A (not-so) relaxing evening

   After a busy day, we came home and quickly made dinner.  We all sat down and enjoyed boneless ribs, macaroni and cheese, and peas, followed by family devotions.  I decided to make some cookies, while Scott was playing handyman and fixing a couple dining chairs.  All seemed to be going smoothly.  Tirzah helped make the cookie dough, then I washed dishes while it chilled. 
    At this point, Levi asked if he could do a job to earn one more sticker to fill his chart.  "Yes, you can clean out the pack n play." I answered.  So he begins that, dumping coats and jackets.  "Done!" he announces, and adds the final sticker.  Running to get the prize bag, he decides on a pack of bath fizzies.  And, of course, if you have bath fizzies, you need to take a bath.  "In a little while you may." I promise. 
    Meanwhile, the dough is ready to shape and roll in cinnamon sugar, so Tirzah and Levi decide to help me.  Scott has gone upstairs to try installing a hunting game on the PC.  He hollers for me, but I have my hands covered in cookie dough, so I tell him to wait. He calls, "Jacqueline, what is this new folder bar at the top of the screen?"  "I don't know.  It just appeared there, and I can't make it go away." I yell back.  "Well, it must be a virus!" he cried.  "So, what am I supposed to do about it?" I holler.  Finally I get the cookies in the oven and go see what's up.  Caelin is sitting beside Scott attempting to make helpful comments; Scott finally is convinced it's just an empty folder and deletes it.  Whew!  Crisis averted!  The game, however, will not work properly on the PC, so they scrap the whole thing.
     Scott declares he is going out to the workshop to do a few things.  I tell Levi he may get in the tub; Caelin thinks he will go in, too.   "You guys are too old to bathe together anymore." I say, much to their dissapointment.  "Can we go in together if we wear our shorts?" Caelin asks.  Fine.  Whatever. 
    My mother calls to visit.   Aila has taken advantage of the moment and pulled the Uno game off the hutch and strewn the cards all over the  dining room  floor.  At this point, Tirzah declares she has to go potty.  Rolling my eyes, I pull the shower curtain closed and tell her to go ahead.  Of course, it's a number two, and a lengthy one.  I go check the cookies, which I have been keeping up with.  When I come back, Aila is soaked.  "Why is Aila all wet?" I ask.  "She was playing in the bath water." replied Caelin.  Great.  I take off her jumper and shirt then run back to get the cookies.  From my kitchen, you can see straight into the bathroom, so I glance up to see Aila, tights at half mast, shoes still on, diaper removed, waddling out toward me, saying, "Potty!"   Yikes!
    I take her back in the bathroom; there has apparently been an epic hurricane, due to the amount of water all over the place.  I throw down a towel, telling Tirzah to move it so Aila can go.  I have to wipe Tirzah, the whole while hoping I don't drop my phone in the toilet, because I am still talking to Mom.  As soon I put Aila on her potty seat, she gives me a look of confusion, like "What am I doing here?"  Forget it, I decide, and put a fresh diaper on her. 
    Returning to the kitchen I attempt to roll more cookies; Tirzah and Aila are helping.  Aila picks up the balls of dough and throws them onto the cookie sheet with gusto;  nevermind that they din't get rolled in the sugar. I put them in the oven just as the smoke alarm goes off.  I am yelling into the phone, "Hold on!"  Climbing onto a chair, I press and hold the shut-off button.  My ears are ringing and my mother is laughing.  She is such a supportive person.  "We'll talk later." she says.  I roll still more cookies, removing Aila, and questioning my intelligence for making a double batch of snickerdoodles.
    Scott came back in and pulls out the lap top; the hunting game should work on it, if he can only figure it out.  Aila comes round the corner sans diaper again.  I put it back on, again.  Cookies out of the oven, again.  Finally, last batch is out and am I glad. 
     Levi really wants to show Scott an old game on the upatairs computer, so to satisfy Levi, I go up to help him.  While we wait, Tirzah is going to show me a Curious Geaorge game she can play.  Sitting on my lap, she works the mouse pretty well.  Scott comes up to see.  Moments later, Caelin appears at the bottom of the stairs holding a diaper.  "Mom, Aila took her diaper off and it has load in it."  I am speechless. Luckily, Scott is equal to the occasion, going down and cleaning her up, threatening all manner of action to keep her diaper on.  I decide a sleeper might be the best option, and put one on her. 
     It is now 9:00.  Scott has the hunting game working and is working the bugs out amid unsolicitedadvice from the boys.  "Let's get to bed, please!" I announce.  I am rather tired out from the relaxing evening at home.

The Zaccheus you never knew

    For devotions tonight, Scott read the story of Zaccheus, which I though my children were pretty familiar with.  Wrong.  After the reading from our wonderful children's Bible, he asked a few questons, directed mainly at Levi and Tirzah.  First: Was Zaccheus a big man?  Levi says no, Tirzah says yes. 
    Second, "How did Zaccheus get to see Jesus, Tirzah?"  Blank look.  I rephrase the question.  "How did Zaccheus get high up enough to see Jesus?"  Her eyes lit up, and pointing to the sky, she cries, "A plane! He went up in the sky!" 
     Levi scornfully responds, "No, he climbed a tree!"  "Good, Levi.  What kind of tree?" continued Scott.  "A sperm tree!" he answers.  I nearly fell off my chair. Good thing my mouth wasn't full, I laughd so hard.  He tried again, "An oak tree?" 
     Seeing things were not going so smoothly, Scott turned to Caelin, who this entire time had been fixing himself some dessert and to all appearances was not paying any attention. He proceeded to answer everything, about quoting the story verbatim.  Seeing some reinforcement would be good, we closed with a couple renditions of "Zaccheus was a Wee Little Man."

What Tirzah hears

     Tirzah has taken to telling stories.  This morning she was telling me that she had heard snow falling.  Impressive.  A bit later I was telling the kids that we have to keep food picked up better because of mice.  Tirzah commences describing how she heard mice downstairs at night when she was in her bed.  Claimed they were tiptoeing across the table and she could hear their little teeny feet. 

Hazardous Chemicals

    Chemicals can be hazardous in more ways than one.  Tonight as I did the dishes, I heard a suspicious noise behind me.  Turning, I saw Aila with the can of apple-cinnamon air freshener, set on the floor in front of her, using both her thumbs to press the button.  Thankfully, it is drenching the floor in front of her instead of spraying in her face.  I dropped the dishcloth and ran over to grab the can, putting well out of reach, then went back for some paper towels.  Unfortunately, I hadn't reckoned on the floor being so slick.  Almost in slow motion, I slid sideways, landing on my left hip in apple-cinnamon slime.  If  I had to fall, at least I will smell like fall. 
    I would also like to record for posterity that today Aila has dumped the basket of markers, a couple glasses of water, food from her plate, a bunch of stuff from the camping equipment bin, a substantial amount of cat litter, and an entire container of BB's.  On a lighter note, she has started saying "Vi" for Levi which is very cute.  Her vocabulary includes: Mommy, Daddy (her favorite word), shoe, which sounds more like she, and is tied for favorite word, owie, wa for water, doggy, baby, go-gee for gentle (as she strokes my face) uggy for yucky, ah for hot, and a little sing-song routine when she wants to nurse.  She pulls at the neck of my shirt, rocks side to side, and sings, "Uh huh, uh huh"  The uh being a higher note and the huh being a lower note.  It's working for her so far. 

