An encounter with the Sheriff

Our weather here in Michigan has been all over the place the last couple of weeks and we had promised the kids we would try to get out boating one more time this year.  We have some very special and fantastic friends who totally get our unique family situation and they have given us the use of their boat which they keep docked at a marina here in town.  All we have to do is pack up our stuff, load up in the car and drive across town.  Saturday morning brought sunshine and temperatures in the upper 70’s so Paul and I though we better grab the chance and take advantage of what could be the last of our warm weather. 

Boating with a family of seven, four of whom are six years old, is quite the adventure.  Last time we were out, everyone except Keyan took a turn going tubing and they all had a blast.  So that was the plan for this day as well.  We decided that before we got the tube out we would attempt a maiden voyage out to Lake Michigan…what a mistake!  The kids are not quite old enough to just sit back and enjoy the slow ride through the channel and by the time we got to the big lake, the fog was so thick that we could hardly see the boat right in front of us!  We made it out of the channel and had to turn right around. 

I thought the kids were going to go crazy!  Oh, and I forgot to mention that due to the boat not being used for a week or two, it was VERY obvious that we were disturbing the MANY spiders that had taken up residence on the boat.  Just in case you don’t have 4 six years old girls….spiders and the girls DO NOT mix!!!!  We had screaming, tears, played musical chairs for the less inhabited areas, and massacred several dozen spiders of varying shapes and sizes.  Needless to say, my nerves were a little on edge by the time we reached our tubing spot. 

After we made it thru the “no wake” zone in the smaller lake, we headed to the far end to do some tubing.  We got the tube inflated and Jamahl and Abby climbed on. Remember, last time, this was no big deal.  Well, no such luck today….I am not sure what happened but before I knew it, Abagayle had fallen off the tube and was screaming her head off.  We got her to climb back on for another try but in the end, Jamahl made to the sign to quit and then yelled, “This is not working, she is terrified!”  So, we pulled her in and Sidney decided to take a spin with Jamahl.  I  should have known better.  The thing about being a quadruplet is that sometimes, your own emotions are overridden by those of your womb-mate. It did not matter how much Sidney wanted to have fun, she had just watched Abby be scared to death.  No matter what we did, Sidney was a nervous wreck the whole time.  Finally, we got her back in the boat and just let Jamahl do his thing.  He is so hilarious!  He does all sorts of tricks and I could at least fall back on the fact that he was having fun.

Meanwhile, my ever sensitive McKenzy was having huge issues with the spiders and her life jacket which led to uncontrollable whining.  Are you getting the picture here?  All Paul and I could do was look at each other and laugh.  You know those parenting moments when you think you have a good plan, and it all goes ca-put?  And did I forget to tell you that we had taken them all shoe shopping right before heading to the boat.  It was making for a very long afternoon!  All of a sudden, Abby decided that she really wanted to try one more time.  I was SO proud of her. She overcame her fear and ended up having a blast.  Maybe the day was going to be saved after all!  Finally, everyone was done tubing, Keyan was completely enjoying her ride soaking up the sun, and things seemed to be looking up!  That was until the sheriff headed in our direction.

If you know me at all, you can only imagine that before we ever took the boat out, I read the entire State of Michigan boating manual.  I obsessed about life jackets, regulations, procedures, and rules of boating.  I knew that we would draw attention to ourselves with all the kids and I was determined not to give the Sheriff any reason to write us a ticket.  So, as they headed in our direction, all I could think was, “You have GOT to be kidding me!”  I couldn’t tell if they wanted us to stop or not, so my next thought was, “Bring it on…board our boat, and ask us questions…we have it covered!”  In the end, our conversation went something like this.

“Um, do you need us?”

“Yes, Mam, we do.”  At which point I was SO irritated!!!  My response, “what for?”

He says, “I need to write you some tickets.” as he waves his pad of green tickets.

Do you know that moment when you can’t figure out what in the world you have done wrong, but your heat is beating and your legs are like jello?They pulled along side of us and threw us a rope so that the boats were secured together.  The entire time, I am just in shock.  He continues with his previous comment, “Yes, I need to write you some tickets…for ice cream!”  I totally did not get it.  I was ready to go off on these guys.  Don’t mess with a mommy who thinks they are doing everything right!  “What???” I yell. “We like to write kids a ticket for a free ice cream cone when we see them wearing their life jackets!” He says with a huge smile on his face.  He knew he had gotten me and he thought that it was so funny.  Needless to say, I didn’t think that it was so funny.  They were really nice and very complimentary of our kids, but do they realize they just about gave me a heart attack?   I was completely ready to go off on these guys!  Paul says it is probably a good thing I didn’t! 

I will say, that the tickets for ice cream put everyone in a MUCH better mood (even our dear McKenzy) and we had a good ride back in to the marina.  We ended the adventure with our ice cream cones and the kids trying to trick Grammy and Poppy with the story of the Sheriff and our tickets!  Definitely a memory to go down in the books!