Another Sunday down...

how many more to go? Who knows?! I do know this... Isabelle & Victoria both forgot their blankies... Porter forgot to bring his "1 thing"... Sam, Casey & Rebekah were getting along wonderfully DURING sacrament meeting... Isabelle was having "one of those days"... Victoria is 4 and STILL CANNOT sit still... I am gritting my teeth... clenching my fists... steam is coming out my ears... I am stinking hot, what's the deal, I freeze all summer & roast once the weather turns cold... I am trying to breath... in... out... in... out... IT'S NOT WORKING!!!!!! Isabelle is on the verge of tears... Victoria is STILL squirming... putting her feet ON Isabelle... Porter doesn't know how to whisper... I am going to blow... in... out... in... out... rub Isabelle's back... works a little... I start to rub her hands, hard... then her arms... her back... legs... she's finally calm. I don't know why it works but hard pressure on her little body somehow calms her. At night when she's had an exceptionally bad day she always asks me to "do that one thing". I start with her toes and work through her whole body... she's able to finally relax & go to sleep. Victoria on the other hand just keeps on going... why does she have the boring stuff... why can't she have fun stuff like Mia & Jesi(her cousins are sitting behind us)... she wants to play with them... she finally loses it & begins whimpering & crying... we leave & head to an unoccupied room... she screams at me & kicks the chairs... I am done... Ryan got off work at 7AM... saw 40 patients in a 9 hour shift... heads to church meetings... catches a quick nap on the stage... does surprisingly well staying awake during sacrament meeting... I catch him in the hall... apologize for being the crazy lady lately... then off to our "places"...

Thankfully, the day ended well. I was surprised to find out Ryan did NOT have to go back to work tonight. We enjoyed a fun walk through the woods. On our way home Porter commented, "That was a great adventure!" Sam & Casey tormented Victoria with a fuzzy caterpillar... Victoria is our little scaredy cat! Isabelle carried a 3 foot log all the way home... she wanted something from our hike. Rebekah searched for grasshoppers... only finding crickets but caught one & has it in a mason jar with "stuff for a habitat!" Casey found the gas cap we lost this summer while 4-wheeling! We found another old tire the kids rolled up & down hills. We blazed our own path... Porter taking the lead. It was a delightful afternoon. We returned home, tidied up while fixing dinner. It was one of the best mealtimes we've had in a long time... everyone was present... in good spirits... no one rushing off to work, soccer, scouts, etc. Everyone helped clean up then we played a quick game of rook while Ryan read a story from the Friend to Porter & Victoria. Everyone is HAPPILY tucked in bed... I am off to snuggle with the no longer "missing in action" man in my life... we get him for 3 days straight! (Well, after he cooks breakfast for seminary tomorrow & attends a few meetings... but hey, he is actually around... no shifts for 3 days... life is good!)