Levi's soup recipe

Levi made some soup yesterday.  By himself.  It was very yellow, but the children said it was yummy.  He came to me and handed me a piece of paper, announcing that it was his soup recipe.  It read as follows:
 ptatos anb peprs anb beens anb sethnins.
Which translated means: potatoes and peppers and beans and seasonings.
He pointed to the counter and said, "Those are the seasonings I used,"  There was garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and salt.  Hmm, not bad, I thought.  Besides the vegggies in his recipe, he had put in slices of tomato.  All of the vegetables were freshly picked from our garden.  He had simply boiled tham all in some water.  The yellow color, well, it wasn't natural, and it wasn't in the recipe, so I can't say for sure, but I did find an empty bottle of yellow food coloring in the pantry that afternoon.  :-)

     This afternoon, Levi came to me and announced when he grew up he was going to be a "plane conductor", and that when he was flying the plane to California, I could go for only one dollar.  "Wow!" I said, "That's really great!"  "Yeah, and anybody else in my family can go for two dollars.  For all the other people it costs 30 dollars, no, 100 dollars."  I told him he was sure to have a lot of business!

How she really feels

After we picked the kids up at Justin and Trish's, where they had spent the evening, I asked if they had had fun.  Tirzah replied, "It was fun when you were gone, but not when you got back!"

9/13/12  The girls and I went to Malone this evening to get the groceries for our Maine trip.  On the way home, Tirzah prattled on and on in the dark, asking all manner of questions and chatting about everything under the sun.  At one point she said, "When I grow up, I'm going to work at..." and paused.  I fully expected her to say "Chinese", which is her and Levi's standard answer for what they want to do when they grow up.  Instead, she finished, "at your house.  When I grow up, I want to live with you!"  So I told her OK, that would be great.  :-)
     She kept asking where we were and how long it would be till we got home.  She had asked about 5 times in a row, with me aswering, "North Bangor, 15 minutes" every time.  Finally I told her the next town was Brushton.  "Oh, the it's only six shots till we're home."  "Six shots?" I asked.  "What are six shots?"  Giggles.  "Um, they're six turns." 

9/27/12  While we were on vacation in Maine, we were eating supper at a Wendy's.  It was a bit late and Tirzah wasn't doing so well.  She was crying about her burger, "My sandwich is all crambly!"  OK.  She muddled through enough to get her Frosty, which she was happily sharing with Aila, then suddenly decided didn't suit her any more, crying, "Mine is getting lippy!"  Nobody knows.  Crabby four-year olds.  Who can figure them out?

Aila's First Words

     Aila has just really started saying a few words.  She says mama or mommy regularly.  She calls most any animal a doggy.  Owie is new this week.  Baby is also said frequently, as she gets a doll, wraps in it any cloth she finds, and will sit and rock back and forth, singing, "Baby, baby..." 
    One of the cutest things she does is imitate a gesture I do to her regularly.  When she is too rough, I take her hand and stroke my face with it, saying, "Gentle, gentle."  She will brush my face with her hand and say, "Gogee, gogee."  So sweet!

Summer Sayings

Here are some of this weeks gems: 

Scott told Levi to drink the milk out of his cereal bowl.  Levi complained he doesn't like milk, then added, "The only milk I like is frsh from the udder of a goat!"

In the gas station bathroom, Tirzah announced, "I poopeded a banana!"

Aila has been calling most any animal a woof.  Sunday she had a Carl book; I told her to look for the doggy.  She started saying over and over, "Doggy, woof, doggy, woof!" and actually pointing to the dogs.

How things work by Levi Ramsay

    While we were camping last week, Scott was going step by step through the story of David and Goliath, which Levi claimed was his favorite Bible story. Scott was asking him questions as they went. "David had a sling. What is a sling used for?" he asked. Levi promptly replied, "To carry babies." 

    At supper last night, the boys went to remove what were supposed to be clean dishes from the dishwasher.  They started exclaiming  that the dishes were disgusting, filthy, etc.  I shut the door, turned the power on, and it started up, mid-cycle.  "Someone must have pushed the off button." I declared.  "I think it flipped the circus breaker." chimed in Levi.  "Like when Mama uses the microwave and the dishwasher at the same time, it flips the circus breaker."

   Last Friday, we were pressed to get everything organized and get out of the house for a dr, appointment and then pick Scott up in Chateauguay and head to Plattsburgh for a cook-out and overnight stay followed by biking the Missisquoi Trail.. One can imagine how many things I was oraganizing and trying not to forget. The children were all clean, and the boys were wearing their matching shirt my mom gave them.  At noon, I planned on eating lunch and getting the kids out the door by 1:00.  Simple, right? 
    I had sent Levi out to puit something in the van with instructions to come back immediately after.  Again, seems simple.  However, as I put the sandwiches on the table, I notice he never made a re-appearance.  A secong later, he is in the bathroom washing his hands, which were covered in something that wasn't coming off.  Oh boy.  It proved to be Crisco.  Levi admitted that he and Tirzah had some in the garage.  I was not impressed, as I helped him wash.  Caelin comes in with the full report.  Apparently the two naughty ones had used the shortening to "paint" the wood splitter, which as a side note, is borrowed from Scott's work.  I regret to say, I lost my cool, and my parenting was not at its best.  I also may have strained some blood vessels in my neck, raising my voice to an unusual level.  There was some unpleasantness indicated for a couple of sets of buns that day. Levi was sent, post-haste with a roll of paper towels to clean up the wood splitter, and I got Tirzah washed and changed.  Their clothes were stained, to boot.  These are the times I want to be able to bring up when Levi graduates from medical school one day, proving that he is responsible for my mental state.

Reports, Raisins, and Rough Days

    Caelin finished his very first research report today.  Whew!  It has been quite a process.  First looking at the instructions and examples in the book, he was overwhelmed.  He picks a topic, Henry Ford. (it had to be person)  He requested books from the library all by himself, and read them- no problem.  Then the tricky part: notes and an outline, and writing the actual report.  He polished up the rough draft today, included photos,made a title page (with a font that looks like how they write Ford!)  and put it all together.  I was quite pleased how he did.  I scored it with the checklist from the book; he ended up with a 92.  Not sure if that's lenient, but it seems like he did a great job for 5th grade English; he's only 10.  Sometimes I can't believe how much he can do.  Other times, I can't believe how much of a goof he is.  The scary part is how much he is just like I was: academically advanced, but socially oblivious.  :-)
     Tirzah helped me make cookies this evening.  She dumps the ingredients in and operates the Kitchen Aid.  As we added the raisins, I said, "We don't want too many."  "But I like too many!" Tirzah objects.
     I should record an incident from last week.  All the kiddos were outside; I was getting the clothes off the clothesline.  When I came in, I asked Caelin to watch Aila.  He was in the hammock with a book; I should have known better!  I take the clothes to my room and as I begin to fold them, I  look out the window at the swing set just in time to see Aila hit the ground.  In a split second, I comprehend what has happened.  Aila ran behind Levi on the swing and got clobbered.  I can see Levi holding his legs out straight in front of him, and reading his face, he is unsure of what to do.  He wants to get her, but realizes if he puts his legs down, he'll whack her again.  Thankfully, she didn't try to get right up.  In a moment, I am out the door and at the swing set.  Levi is shaken up a bit.  "I couldn't slow down, cuz I couldn't put my legs down! She ran in back of me and I didn't see her!"  I reassured him that it was an accident, and he had done alright.  Poor Pudgy Bunny had a bad scrape on her head from a rock.  I will not be recommending Caelin as a babysitter anytime soon. 
    As a note, Levi is actually a very good baby sitter.  He is more likely to play with her cheerfully than Caelin.  He is maturing, and I am very thankful.  He had an unusually rough morning yesterday; dis- obedience, bad attitudes, stirring up strife, and even lying.  After going round and round, he was sent back to his room, where he was supposed to be cleaning.  I went in after a few minutes, and he had fallen asleep on the bed. That would explain a good portion of his behavior, I thought.  When he woke up an hour and a half later, his demeanor was greatly improved.  Keep praying!

