One Long Day

4:57 a.m.
Thomas: "Waaaaaah! 'Lijah trying to get in my bed! Waaaaah!"
'Lijah: "Don't like my bed! Don't like my bed!"

5:30 a.m.
Thomas: "La la la la la la la la.. wake up, Lije!"
Elijah: "Waaaaah! Go away, Thomas! Go away! Moommmmm! Daaaad! Tommy bothering me!"
Mom: "I'll go sleep on the couch. Elijah can sleep here so Thomas doesn't keep him awake."
Dad: "Grumble.. grumble.. yeah..."

12:40 p.m.
Mom: "Aaaaugh!! Church is starting in 20 minutes! Get dressed! Finish your lunch! Stop playing with that. (Dad, that means you, too!) I gotta do something with my hair! Where's my slip? Where's your tie? JOSEPH IS SUPPOSED TO GIVE THE TALK IN PRIMARY! Aaauuugh! Joseph get down here by the count of five! One! Two! Three! Four! We have to write your talk right NOW! Put that down! Get in here! Sit down! I said, SIT DOWN! Now let's have a nice conversation about what the scriptures teach us about the importance of prayer. I said SIT DOOOOWWWWWN!!! That toy goes to Toy Time Out in exactly three seconds unless you SIT DOWN and focus on the importance of PRAYER! Grrrr!"

1:40 p.m.
Mom, in a loud whisper bordering on quiet scream: "Thomas, sit down. Don't run away in sacrament meeting. Elijah, don't scream like that. People are giving us dirty looks. Joseph, NO, I did not bring food! Don't throw the pen! No, I don't have another picture of a chicken. I only brought one. Try this picture of a nice ball, okay? No? Okay, here's a picture of a sunset you can color in. No? Balloon? Flower? Kitty cat? Great. What color of crayon do you want to... THOMAS! Psssst! Thomas, sit down! No, don't run out of here! Elijah, don't follow him just stay here! Joseph, Joseph! Sit down! Don't follow your brothers!"

1:41 p.m.
Quiet.

1:42 p.m.
Mom: "Joseph, we are in a CHURCH. Do not run down the halls. Come back here, Elijah. No, this is not a game! Please! Watch out for the ... aaaauuuuughhh! You knocked it over! Joseph, sit your body down right here and do not move a muscle until I figure out where Elijah ran off to."

1:43 p.m.
Mom: "Do you have the car keys?"
Dad: "Yes."
Mom: "Everybody move. Now. ... Go. Go! I said, GO, people!!"

1:45 p.m.
Dad: "Are you going back with Joseph after the twins are asleep?"
Mom: "Grumble... grumble.. yes. The boy is going to give his talk. I'll come home after sunday school so you can go to priesthood."

3:10 p.m.
Mom: "Hello?"
Voice on other end of phone: "Hi Juliana. Joseph got kicked out of his primary class because he was out of control. Do you want to come pick him up?"
Long sigh.

3:11 p.m.
Juliana's Mom: "There, there. No, you're not a total failure. Your children are just ... challenging. Adorable, but challenging."

6:18 p.m.
Yes, it's been that kind of day. The kind of day when I break my fast and immediately head for the mint chocolate brownies. When I kneel down to pray and try desperately to think of all the great things in my life so I don't fall into that abyss of negativity. The kind of day when a little blogging goes a long way to ease the tension. When the sound of my children happily building Lego vehicles with their dad is the sound of paradise to my worn out ears. The kind of day when I look forward to the kids going to bed so that I can have my sister and brother-in-law over to play games and I can forget my troubles just long enough to become the supreme ruler of Catan! Or kill the sheriff with my fellow outlaws. (Beware the renegade!) Or build the longest mail route. Or have two to trade! Two to trade! Or that elusive 50-point bonus, or five fives, or all the Clues to know whodunnit or the smarts and luck to be the supreme pirate king!

The kind of day where my troubles don't really end ... but I can try to smile and laugh about it and remember that, in Scarlett O'Hara's immortal words: "After all, tomorrow is another day!"