Peaceful

Well, almost. Evie has fallen asleep in my bed, David is down, and Sam is watching Animal Planet. Something about wildebeests, I think, but I don't care, because I know nothing about the wildebeest. Maybe we'll do a unit study one day on the wildebeest migration (ok, I know they migrate. But that's it!), and Sam can teach the class. Hey, someone should know what they're doing, right??

I have been very spoiled lately. Or spoilt, as my kids say. You see, I've become used to my wonderful handsome husband being at church with us, and he had to work this morning, so I took all three by myself. I can do that, right? I'm bigger, stronger, smarter, and faster than all of them. Their behavior has been wonderful lately, as the result of some strategic 'practicing' and we're all set. No one has cried about bedtime in a week. We've been practicing church. (Want to know how? Ask me, because I now know!! I want to share all my fabulous and timely knowledge, people!!) Fighting has reached an all time low. This should be a piece of cake, right??

Uh, huh. Right, Brea.

I'm about to start my period. Like most women, that gives me an extra ounce of kindness and patience. (And did I mention that it's opposite day?) So even though I had everything ready for church, clothes laid out and Bibles, diaper bag and purse in the car last night, I was still totally stressed by the time we left. David woke up three or four times last night, so he was sleepy and I was sleepy. Good combination, that one. I changed my clothes three times because I couldn't figure out what I wanted to wear. Did I say three? Ok, I'll be honest. Four. Ok, ok!! It was five. No, really. Five. But I changed my shoes three times with the outfit I picked.

We've decided we want the kids with us in Sunday School, too, not just church. Sam and Evie did wonderfully, for a change. David is usually the innocent bystander to the three-hour squabble that is The Sam and Evie Show, but not this morning. Sam and Evie colored and listened during Sunday school. They were great!! David was a pain in butt the whole time. Sam pushed the stroller around in the back for a while, and that seemed to calm David down.

(I should explain that we meet in an elementary school right now, so we meet in the front half of their gym/cafeteria and leave the back half for nursing moms and for walking around with babies and younger kids in strollers. It gives parents the opportunity to start training their kids to sit still when they need to, without being too much of a distraction to everyone else.)

Then all hell broke loose. David was sitting there, playing with his little train, and suddenly started screaming. I'm not talking a little 'I'm so tired' baby cry. I'm talking 'my arm fell off, and I ate a habenero pepper, and a dog bit me, and then I got punched in the head' kind of cry. I took him out of the stroller and just held him in the back. Then, while he was crying, I saw something in his mouth.

It was a new tooth. Poor baby. Well, the last few days with him make a little more sense, now.

Evie sat with Mrs Erdman during the service, and David was still cranky. Sam walked around with him a little, but I finally caved and let them all to to Children's Church. I'm ok with that. We'll keep working on behavior during service, and I'm going to have to accept the face that Sundays without John are certainly different than Sundays with John. Rome wasn't built in a day, people!!

Then we went to WalMart, came home, had lunch, went to Travis' birthday party (which was awesome!!), picked up Chili's on the way home, and that brings us up to now. No one napped today, which is why the younger two are asleep so early. I'm going to lay down on the couch with Sam, probably fall asleep, have half of a coherent conversation with John when he gets home, and stumble my way to bed.

And start it all over tomorrow.




You know what? I'm ok with that.

Man, I love my life. I wouldn't want it any other way. God has been so very, very good to me. :)