help her out, she was not leaving that thing.  He walked past me, jumped on his bike, and off he goes.  Good little kid.  Meanwhile, Nora puts it in gear, steps on it, and runs over the patio furniture, mad that I parked it and it is time for dinner.

I drag her kicking and screaming back into the house.  It looks like rain, so I bring the Jeep in, and Nora hops in and drives it around into things, so the battery needs to be "charged" again.  No matter, after eating, Nora sat in the Jeep and played for a good hour, running her dolls through it and all sorts of stuff.  Every morning she has to get in it, and every night when we get home, she beelines to it and plays.

Tonight, she and dolly had to be buckled in, then went for a three-second ride, pictured above.  Oh...and when she is not in the Jeep, she points to the Tahoe and goes "eee-ph" and beelines for the driver's seat.  With my experience as a parent, I have safely hidden the TA keys, locked them there, and thrown away the key.