What a day.

Started out at 5:15 this morning. Ross was talking in his sleep about something being dangerous - and it woke me up. Since the sun was also starting to rear its ugly face, and Pete took my pillow in the middle of the night - I couldn't get comfortable & fall back to sleep.

I finally crawled out at 6:00. I wanted to take a shower, but decided instead to do a load of laundry. Brynn also woke up - because the moment she senses movement - it's over. She's a light sleeper...will be nice once she has a room of her own - not MY bathroom. Regardless, I got a load of laundry started & unload the dishes. I caught Rossi off guard because he's not supposed to play x-box - he was doing it w/out sound - and normally I don't wake up until they wake me up for prayer at 7:30 before they leave to catch the bus. Since I was up "so early" I started french toast for the kids - kiersten wanted to grill it - I also made some syrup. The kids and Pete enjoyed it (Pete is my 6th child)

I had to meet the window covering installation crew at the new house to let them in. Looks fabulous - still waiting for the shutters, but everything else is up & looks great. I'll post pictures later. Still not fully decided on tile...although I gave our flooring guy a tile that I wanted (same tile in my current house) and he gave me an estimate that was just a few dollars shy of $10K. Hmmm, this base level cheap carpet is starting to grow on me.

7:30 I headed back home to tuck the kids safely into their school bus. Rossi went to our friend's house to feed their dogs (they're away in Utah at a funeral). I turned back to kiss Ross and kick Pete out the door to work. Of course, at this time Brynn gets a little lonely - and feels like being at home is really for losers since everyone else left...we decided we'd go for a bike ride.

Around and around and around we go 3 times - I forgot I told my friend I'd babysit her 3 children (as soon as I remembered, I realized why I couldn't fall back to sleep at 5:15 this morning - a bit of anxiety) while she attended stake temple day. She's got an 8 month old, a 2.5 year old and a 4.5 year old. The 4.5 year old was at joy school in my neighboring neighborhood. So I just had the two girls.

Brynn decided to go woo woo in the toilet - just a pebble really, enough to unplug the diahreah behind it - which the diaper caught the minute after I gave her the celebratory poop-going dum dum sucker as a poop reward. My friend & her children showed up & she left in a hurry leaving no diapers - or food (she nurses the baby). Of course within an hour the baby was out of control furious. I gave her apple sauce. That stayed her anger. The other girl ate almost a whole box of yogurt cheerio's. The rest of the box was emptied on the living room floor.

Every time I picked up the baby from crying, Brynn needed to make sure there was no competition & she, too, had to be held. I thought that was kind of cute. So they just sat on my boring lap while we watched Little Mermaid.

Baby started getting restless - so I put her down in Brynns bed for a nap, which in turn really infuriated Brynn. "NO ONE WILL SLEEP IN MY MOM'S BATHROOM BUT ME." I sent Rossi to the park w/ the 2 year old...just so I could cuddle w/ Brynn on my bed to get her to take a nap w/out any noise from the outside world.

Time came to pick up the other little babysitting boy from joy school - I hopped on the bike w/ kid trailer in tote (since if I started the truck in the garage, Brynn would wake up!!) and rode it as fast as I could to the neighbor's house in the neighboring neighborhood. I banged on the door, threw the boy in the trailer & we had small talk on the way back to my house went something like this
4yo: "I've never been in one of these before"
me: Is it fun?
4yo: yah, you know I can ride a 2 wheeler?
me: Really, do you want to switch places?
4yo: I think you're too fat and I don't think my feet would touch those pedals.

So I waddled on the bike down back to the house as quick as I can - since I'm babysitting & no one was actually HOME with the babies - and Ross was at the park w/ the other girl - but the 4yo wanted to play with his hero, Rossi. So I brought him to the park - apparently, Rossi's a kid magnet - because the lady across the street, who runs a daycare had her kids there lined up while Rossi took them by the arms to swing them in circles. Meanwhile, It's time to take Rossi to the college where they facilitate the state standardized tests.

I got my neighbor girl to come & stay at the house w/ the sleeping bumpkins, and I didn't have car seats for the awake bumpkins, so I had her stay there while I took Rossi to testing. But we didn't eat lunch yet, I was more concerned about Rossi - so I stopped off at the Subway to get him a quick sandwich to go. At this point, I got a phone call from my realtor that said someone is going to be at the house in 45 minutes.

SOOOO - Screw the standardized tests - I took Rossi back home - bribed the neighbor girl (who is in 9th grade & didn't have standardized tests today, so they gave them the day off - great education system, don't you think?) to help clean - she did phenominal - (remember I have 3 extra children & a lot of cheerios that have been tossed & crunched into the ground) and 5 of my own children that don't understand the purpose of a laundry hamper, a hanger or a drawer...and two loads of laundry that I had done but not yet folded and two more in the washer & dryer....it was a complete disaster.

Nonetheless the team of us managed to get things straightened up completely in 42 minutes - we tossed everyone in the car - yep, no car seats - naughty naughty! and drove the speed limit w/ the neighbor girl holding tight to the seat belted 2 year old (I did have an infant chair I used for the baby thank goodness) and drove to the college 1/2 hour late for Ross' testing. Thankfully they were doing math, which is his strong point, so he started 1/2 hour late and finished about 15 minutes before everyone else.

Went back to the house to see if they had come - no realtor card, so I went to the park & let the kids run amuk. Got another call from the realtor saying someone else wanted to come see the house in 30 minutes - THANK GOODNESS It was already done, I don't think I had any more calories to burn for the day. So as I'm sitting at the park, it's now 2:30, my friend shows up to get the kids - talked w/ her for a while & she took the kids.

YAH!

My cuban friend called & asked if I could pick her up from work (money problems has left them w/ just one car & her dh had it and wouldn't be able to pick her up until 8 that night) so I picked up Kiersten from school 1/2 hour early (didn't want her coming home to an empty home w/ people showing up), picked up Rossi from testing & went to the other side of the town to pick up my friend from work. We had a nice talk on the way home about faith - how you can't always see the end from the beginning, you just have to take a few steps in a dark tunnel before you turn a corner to see the light at the end. It was a nice little talk.

Got home at 5:30 to dh wanting me to go to the house w/ him to look at the blinds.

Went - but then Pete decided that I needed to make him dinner - so we rushed home to a snow-globe - because - yes, the kids had been home for an hour - and clearly they were uncomfortable staring at the blank slate that was a clean house - and made fajitas while Ross read scriptures w/ the kids.

Here I am now typing an update of my day - while only moments ago Brynn tripped while carrying a pencil and came only 1/2 a centimeter from slicing her eye open. Thankfully the lower lid was sliced & she's developed a nice little "my mom neglects me" shiner.

I'm ready for bed.