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.