Do crickets taste like peanut butter?

     Levi bursts in the house, goes to the pan cupboard, takes out a small pan, puts something in it, and places it on the stove.  As he turns the burner on, I question what he is up to.  "I'm frying this cricket.  It's supposed to taste like peanut butter.  It said so on Wild Kratts."  I remain calm, congratulating myself on being such an open-minded homeschool mom.  "Really?  And you're going to try it and see?" I ask.  "Yup!" he answers.  Oh boy.  I look in the pan.  The cricket is half squished, but not fully dead, as it wiggles in the dry pan.  I have never liked crickets, but a feel bad for this one, being roasted alive.  "Wait, let me add some oil." I advise, and remove the pan from the burner.  The oil must have smothered it, because it never moved again.  We let it sizzle for 30 seconds or so, (I mean, how long does it take to cook a cricket?) and then Levi strains it out with a spoon, placing it on napkin to cool.  He gazes at it a minute, and says, "I need a knife to cut the legs off."  I give him a knife and he operates.  "And the head" he adds.  "Don't cut too much off, there won't be anything left!" I warn.  He picks up the unfortunate insect, and says, "I'll eat it outside."  "Oh no, you don't!  Eat it right here!" I insist, thinking he's going to toss it off the porch and say it was delicious, so Tirzah and Caelin will try one, too.  He gingerly places the cricket in his mouth, and carefully chews a couple times.  "How is it?"  I ask.  "Crunchy?  Does it taste like peanut butter?"  He fishes it out of his mouth, grinning sheepishly, "It doesn't taste like peanut butter!"  And with that, he ran off to play.     

Where there's smoke alarms, there's no fire.

     We have a super sensitive smoke alarm in the kitchen; it goes off almost anytime the oven is turned higher than 375. It in fact, went off tonight, when I checked on the fish fillets and tater tots. The boys heard and came in asking if dinner was about ready. I would like to point out the irony, however, that when the grease from the fish ran off the edge of the cookie sheet and actually caught fire..... NOTHING.  No smoke alarm. I smelled it and saw flames, quickly turned the oven and stovetop burner off (it's gas, and I didn't want to blow up) started hollering for Scott, who saved the day, pulling the stuff out and the flames burned out. Never dull at the Ramsays. :-D

Girl of All Trades

     Today Tirzah was many things: a schoolgirl in her skirt and blouse; a fearless swimmer in her shorts and shirt; a Mommy to her doll Baby Dear; a donated tiara made her a princess; wearing a sunbonnet, she told me she was Amish; wielding a light saber, she boldly claimed she would "save the day" and was going to kill all the monsters; and finally she is a little girl again, cuddling with her "Mankey".
Which just goes to show, with the right accessories, a girl can be almost anything!

Say where?

Levi is a bit confused in his geography.  You'll never meet someone from: 
Sam-son-frisco
Noklahoma
Wyazona

Levi's Mama

     Levi has a unique way of using my name as a fill-in word.  Here are some of his spins:

"I'm livin', I'm livin', I'm livin' Mama."-his version of their Awana song.

"Mama, you have diabetes!"

"Mama's head is a sphere!"

"Mama hibernates!"  I ask, "Why, Levi?  Why do I hibernate?"  "Because you're a Lorax."

"Mama doesn't need any more sweets!" (this was said in a firm,authoritarian-type voice)

"I love Mama, 'cuz she's made out of cabbage."

"If they sold Mama at the Awana store, I would buy her first, before anybody else."

"Mama is a pigsty; pigs live in her body."

"Mama is a grocery girl."

As I burned myself removing my coffee from themicrowave- "Mama set her coffee on fire!"

"Mama eats pythons; there's a python in Mama's mouth!"

(Sung to the tune of Joy to the World) "Mama is a crazy girl, and heaven and nature sing!)

"Mark, the Herald Mama sings!"

"Mama is from Sampson Frisco."

(sung to the tune of Deck the Halls)  "Mama never goes to bed"

Mama is a scuba diver;  Mama is a base jumper.  (!); a chapatti;

Mama is edible; you can eat her.

Mama is on the march.

The ants go marching 3 by 3, and they all go marching down into the mama ground, where the mama queen was.
10/12  It continues.  Lately it is Mama Durama.  Or Mama llama.  Or Mama with a comma.  Or as I say, Save mama from the drama! 

Leviathon

     In the van tonight, Caelin had his iQuest,a hand-held educational game/organizer.  He suddenly calls out, "Mom, I looked up the word leviathon.  Meaning one is a large sea serpent symbolizing evil in the Bible.  Meaning two is a large sea monster.  That pretty much describes Levi." 

Levi the hunter, and wanna-be nudist

     Levi asked, "How many seasons are there?"  "Four." Scott replied.  "Oh," Levi continued, "Deer season, turkey season, duck season, and..." he trailed off.  "Goose season!" finished Caelin.  "What about Bugs Bunny season?" asked Levi.
     After the boys were tucked into bed, I overheard Levi say to Caelin, "I wish Adam and Eve wouldn't have sinned."  Caelin mumbled something and Levi continued, "That way we wouldn't have to wear any clothes!"

How's That Again?

     Yesterday we attended a wedding as a family out near Watertown.  On the way home, Levi asked, "Did Daddy get to pick who he wanted to marry?"  This sparked a a recollection of how we met and dated, etc., which I assumed answered his question.  When we stopped to get gas, however, Levi burst out, "But I thought at the wedding there would be a whole bunch of girls in wedding dresses, and he would just point to the one he wanted to marry!"
     After we gassed up, the children were going over their Awana books, studying up for today.  I was going over Tirzah's verse with her: "Children, obey your parents in the Lord."  We had said it a couple times, then I asked, "Does it say, Children... eat all the candy?"  Tirzah exclaimed, "No! ...Obey your children in the Lord!"  "Isn't that wishful thinking?" I muttered.  Scott was laughing so hard, he could hardly see to drive; he had to call his mom back and tell her Tirzah was twisting the Scripture to suit herself.  ;-)

