...spend the days with friends

...and thank goodness we have made a few friends since living here; since it is because of these two reprieves today that Mark's children are still alive.

I could say that today was not a banner day for the Crow family.

But that would be an understatement.

The little girls woke up like lion's ready to pounce on their prey and the big kids had their heads in the clouds.  And me the momma, is so strung up on stress that the combination was u-g-l-y.

And today is windy.  I remember my Grandma Viele telling me a long time ago that children (and she was referring to babies) are particularly fussy on windy days.  Maybe there is a correlation today between the wind and my children.  Or maybe they were just being irritating.

Whatever the reason when I spoke with Mark this afternoon I mentioned to him that I was thinking of leaving him and the children.  I was finished with the lot of his four children.  They had finally beaten me down.  I was broken.  I knew that if I just locked up the house and disappeared they would survive.  Frankly, I think they would be all the more happier to see him when he got home.  They would have a great story to tell...'Yea, Dad.  We worked at it all year.  And she finally caved! And we won!  We WON!  She finally left!  Woo hoo..party time!

Mark laughed.  

He didn't say, "no honey, it was just a rough day".  "Tomorrow will be better."  "They can't be that bad"...

Nope.  He laughed.

Sigh.

I think they are slightly evil.  They are 'out to get me'.

It may not be cognitive; they may not be able to be charged with bullying-their-mom-in-the-first-degree but certainly there is some intent behind their actions....and today they all ganged up on me.

Oh boy...did I want to threaten our two activities today.  I wanted to say, "If you don't behave we aren't going to the party! or "If you aren't good in church we aren't going to our friends' house" but I knew that I needed these breaks today as much as the kids did.

So we mustered through the day.  The three older kids enjoyed the birthday party and Audrey, well....

This evening, after a few naps, went much more smoothly.

It was so much fun to relax this evening with new friends.

As for my kids, they went right to sleep when we got home.  Not a peep.  Not a complaint.  And not even a single, "Can I sleep with you?"

Maybe it is just as exhausting for them to be terrible as it is for me to keep them in-line?

Maybe.

Tomorrow will be a better day.

Besides...

I love her rosy cheeks!

Audrey fell asleep in the wagon at the zoo.  Did I mention the winds were gusting at 35mph?

How couldn't I adore these kids?