Highs and lows

I was at a low point once. It was back to school time, Walmart, Saturday. I don't know why I thought it would be a good idea to take 4 kids to Walmart on a hot summer day, late in the afternoon. (I don't think we even had naps that day.) Maybe I thought since I was buying the kids backpacks, it would buy their love, devotion, and good behavior for the afternoon. Maybe it was driving me nuts to be stuck inside with not enough distractions to help the twins contain, at least in a very small way, their excitement about the upcoming debut into kindergarten. Not that I really wanted them to keep it in, just that I had to help them be patient until the first day of school actually began. You can only answer the question "How many more days?" so often before you go crazy.

Anyway, after many firm, yet loving reminders to stop whining, screaming, crying, etc. with threats of "Do you want me to put all of the backpacks back?" and "You'll have a nap when we get home" something snapped. I remember being conscious of that fact that I was at a low point. I tried to pry the offending child out of the cart when she employed the use of the oh-so-effective "rubber legs". I had meant to just get her out and put someone else in, but by the time I had wrestled her from the cart, I was gone and monster mom had replaced me. The lady in the aisle with me kept glaring at me. Well! I raised my hand and SPANKED MY CHILD IN WALMART!! That wiped the glare off the nosy lady's face...unfortunately she replaced it with a judgmental "what-kind-of-parent-are-you?" face. I glared right back at her and challenged her to call social services on me.

I write this experience because last night we savored a high. We went to the ward swimming party at the Scera. As I watched my little (and I mean little as in age) family play and laugh together all I could think about was how blessed I really am. I wished I could have gotten a picture of Jane and Lizzy holding tight to Jason while they stood under buckets of water that would fill and suddenly pour gallons of water on them. Or Ben begging to go swim in the deeper part-he normally won't go into the water very far or ever put his head under the water. Liam was calm and happy for the first time in a while, I think the cold water soothed him. I wish I could have captured Natalie's smile after she slid down the slide into the shallow water. She was wearing one of those suits that had inserts of floaties in it. She looked like a round little.... something adorable!!

Thanks Mom and Dad for taking Eli so we could spend a great night bonding with the other kids. We had a blast!!