Baby Dear, and our dear baby

     Tirzah has a doll she has dubbed "Baby Dear"; it was a gift (hand-me-down) from Aurora.  She has had it since she was about 1, and it has always been her favorite doll.  She named it after reading the book, "Baby Dear" by Eloisie Wilkin, where the little girl does everything with her doll that the mom does with her new baby sister.(very appropriate!)  She goes through spurts of intensity, however, and we are in the midst of one right now.  She brings the doll to the table to eat; it has its own high chair that clips to the table.  Tirzah sets a little plate in front of it, and keeps the rest of the family informed as to what the doll is doing.  Levi scoffs at all of this, and gets Tirzah fired right up.  When we go anywhere, Baby Dear comes along in her Moses basket carrier, usually with Mankey for good measure.  Tirzah informed me the other day that Baby Dear should have a car seat.
     At bedtime, the doll sleeps in its own bed (another pass-on from Aurora) at the foot of Tirzah's bed.  AND in pajamas, of course.  Tucking Tirzah in last week, she sighed, "My baby always wakes me up at night, and I have to bring her in bed and nurse her."  Haha!  Wonder where she heard that?  ;-)  Yesterday the children had bee playing outside till evening, and when bedtime came, suddenly Tirzah realized that she didn't have Baby Dear.  What a crisis, to be sure!  I promised I would go out and look for her, and tried to get an general idea of her whereabouts.  Yeah right.  Scott was in the shower and Aila was really fussy, so I find a (lousy) flashlight, and head out into the night, carrying Aila.  It's funny how the yard seems so much bigger in the dark with a only puny little light.  I searched high and low, but no Baby Dear did I find.  A doll dress, yes, a quilt on the grass, yes, but no doll.  After a good hour, OK, 10 minutes, I came back in, only to have Scott say, "Oh, you were out?  Looking for the Baby Dear?  I already gave the doll to Tirzah."  Aye yi yi.  Problem solved, right?  I tucked Tirzah in, and sat down to relax, only to have her come out in tears, stating that Baby Dear needs her clothes.  I told her that we'd have to find her clothes in the morning when it was light.  Cue hysterical crying.  I was not overly impressed.  And I did not go back out to find the doll's clothes.  She cried for a good while, coming back out a couple more times to tell me how much she NEEDED those clothes.  Good night.

     To make matters even more fun, we have another doll lover coming up the ranks.  Aila has discovered babies.  She'll find one on the floor, pick it up and cuddle it, rock back and forth with it, the whole nine.  It's the cutest thing.  Watch out.  That's how Tirzah started, too.  :-) 

Whose Line Is It Anyway? Props

          I have a cream-colored Boppy that is no longer in use.  Or so I thought.  I asked Caelin to put it upstairs; instead, he picked it up and put it around his neck, declaring, "I'm a walrus and these are my tusks!"  He then took it up to be put in storage.  Not two minutes later, Levi appears with said Boppy like a huge U on his head, crying, "Look, I'm a raging bull!" and charges me.  He procedes to the living room,where he puts the Boppy around his neck, and tells Caelin, "I'm a beaver, and these are my huge teeth!"  "No, wait," he turns the Boppy like a U again, with the ends up by his ears and declares, "I'm actually Santa Claus, and this is my big beard!"  By this time, I was remembering a show we used to love called Whose Line Is It Anyway? which had a segment just like this called "Props".  My boys could be masters.

Kids' Perspectives

     In the bathtub this morning, Tirzah was playing with some plastic cups.  "I'm making peace!" she says cheerfully.  "You're making what?" I ask, not sure what she said.  "Peace!" she responds.  I'm a little dense.  "You're making peace?" I ask, wondering what new kind of food that is.  "Yes! Like a peacemaker!" she clarifies.  OK, OK, I get it.  Maybe she's overheard a few of my talks with Levi?   A couple minutes later, she starts asking what things are for. "What's a house for?"  "What do you do with a house?" I prompt.  "Live in it." she responds.  "What are yours legs for?"  "What do you use your legs for?" I ask.  "To hold up yours buns!" she answers.  Of course.  What else?   ;-)
     Levi was working away on his subtraction drill this morning, when his head pops up and he bursts out, "I wish I could go to heaven right away, so I could see all my friends.  I looked in surprise, wondering what friends he's thinking of.  Then he continued, "Like Great Grandpa and Aunt Elaine."  There's no answer for that, just hugs.  :-)
     Speaking of perspectives, Aila is viewing the world right now from the confines of the pack n' play.  She is cheerful, however.  Her rampages of destruction have gotten a little out of hand, and a bit of structure might be just what the doctor ordered.  Now to put away the tapes, CD's, cat food, Uno game, clean dishcloths, dirty laundry, books and toys she has scattered!

Levi's Punishment?

     As I walked into the schoolroom this morning, I noticed a pushpin, point up, on Tirzah's seat. I picked it up and announced, "Look what was on Tirzah's stool!"  Caelin remarked, "That's because Levi put ithere so she would sit on it!"  I turned my eye on Levi, sho looked a little abashed at being caught.  I launched into a speech, asking him what he was thinking, and if it were wise or foolish to do such a thing.  "Foolish," he responded.  "And do you know what the Bible says about fools?  The need to be corrected." I continued.  "What can we do to correct your foolishness?" I asked.  "Umm," Levi looked thoughtful.  "Miss out on something?" he offered.  "Like what?" I asked.  "I could miss out on doing school." he suggested.  Oh, yes, that would be a terrible punishment, I'm sure!  Nice try! 

The Bad and the Best

     At supper "yesterday night" (kid language) Tirzah was chattering away at an unprecedented rate about anything and everything.  In the midst of her commentary, she announces, "And I am the best kid...ya."  (She regularly ends her statements with "ya", as if confirming to herself that she knows all about it.) After a brief pause, she looks at Scott with her sweet little smile and adds, "Just like you, Daddy!"  I roll my eyes; he chuckled and said, "We'll keep you around, Sweet-Tart". 

     As a note, Scott came up with the nickname Sweet-Tart for Tirzah after I told him about the time I overheard Tirzah talking to Aila, "My name is Tirzah, but Mommy and Daddy call me Tirzah."  I think she was used to the boys being called by their nicknames, so I mentioned to Scott that she should have one.  (He used to call her Sour Squaw, but perhaps she'd not appreciate that in the future!)
     I was at a friend's house this afternoon, looking at some curriculum, when Scott called.  He had an idea that we should go on a little off-road adventure in the Suburban, and offered to call in a pizza.  I, of course, thought that was a brilliant idea, since it involved no work on my part.  We picked up the pizza on our way home, gobbled it down, and headed out onto the back roads to check out some potential biking/hiking/ canoeing/camping/hunting areas.  We were travelling on an abandoned railroad bed, designated as a DEC truck trail.  The boys had unbuckled and were trying to get a better view out the front, when we came to a particularly rough patch.  "Sit down, boys, this looks really bad!" Scott warned.  "I love bad!" yelled Levi.  "Things that are bad are fun!"  I am afraid this may be his motto in life.

Our Day

     We all slept in this morning, after a busy weekend, and a late night last night.  School was a bit delayed and rather hectic, as I tried to get the laundry done as well.  Levi was doing his math, counting by 10's starting with various numbers.  He was saying 26,36,46,56, etc, in an ever-increasing tone and pitch.  When he got to 86, he was straining, and I braced myself for the final one, 96.  All of a sudden , he drops his voice to a surprisingly deep tone, and says slowly and loudly, 96!  What a goof.  He was like a jack in the box all morning, although he did well in everything, and even read a library book to me. 

     After he was done, he went to the living room where Tirzah was "cooking".  He asked her what was for lunch.  "Banana pie." she answers.  Hmm, sounds good to me!  Levi for two days now has been walking around randomly calling out, "Milk a cow for Hospice!".  No one knows why.

