In frank honesty, I have begun to dread Sundays. When the Doctor has to work and I am left wrangling three kids at church, I want to run screaming into the night.
Today was, in a word, crazy.
It was also good and renewing and uplifting. So, there is hope.
We were able to get ready and walk into church on time. (we won't mention that church starts at 11:30) Pencil had napped before, so he was well rested. (therefore hyper and busy. He also woke about 2 minutes before we left, so he was hungry)
We sat down about 30 seconds before the meeting started. I looked over and Grapes's ponytail looked like a tornado had hit. I began to fix it, and Pencil took his moment to bolt full speed up the aisle to the front of the chapel. Socks, ever the opportunist, bolted after him. My hands were still full of hair, so I watched in horror (and can I say mild entertainment?) as Sockie full-on tackled his baby brother and then looked over to give me a thumbs up.
Excellent.
I humiliatedly walked up to retrieve them, and realized that the man saying the opening prayer is waiting for me to sit before he begins.
Sweet.
After the prayer I pulled out Pencil's peanut butter sandwich so he would stop his hungry whine/keening noise. He then chewed one bite and decided to check gravity's effectiveness at church by letting the gooey bread/jelly/peanut butter combo drop from his mouth onto my lap (and satin skirt).
So cool.
At least he had the goodness to use his new word. "Doh!"
There was a couple sitting behind us. Their own kids are grown and out of the house. She leaned forward at this time and asked if they could hold Pencil for a while. I did not think it would last long. I wished them good luck. But he played and laughed and stayed until almost the end of the meeting.
Grapes and Sock sat and colored quietly.
I got to sit- un-kidded- and listen. The choir was presenting a Christmas program about the 12 witnesses of Christ's birth (I can tell you what Sacrament Meeting was about-- this is
EPIC)
I revelled in the beauty of the music and the spirit and the goodness of the people behind us who MADE my day.
Divine!
Then Sunday School when back to mad-house as usual. Pencil was doing laps in the room full of attentive adults. He stole markers. He payed the piano. He drank some other kid's sippy. He dug through a lady's bag and found her keys. I was his constant shadow; preventing the disasters that were preventable and apologizing for the ones that were not.
In Relief Society Pencil continued to be busy.
(busy- what an insufficient word!)
He discovered the curtains. He wrapped himself in them, then got tangled enough that he fell, but because he was still wrapped in the fabric he swung slightly and bashed into the piano. (of course, the windows and piano are in the front of the room, so it's hard for me to just walk up in the middle of the lesson and grab him. AND it's easy for everyone else to see him.
Brilliant.)
People laughed. He cried. (don't worry, it was the 'I need attention' cry, not the 'I'm hurt' cry)
When church was finally over we ran out the door so we could go home. We discovered a friend of Sock's in the parking lot who had lost his momma. We then trooped back into the building to find his momma and reassure him that he was alright.
Back to the car. Hurry home. Shove food in children's faces. Return to church for tithing settlement. Children are unable to be still.
At all.
Finally.... home.
Can Sunday be done now?
The Doctor gets off work at 7:00 tonight. I hope his day went more smoothly than mine. Although, in the Emergency Department, there is no guarantee...
