the best thing about Thursday

Thursday was tough. I was still getting over a cold. Emmett was getting over a cold and with that meant that he was clung to me all the day. Didn't want to nap without me. Didn't want to sit for 5 minutes without me. Didn't want to give me any sort of breather.

I didn't run because it was pouring down rain.

Jeff came home from working all day. Ate dinner. And left again for an exceptionally long Elder's Quorum meeting.

I was left with 3 kids, all needing all my full-on attention ( or so I thought!)

and 1 sink full of dinner dishes.

Yuck!!!!!

90% of the time I am the mom who does the dishes after dinner and then plays with the kids. I tend to be orderly like that. Had Jeff been home, either he would have done the dishes, or played with the kids and I would have done the other. That wasn't an option. What was I going to do?

First I sat in my favorite red/orange chair and read to Emmett. Just he and I while the big kids played back in the playroom. Then he started to sing and I got my camera to film him singing and motioning "The Wheels on the Bus" because it's darling and I want to have it forever.

Then I told A & B to be quiet because I was putting M to bed. They complied.

I laid down with M and within minutes he was fast asleep.

Now I go to find A & B who are in my bed, under my covers reading books. It's the cutest thing ever. Oh, I forgot to tell you that when I had gone in to put M to bed I turned on the camera and left it in my room with the older two. Just to capture some candid moments. So after finding them I hopped into bed with them and read to them until way past bedtime. It was so worth it.

Then I put them down and did the dishes.

Jeff came home while I was mid-dishes.

He came in and asked how I was and I automatically spewed complaints at him. Things like how constant my day was, and how I am always one step behind and how nice it would be to be sleeping but now there are all these dishes.... You know the routine. Then I stopped and looked at him sheepishly. Had I really just said all of that out loud????? How embarrassing. Then I cried and told him I was sorry. He asked what he could do, because he really cares, and I told him he already did it. He just needed to stand there and hear me out without talking back or criticizing. I just needed someone to know how human I am and to let me dwell on it, briefly. I needed someone to stand there and allow me to break down. I am that person all day for my children and I needed someone there for me. Then I was totally fine. We talked. I finished the dishes and then we went to bed.

Here comes the best part if you are still with me...

We get into bed and Jeff notices the camera. He curiously asks what the camera is doing in the bedroom. So I tell him and we lay in bed and watch the videos that I had made that night of the kids, randomly being themselves. It was so awesome. We laughed so hard that we cried. He better understood my meltdown after he noticed that in the video with Emmett singing A & B came up to me umpteen times and interrupted me for different little things. Constantly actually. Then we snorted watching Braxton reading his books. He got to this one word and sounded it out over, and over, and over and called for me, and then scratched his head. When there was no answer at one point he falls back into the bed defeated and puts the book on his face in despair. It was hilarious.

I have never put the camera up candidly like that before and I am so glad I did. The best thing about Thursday was laying in bed with my husband laughing our heads off over our kids. So stinkin' funny!!!

Do it! It's a hoot!!