     I read 2 more chapters of "Heidi" to the children; we have only one left to finish the book.  Tirzah has a terrible time sitting still, but seems to catch more than I imagined.  She walks around saying, "Schwanli and Barli" to her self.   (Those are the names of their goats.)  Levi keeps waiting for Peter the goatherd to get a whipping. 
     Caelin has fallen a bit behind in his social studies, so we are trying to make up some lessons.  We are studying economics and the Great Depression.  Today we made stock certificates and play money so we can buy, sell, and trade stock this week and see how we fare.  While he and I were doing this, it was strangely quiet.  Levi and Tirzah had been playing store so nicely; when I found them they were in the bathroom, painting their hands with red food coloring mixed with rubbing alcohol.  (insert yelling, followed by sigh of resignation) The laundry is still not done; it's in piles all over my bed.  The kitchen/dining room is a mess.  It is almost 5 and I haven't started dinner.  I got no nap today.  But it's always interesting!

School with Levi

     Teaching Levi, or for that matter, doing school with Levi, can be a real challenge, and always interesting.  This morning, I was reading from Proverbs chapter 13.  I asked, "You wouldn't want to be lazy and poor, would you?"  "No!" Caelin emphatically responded.  "Well," said Levi, "It would be nice to be lazy, but not poor."  I think we all might tend to answer that way if we were honest! 
     Later on, Levi was reading a little book called My Pet Zack, about a boy and his pet fish.  He still stumbles over some words, and occasionally gets a little frustrated.  At one point he stopped and declared, "I would just eat this fish!"  Oh, my sweet little carnivore!  ;-)
     In math today, he was learning to use a ruler to measure inches.  He had a page with various lines he had to measure and write down their lengths.  He enthusiastically declared, "This makes me feel like a real scientist!"   

Impressive

     Caelin has taken up burpning as an art from/sport.  He claimed the other day that while doing his school work he had burped 100 times in a row.  Wow.  I'm so proud.  I always knew he had hidden talent.
     Today, Tirzah walked out into the living room to see what Levi was doing, put her hands on her hips and says,"I am not impressed!"  Haha- wonder where she's seen that!  ;-)
     Speaking of impressive, Caelin had been at the shop with Scott the other day;when he got home he said, "Look, Mom!  Do you know what this is?" and showed me a long stick of wood with about half a shingle screwed onto the end.  He flapped it in the air.  "It's a people swatter!  Like a fly swatter, only bigger!" 

One liners

     Tirzah's new word is fab-luss.  As in, "How fabluss my hair look?"  Or while riding her bike, "I am doing fabluss job!"  Levi's question of the day: "When your skin falls off, how come you can't find it?"

Pop ups

     I just noticed in my last post that thhere are some pop ups when you mouse over certain phrases.  Not sure why, as I didn't authorize this.  I am also unsure how to get rid of them.

Frat Boy

     Caelin was in the shower this morning, when Levi sneaks in and shuts the hot water off on him.  Caelin jumps out, hollering.  As a mom, I tell him he should be kind to his brother.  As a former college student, I know he has a bright future in the dorm.   A few minutes later, my mom sense went off, and I stuck my head in the bathroom.  Caelin is getting dressed, but Levi is up on the bathroom sink, minus his pants, and there is white foam on his rear.  "What is going on?" I demand to know.  "Caelin sprayed my butt with air freshener." Levi answers.  "He  told me to!" Caelin responds.  Heaven help me. 
     I would note that Levi was on his mettle the rest of that day, proceeding from thing to thing with an intensity rarely equaled.  He ripped his wallpaper last night, and this morning pulled Tirzah's butterflies off her ceiling, making her very sad.  He was sent to do his speed drill, and instead was goofing around on the computer.  He was not allowed to go out to play this morning; I told him he wasn't to be trusted out of my sight.  After lunch he promised he would stay out of trouble if he could go outdoors.  I said OK.  When Caelin came in, he reported that Levi had gone in the barn and was using the silver spray paint.  Oy vey!   This evening, we discover he has opened the broken double-hung window he was told not to touch, and now it will not close, and we are having a thunderstorm. To cap it off, he has disassembled his bike helmet.  Scott is threatening to get him up at 6 am so he can start repairing the damages.  My theory is to let him sleep as long as possible, so I can repair the damage, but maybe Scott's onto something.  I know I need some sleep.

Bunny Cuddles

     Lately, Aila has taken up cuddling in the morning, which I am enjoying to the fullest.  She will wake up, look at me, smile, stretch,  and crawl over to flop herself on me.  Half-sitting, half-lying on me, she will periodically look up at me, smile and flop back down.  She also enjoys reaching up and pulling on my bottom lip.  However, I do not find this nearly as endearing.  Scott has been working to get her to stick her tongue out and make a noise like "laddah".  He does it to her, and when she does it back, everybody laughs, and she acts all shy. 

Levi the Butcher, and the Leprechaun

     Today we were going to Lamar and Katie Martin's to help butcher a beef, which was hanging in their garage.  As we were getting ready, Levi says, "This is my first dream that has come true!"  Great-Grandpa Beckwith would be proud! 
     Tonight during family devotions, we were reading about Jesus healing a man with leperousy.  Scott asked Levi if he knew what a leper was.  Levi responds, "Is that like a leprechaun?"  The other day, we had seen some St. Patrick's decorations at the dollar store, and Levi asked, "What do leprechauns do?"  Good question.  Apparently, they mostly sell St. Paddy's Day stuff.

Third Day?

     In the van this afternnon, I was trying to help the children learn/review their verses for Awana.  Levi's was 1 Corinthians 15:4, ...that he was buried, that he was raised the third day, according to the Scriptures.   He was having a little trouble, so I prompted, "he was...raised...".  Levi yells, "the fifth day, according to the Scriptures!"  "No," I laughed, "the third day!"  Tirzah chimes in, "Thursday?"  "No!" I repeat, "the third day!" 

Levi the Stinker; Tirzah doesn't stink

     Tonight, as we sat on the couch trying to watch some clips on Hawaii for our school project, Levi and Tirzah were fighting over the blanket.  I told them to sit together and share, which seems simple enough, if you're over 8.  They sat, but Levi kept scooting away from Tirzah, who claimed she wanted to cuddle.  I asked what his problem was, and he just scowled.  Poor Tirzah lamented, "But I like you...and I don't stink!"  In the end, I had Caelin sit between them, and peace reigned.
     Yesterday, my mom called to ask what Levi wanted for his birthday.  We happened to be at the dollar store, so he was full of ideas.  "An airhorn!" he promptly replied.  I quickly leaned down to the phone and yelled, "NOOOO!"

