Noise and Quiet--We've Had It All

Somehow this afternoon I ended up with quiet, and I guess I needed it because I fell asleep at the computer. I will have to stop very soon now and go think about preparing dinner for the four of us here at Woodsong. I am hoping the ground beef for a meat loaf is sufficiently thawed.

We knew Tara and her three young ones were coming back through after their week with her parents and Geri Ann in Georgia as soon as Southern Forced ended their weekend tourney. But weather cancellation on Sunday allowed them to arrive last evening instead of in the middle of the night.

In fact, they were already here when we returned from the 6 p.m. service and hearing a very thought-provoking sermon by our friend Wendell Garrison. He was preaching that God wants us to spend our riches here on earth helping others rather than accumulating for ourselves. Seeing people around us and their needs includes building relationships with them—a form of riches anyone can share—which Dives failed to do with the beggar covered with sores who was at his gate. Suddenly in eternity the roles were switched, and the rich man needed Lazarus even as Lazarus had needed but not received the crumbs from Dives’ table.

We saw two cars in the driveway as we approached the house and knew that Tara had arrived and Auntie Erin was already there to enjoy an evening with “the boys.” Erin’s long team bus trip to Omaha had been cancelled on Saturday as the snowy weather was still present there. We had profited with a Saturday night visit as she used the found time with us and then on to her cousin Sarah, who has missed classes with pneumonia.

Briefly yesterday in the time before the evening service after the afternoon funeral for the mother and sister of two local friends, I had gone on Facebook. I told Gerald it sounded to me like Jeannie, who was on spring break up at Freeport, was heading this way to ride her bike.

On our way into town, Gerald phoned, and Cecelie, who had her mother’s phone in hand and had just left a message at our house, said yes they had just started from their house on their way headed south. They would be arriving in the middle of the night.

After sandwiches at the kitchen table and Gerald’s command tractor ride for Maddox and Aidan, we all settled into the living room, to sit and mostly just watch three little guys and their newest achievements. While putting away food before I got there, I did hear Erin playing the piano for Aidan and Maddux who love music and “playing” the piano themselves.

But soon the wrestling, running, and boy noise was going strong. Maddux had learned many new phrases and words, and one of the cutest was his, “I’m just kidding,” said with the most mischievous smile imaginable.

Aidan was showing off some of his moves from a video that he explained his mother would not let him watch. (Tara said they were in a Disney store and were given a free video that she did not think about putting in for Aidan to see a couple years ago.) When she realized the video was showing the kids how to make these moves including kicking, she never let Aidan see it again—but two years later, he still knows the moves, which are noisy and somewhat dangerous with two younger boys on the floor with him.

When Maddux asked, I realized our little wooden train set was missing from the bottom of the coffee table that their Gpa Gerry made me his senior year in high school. I suggested they look under the couch where Aidan had remembered some visits back was where I had stored Candy Land and other many-pieced games. Sure enough, the train set minus the engine was there where someone had parked it. (I will have to be on the lookout for the engine in the downstairs toys.)

Payton delighted us with his new-found walking ability. He still crawls faster than he can walk, so when he races after his brothers, that is his mode of choice. He loved the beautiful little picture of Mary and baby Jesus that Erin brought me from Italy last summer. Fortunately, it is metallic and not breakable, but I had to put up a couple of other things that were.

He is totally his parents’ child right now, and he really does not want to be held by anyone but Tara and Bryan, but as long as he is in their arms, he smiles and coos and flirts with all of us showing how much he likes us as long as we don’t try to hold him.

There was some horse riding when Maddux asked almost five-year-old Aidan for a ride, which Aidan patiently provided and seemed to enjoy as much at three-year-old Maddux. The noise continued. Most of their shared games involve a great deal of noise, laughter, and sometimes crying.

One by one, Tara took the boys down and put them to bed. Finally Erin had to go to take care of Sadie and get to bed herself so she could go to work this morning. My intention was to read until Jeannie and Cecelie arrived, but I fell asleep with my book in hand. At l: 30, I woke up and decided to put a welcome note on the front porch for them and head to the bed to sleep. When I came back in the house, I saw their lights coming down our lane, so I waited up a few minutes more before they fell thankfully into their waiting bed.

The morning was spent at the breakfast table as people gradually woke up. Gerald was busy giving tractor rides—moving dirt and filling up a sunken in area over the new water line from the lake to Scott’s plots across from our driveway. The lovely sounds of Cecelie's violin came up from downstairs where she was playing for Aidan.

Finally Payton was cranky and needing his morning nap as well as worrying his mother that he might be getting sick if the last antibiotic had not completed its purpose. So she loaded the boys up to head north and reach home to give scheduled softball lessons tonight.

Gerald and Cecelie took off for Cape to meet his brother for lunch and get our car serviced there. After a sandwich with me, Jeannie took off to explore how bike-ready the trail here was down at Vienna with hopes it was not as muddy as the unusable one she left behind near Freeport. I have had time to check hotmail and Facebook, and take a nap at the computer. Now I must go see if that ground beef finished thawing in the fridge.

P.S. Gerald and I spent much time at his computer this weekend watching Georgia play three games and sweep the University of Florida. Go Dawgs!