Date Night

     For some time now, I've been planning a surprise evening alone with my honey.  Trish generously agreed to watch the kiddos, including Aila.  Today, I bribed the children with promises of candy from Justus' store if they cheerfully helped get the house in shape.  All was according to plan until Scott called from work saying he was getting off early.  Should I panic?  But, no, he was going to Massena to Home Dept.  Fine.  A couple minutes later, Justin, his boss and Trish's husband, calls, wanting to know if the surprise will be wrecked if Scott takes off.  "No," I tell him, "He's going shopping till supper time." It's a quality boss/friend that will call to consult first! 
   I am trying to pack the kids up and get loaded, but, as is our custom, we are running late.  Scott calls again.  He is running late.  For once, I am glad to hear it.  Relieved, we head over to Trish's.  Aila has nursed, so I am hopeful she will be OK, besides, she will eat most anything.  The other kids couldn't care less about me; they love "Teetee's" house, and usually groan when they see us come to pick them up. 
     I rush home and finish my preparations.  Scott calls again to let us know the full moon is rising, and maybe we should take the telescope out.  "Uh, sure." I say and hang up.  Candles, check.  Music, check.  Suggestive note on the door, check.   Finally Scott pulls in, and he is certainly surprised, which is half the fun for me.  He asks where the kids were.  "I waved my magic wand and made them disappear." I tell him.  We enjoy a lovely time together with no interruptions, savoring hot food I didn't have to cut for anyone except myself!
     As we enjoyed the last bites of our cherry-topped cheesecake, I felt anxious about little Miss A, so we headed back to gather the flock.  Justin and Trish's house looked like a tornado had hit.  Aila was surely glad to see Mama.  Everyone was talking at once.  Tirzah was wearing somebody's old PJ's, having wet herself.  Levi is holding up a mini ziploc bag, exclaiming, "Here's my tooth I pulled!"  Sure enough, he lost his first tooth, and we weren't even there!  Caelin is hiding under a blanket because he doesn't want to leave.  Our friend Nathan Martin is on the couch sleeping through all the commotion, as is Katrina, their baby.  Did I mention they have 5 girls of their own?  That makes 9 kiddos, which equals something just short of pandemonium, but not by much.  Some half-hearted clean-up by the crew and a quick nursie for Aila, and we head out, thanking "Dun-dun"  and " Tee-tee" for their services.  Under a chilly but beautiful full moon, we drive home, fully satisfied with our mutual pleasant evenings.

High Crime in Low Places

     We've had a theft here at the Ramsay house.  I mean, strictly speaking, theft is taking something that does not belong to you, and since Aila doesn't deposit things in the toilet, she took what wasn't hers.  But I digress. 
     I had planned to write on here this evening, and had a couple funny, cute things of note.  I even had a title planned, "Insanity".  All that's gone, because I can't even remember it now.  Perhaps I should start at the beginning. 
     Scott went to prison tonight for Bible study, leaving me to fend for myself.  I was making cookies and cleaning up the supper while the kids were generally trashing the living room, and having a good time doing it, too.  I had asked Caelin to get Aila while I got a tray of cookies out of the oven, and he had taken her out of the kitchen.  (That's me, super safety mom!)    Good, right?   Well....a couple minutes later, he yells, "Mom, Aila has poop all over her!"  Pardon?  I go look, and sure enough, there is brown on her one hip, like her diaper has been blown off and is leaking.  "Quick!" I cry, "Set her in the bathtub!"  Containment being the best policy in such circumstances.  Upon closer inspection, there is suspicious brown stuff on her hands and knees, as well.  We head for the bathroom, when what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a trail of brown smears commencing at the toilet's edge!  "Aaaah!"  The horror of what has occurred washes over me. "Sick, oh sickness!" I cry.  Tragically, Levi had not flushed after finishing his business, nor closed the lid. "Did you leave a nugget on the floor?" I ask.  "No! I think she got it out herself!" he accuses.  Following is a second wave of the comedic value in the situation.  I am  now laughing, and yelling about how this is the reason we flush, and would someone, PLEASE, get the Clorox wipes! 
    Aila is stripped, post haste, and soon soaking in warm water and baby wash.  I am scrubbing away on the floor, relating the story to Joni, who is shocked and appalled, because, of course, her mannerly offspring would never dream of doing anything so disgusting.  Just then, the smoke alarm goes off.  Good grief, the cookies!!!  There's a tray still in the oven!  Caelin runs to remove them, but hollers, "They're burned black!"  I'd imagine so.  I am now pretty much hysterically laughing.  Joni says, "I mean with this with all the love in the world, but you are in over your head!"   Ya think? 

SHE MIGHT BE CUTE, BUT SHE'S YUCKY

Tea Party

     Scott decided to take the boys to Awana tonight, but didn't take Tirzah.  She was crying very hard as he pulled out, so I told her to dry it up and we'd do something special.  She has been bugging me for the last week to have a tea party with the new tea pot I received, so I figured it would cheer her up,and it did.  We tidied up, put on a fancy tablecloth, warmed some cookies from the freezer, lit the candle, and were almost ready when Scott called.  He said the boys were settled, and he was headed home.  I told Tirzah, and acted excited, so we added a place setting.  She met him at the door and "invited" him to the tea party.  Aila joined us as well.  We used all the "fancy" dishes, including my antique tea cups, which Tirzah was allowed to choose for each guest, Aila excepted.  It was our supper, as well, so we started with a small bowl of soup, along with some crackers and "spray" cheese.  The height of elegance!  Along with the tea, we had ginger cookies and buttered panetonne.  Scott was amused, and Tirzah enjoyed it fully.

     The tea cups we used were from my Grandma Preston, whom I adored as a girl.  She kept the fragile china cups and saucers up on the very top shelf of her cupboard, and I only saw them on a few occasions.  I remember always wanting to get them out and have tea, but she never wanted to bother.  Probably didn't want to risk breakage.  (not that I blame her)  However, I knew it would mean so much to a certain little Miss if I allowed her to use one that it was worth the risk.  She was super careful, and pointed out to me a couple of times that she wasn't going to break her tea cup.  :-)  After all, what's more precious: the memory of Tirzah sipping tea with a smile on her face or a set of perfect china that never got used?

The Great Outdoors

     Case and Archie's party was today. (cousins) We had fun making masks, capes, and playing some superhero themed games, had lunch, etc.  Josh and Leigh and co. went with us on a little winter hike down the road from Jess and Louie's to Debar Pond.  First we missed the turn, and had to go back.  Once parked, we had to get people outfitted.  Aila did not appreciate this at all, and howled from her car seat in the sled.  Tirzah got snowshoes for Christmas, which were forgotten in the crazed rush to get out of the house.  There was only a few inches of snow, so I told her we wouldn't need our snowshoes.  Japheth, of course, already had his on.  At least she accepted it with no scene.  We walk down the road to the trail, and Scott decides he wants his vest, so I run back for it.  Josh decides he wants his snowshoes, and goes back for them.  Once on the trail, it's a bit icy, and Leigh heads back for her snowshoes.  Meanwhile, Aila is still crying from her car seat, so I get her out.  The trail includes portions of very narrow boardwalk, so the sled isn't even viable for use.  The older kids are all over the place, while we tell them to stay close.  At this point, I'm thinking "Is this even worth it?"  But we press on.  I just carry Aila, who has repeatedly shaken her mittens off on the side of the trail.  Finally the narow bridges end and it actually is very beautiful, if not relaxing.  The pond is lovely, and we took some nice pics.  Levi chewed a bunch of wintergreen; I tried it, too, but it's not much good without sweetener.
    I record all of this because it is a typical scenario.  Chaotic preparation, time crunch, disorganization, crazy kids, indecision of what to wear and bring.  And we do it in spite of all this, just to get out in God's beautiful creation.  It does dampen one's ardor, however.  Someday, it will be easier.  I keep telling myself that, anyway!
     On the trip home, Tirzah was singing the alphabet song. Over, and over, and over.  Like this: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S, Y and Z.  She paused and asked if it was good.  "It was very nice." I assure her.  Finally after innumerable renditions, she announced, "This is my seat concert."  "Your seat concert?" I chuckled.    She responded, "Yes, because I am stuck in my seat!"

Blamblee and Mankeee

       Levi and Tirzah have blankets.  Of course, don't we all?  But these blankets have names.  Levi's is Blamblee; it's actually a woven cotton crib-sized blanket Caelin got at his baby shower, but he never really used it, so it's been adopted.  It is the love of Levi's life.  Refered to as "he", it gets taken everwhere and cuddled with.  It shows, however.  The poor thing is slowly losing its strings and developing some large holes.  The funny thing is that Scott had an almost identical blanket as a little boy, and it suffered the same fate, slowly being loved and picked to death.  By the time Levi gets married, all he'll have to show his bride is two little balls of string, like Scott.
     Tirzah's blanket's name is Mankee.  A gift from Trish Puffer when she was born, it is an ultra-soft plush pink number with satin binding.  I like it myself.  It is her first thougth when upset or hurt.   She sleeps with it and tonight finding it lying on the stairs, yells, "I found my mankee, her was on the stairs!"  

                                              "Mankee in the background on Christmas morning"    

Life with Levi is Never Dull

     Just jotting down some of Levi's recent commentary.  Yesterday he announced "I don't believe in Tirzah!  Only Mama, Daddy, Jesus and God."  She asked, "What is believe?"  He responded, "Believe is when you obey them and aren't afraid."  Out of the mouths of babes...
     This morning, I was toasting bagels, and Levi proclaimed he didn't want his toasted. (which is true, he doesn't like his bread toasted)  "But if you don't toast them, they'll be cold and tough." I pointed out.  "I like them cold and tough!" he declared.  Just like himself.  :-P

The Butcher Strikes Again

     We've been on a family trip to Ohio, which seemed extra far away this time.  13 hours in the van is not for the faint of heart!  If I had a quarter foe every time Levi did something to bug someone, I'd be a millionaire.  Overall though, the trip was OK.  We were able to spend time with Scott's mom and step-dad, brother and his wife, and Uncle Paul, which really was the point of the trip.  We also hit up the Goodwill in Wadsworth and scored some good deals. 
     The day we were packing to leave, Levi bursts from the schoolroom with a handful of hair, announcing, "Look what Tirzah did!"  That's right, she chopped her hair.  Again.  This time her hair was in two pigtails and she hacked off about 3/4ths of the right one.  I almost cried.  It's been just over a month since the last scissor run-in, the day she massacred her bangs hours before the annual family photo shoot.  This time, though, the damge had to be repaired, and we took her to the Walmart salon in Wadsworth as soon as we could.  The result is not as short as I had feared, and actually pretty cute.  (Though I'll not tell her so until she's a teen-ager!)

     Some funny Tirzah moments from the car trip include her talking about a "sober-toothed cat", and randomly calling out, "...in my suitcase I'm gonna pack...".  And, of course, the ever-popular, "I'm peeing!", striking fear in the hearts of dads everywhere.

Cha...potty?

    It's Caelin's turn apparently.  To be sick, that is.  He didn't feel well at Japheth's birthday party yesterday, which I could write a whole paragraph on by itself.  Suffice it to say, the Comfort Inn may never be the same.  The pool was great, except the part where Aila was frantic, and we couldn't figure out why.  The kids really enjoyed the arcade, earning tickets, and redeeming them.  One of the funniest moments was at lunch.  Tirzah was seated by Pippen; she turned to him and said, "Your belly is fat like my Daddy's!"  I thought Trip was going to fall off his chair laughing.

     Anyway, Caelin felt worse as the day went on, prompting a shortened trip to the mall, and was postively ill last night.  Tirzah, Aila, and I stayed home with him this morning, while Scott took Levi to church.  Sabbath calm reigned.  Caelin rested on the couch, while I tidied and bathed the girls.  Tirzah helped me prepare an Indian dish,chicken and vegetable (Tirzah's pronunciation:Jegable) biryani, along with basmati rice.  Then she helped roll out the chapattis, sort of the Indian version of tortillas, which we fried.  The house was deliciously fragrant when the guys came home.

     Levi asked what the flat things were.  "Chapattis", I told him.  "Cha...patti?"  he asked .  "Why did they name them after the toilet?"  he asked seriously.  Cue family laughter.   Everyone was seated as I brought the pot of biryani (chicken vegetable stew) to the table.  Levi leans over and sniffs it.  He makes a face.  "That stuff smells like chihuahua!"  When we recovered, I asked how many times before he had had chihuahua.

     This afternoon, Caelin felt better, so we went on a scenic drive, taking some photos of the ice coating the trees while the sun shone through. The 3 younger ones passed out, and we enjoyed God's handiwork, along with some much needed adult conversation.  

Psalm 147:16-18  He gives snow like wool, He scatters the frost like ashes.  He cast forth his ice like fragments; Who can stand before His cold?  He sends forth His word and melts them; He causes His wind to blow and the waters to flow. 
Psalm 145:5  On the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and on Your wonderful works, will I meditate. 

Our God is so amazing!  Every detail of creation is so perfectly designed!  Snow is white. (of course) But imagine if it weren't!  How dark winter would be!  Or if ice didn't float!  Water is the only thing that expands as it freezes.  That didn't evolve!  God planned it!!  Praise Him!!!!! 
. 

Parmesan? Blossom Tree?

     We've had quite a bit of freezing rain today.  I was pointing out how low the branches on the balsam tree were drooping, when Levi came up behind us and asked, "What blossom tree?"
     Levi has a very mild case of the Hand, Foot, Mouth Disease, contracted at the same time as Tirzah's, no doubt.  He has just a few minor sores around his mouth, and I called him to the bathroom and began putting some antibiotic ointment on them.  "Is it Parmesan?" he inquires.

     This morning he was helping cook the sausages for breakfast. Or as Tirzah calls them, "thaugages".  He caught the edge of his wrist across the edge of the pan, burning himself pretty good.  We got it in cold water right away, but he declared that made it hurt worse.  Plan B: I cut a piece of aloe and smeared that on.  At lunch Levi touches the blister and claims, "Now it doesn't hurt when I push on the pillow!"  
     This afternoon, he said he wished Schmutz and Tiger were girls, "so they would lay puppies and kittens."

Girls! Girls! Girls!

                                                                                                                                                                       

    Tirzah playing with Aila:  "Hi! My name is Tirzah, but my mom and dad call me Tirzah."  Oh, really?  Poor girl is the only one who doesn't really have a set nickname.  Caelin is Bubba, Levi is Bugger,(and many variations     thereof), and Aila is the Pudgy Bunny.  So I guess Tirzah was just clarifying!                                                       

     Her mouth is still sore, but it looks a little improved.  We tried a rinse out with water/peroxide.  Went poorly, to say the least.  She started crying and freaking out.  Guess we'll go back to the salt water rinse!  Let's all cross out fingers and hope for a better night of sleep for the 2 girls!  Between Aila's teething issues and Tirzah's general wakefulness, I've been up close to 10 times a night lately!  Bah! Sleep humbugs!  Somehow we've got to get it    through Tirzah's head that she CAN in fact, go back to sleep without someone tucking her in.  I think she really minds sleeping alone; almost every night she asks when Aila will come and sleep in her room.  ;-(  If you ask        Aila's opinion, she would say 'no time is a good time' to cut back on the night nursing.  She's now 9 months, and nurses more at night than ever.  Hopefully that will be a short-lived situation!  I suppose cheeks like hers are hard to maintain.  Oh well.  Nibbling on those juicy cheeks is worth it! (At least for now!)                                          

                                                                                                                                                                        

                   

Terribly terrific Tirzah

     Poor Tirzah!  She apparently has a case of Hand, Foot, Mouth Disease.  Her temp has been between 100 and 101 since Thursday.  Now her mouth has what looks like a bunch of little canker sores.  She's been eating OK, just kinda whiny with occasional requests for Tylenol.  :-(

     Our digital thermometer has been acting up, so we got a new one.  (With all the sickness lately, it probably wore out!)  This morning, Tirzah came to me asking if she could have the old chapter.  "What chapter?" I ask.  "The chapter!"  I am completely lost.  "I don't know what you mean."  "The chapter!" she insists.  I'm fishing for an answer, "What does it look like?"  "The purple and white chapter." she says, pointing to the medicine cabinet shelf, on which is resting the old thermometer.  Relieved to finally have the mystery cleared up, I gave it to her.

    



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Here are some more recent Tirzah-isms:

     One December morning she yells from the back of the van, "I want it to be dark so the Christmas lights can grow!"

     She washes her hair with "pinshoo" and "gushinner".

.     At supper she proudly told Daddy there were chickadees in the salad.  Scott looked a little concerned.  I explained that she had helped Caelin put in the chickpeas.

Awesome Fortune Cookies

     The guys are back and the evening went smoothly.  Caelin said it was the best.  They had Chinese, then tried out a fantastic new sledding hill.  Here's the kicker-  their fortune cookies!  Scott claims it was Providence.  His said, "Develop an appreciation for the present moment"  HAHA  for sure!  He better, because there are 3 more kids to bring through the ranks.   Caelin's was rich, too- "You feel restless, change is just around the corner"   Dat true, my friend, dat true!   :-P

Manly Outing

     So, Scott and Caelin are out for the evening, much to Levi's dismay.  We thought it would be a good time for some man-to-man type conversation, so they went on a dinner date.  :-)  I have been praying for Scott to have wisdom, and, frankly, discernment ia all of this.  Caelin is almost 10, and mentally very mature, but still very innocent at heart.  A sweeter boy never walked the earth.  (Well, OK, Jesus walked the earth, but that's the only exception)  My sister Joni called it when she said he is like a Saint Bernard.  So loving and cuddly, but way larger than they realize, and when they lean on you, it about knocks you over.  I can't wait for them to get home and hear how the evening went!

A Simple Shower

     It seemed a simple thing, really.  I was dirty, and we happen to have hot, running water in our house.  Unfortunately, all 3 older children were already up.  Itold them to have some breakfast and had just gotten in the shower when Tirzah comes in.  Fine.  "Shut the door," I say.  She has figured out how to lock the door and is pleased the boys can't get in, as am I.   She keeps trying to talk to me, which, again, would be fine, except she thinks she needs to pull the shower curtain back to be able to speak. 
     Somehow Levi gets in, demanding help peeling his orange.  "I'm not exactly in a position to peel it right now." I reply.  He then reports that Tirzah is spraying the door with air freshener.  "I'm wiping it." she calls.  He leaves. Moments later, Caelin yanks the door ope, wafting in cold air.  "Levi is clawing me!"  I cut his story short, "I'll be out in a minute." I say. He informs me, "I'll tell you the whole story of what's going on when you get out."  Great.  I can't wait.   I'm drying off when the door starts creaking open.  "Keep that door shut!" I yell in a preemptive effort to keep some heat in.  Levi yells "Caelin has a pancake shaped like a cross!"  Great.  I am thrilled.  
     When I emerge from the bathroom, clean and dressed, Tirzah has her play dust mop, attempting to clean the woodstove.  "Don't touch that to the hot woodstove," I advise, "it will melt."  This led to a conversation regarding natural vs. man-made materials and whether they would burn or melt.  Thoughtfully Levi asks, "Why can't materials be girl-made?"  LOL  I think it's time to make the coffee! 

Chatty Cathy Caelin

     Caelin "needed" to call Aurora tonight, so I let him use my phone.  He proceeds to go in the school room, milling around, and talks for almost 50 minutes!  Whatever it was was top secret, because they were talking about sending things in the mail, and now they must write letters, which I am under strict orders not to open.  All I can say it I hope it is some fabulous money-making scheme! 

Half Time

     It's half time in the Broncos vs. Steelers playoff game.  We've had a quiet day at home.  Scott preached this morning, but he and Tirzah are not well, so we only went for the message.  He preached another message in the "In Christ" series: Redemption.  Excellent job!  We came right home so as to not infect the whole congregation.
     I was able to tidy up some, dash out for a very brief walk, and scrapbook.  The kids goofed around on the computer with Scott before he crashed for an hour or two.  Caelin mixed upa batch of soft pretzels, which we all helped roll out.  Yum!  We dip them in melted butter, then your choice of salt or cinnamon sugar.  I said, "Mmm, I'd like some mustard for mine."  Caelin exclaimed, "Ugh! Mom! Gross!"  Levi chimed in, "Sick, Mom!"  Obviously they do not appreciate the finer things in life yet! 
     Meanwhile, Scott had the football game on.  There was a general rotation of seating going on, as one person got up, and another stole his spot.  I came and sat down with Aila, and Tirzah cam up claiming I was in her spot next to Daddy.  "Yeah," Caelin adds, "Mom is a seat stealer!"  "Well," I countered, "that's because I don't even have a spot, cuz I'm always doing something for someone!"  I get no appreciation. 
     So, should I watch the game with the fam, even though I don't really have a seat?  Or do I keep scrapbooking at the dining room table?  Oh, wait, I'm the one who has to clean up the kitchen.  :-O

1/7/2012

     So, this is my first time ever trying a blog.  I intend to use this primarily as an online place to journal the funny and crazy things my children say and do each day, which, frankly, are numerous, and I sooo want to be able to recount them as the kids move through the various stages of childhood.  I have this fear of forgetting all the wonderful, wacky things that go on routinely at our house, and want to make use of this space to keep a little family history.  As of today, Caelin is 9 1/2, Levi is 5 1/2, Tirzah is 3, and Aila is 9 months.   

     Today was Saturday.  Scott was off work, so we had a nice breakfast and talked a while about home improvement projects.  Scott was a little distracted, having to preach tomorrow.  We decided to go into Potsdam to Northern Music, Wear on Earth, and then the kiddos and I walked to the Co-op.  I am gathering ingredients to try some Indian recipes in the cookbook I got for Christmas.  Then it was a late lunch at Pizza Hut and the usual junk at Walmart.  Poor Aila is teething and not enjoying it, Tirzah has had a fever since Thursday.  I have been trying to get a bunch of scrapbooking done before we go to Ohio, but have managed to only do a few pages.
     Tonight, as I tucked Tirzah into bed, she asked, "Did Levi have a food sleeper like me when he was a girl?"

     Last night, Scott stayed at work late, trying to complete his sermon, so the kids and I had dinner alone, then (as Mrs. Thompson, my alter-ego) was invited to a tea party in the boys room.  I brought the tea and cookies and treats.  Tirzah had her tea pot and said she was pouring me some garlic tea.  I said, "Yuck!"  Levi exclaimed, "Terriblous gross!"  My invitation to the event came via the "mail system" operated through the boys floor register.  They lower a small gift bag on a piece of yarn, and yell "Jingle Bells!" when I have a delivery.  When I put something in, I pull on the string 3 times to signify they should hoist it up.  I also had a delivery of Mr. Chips, the battery-operated chipmunk, amongst other things.