3 count it all joy

Jody and I have our own way of saying "count it all joy" we say "par for the course" or "of course". Then we laugh and start listing off the latest series of dominoes. 

Perhaps it all started when Kait and Hazel spilled flour all over the kitchen, or maybe it started the days Jody and I were born, I can't be sure but I do know that not every day is perfect, as a matter of fact so few are even close that counting it all joy is a sanity tactic. As Kaitlyn breathed her way through roughly cleaning up the flour and starting her cookie recipe over again, she spilled the melted butter then she dumped the brown sugar. The kitchen looked like the Tasmanian devil had just spun his way through. She was hopelessly over her head and was trying valiantly to orchestrate a tea party in Hazels bedroom. I longsufferingly bailed her out and cleaned up and saved cookies from burning while Hazel knocked a crystal lowball into the sink and shattered it. Kait hung in there but my mood had taken all it could bear. I did not attend the tea party but I heard it was quite nice. 

The rest of the day was spent preparing for the next day. Eden and Jody would ski while I squired the younger three around sledding and shopping in the mountains. Unfortunately, the prep stalled when we found that three pairs of mittens were missing their mates. As a family I would say we searched for the better part of an hour but they were never to be found. Jody and I went through cycles of frustration, anger, blame and despair with lectures for the kids in each tone followed by a rally cry to keep searching. We crossed paths uttering things like "never knew how frustrating parenting would be" or "par for the course" or "let's

 quit." 

Finally we had made lunches and muffins and water bottles and heaped mountains of winter accouterments in the office. The next morning we got up at 6 and gathered all of our trappings and squished everyone in the car. 

We saw this amazing sunrise.

A mile from home the check engine light came on. Five miles from home the dog puked over the back seat into a seat belt receptacle missing Nicks shoulder by a hair. We stopped for gas in Thornton and came home. I marveled to Jody at how philosophically the kids took the disappointment. He gave a bitter chuckle and said they're just used to it. I think it's interesting how some of us see things one way and others differently. Usually those people get married. Jody was sitting there frustrated that it always seems to go this way and I was sitting there wishing I hadn't ruined a fun ski trip and trying to see the bright side. It might be interesting to note here that at about this point I was able to sit down and write a funny blog about Hazels antics completely unphased by our horrible luck. It was to be the only profitable part of the day aside from church.

We went to church and since we got up at 6 we were on time. Silver lining. 

After church I saw the sandsiches in the fridge and mentioned we should go have a picnic. Jody gave me a "look" and tried to slink into our room for a nap. I pummeled him and bit his ears until he he gave in. I had hope but a niggling fear that I was pushing luck. 

Jody and the big kids rode bikes and I drove Hazel and Stella in the car because it was windy. Halfway there I let Nick in the car. He had two flat tires from goatheads. Jody looked at me wryly and said "of course". When we got there the wind whipped up and we were barely able to eat. It was a bust but we made one last ditch effort and tried to walk around the lake. The wind gusted so hard that Hazel fell down. We abandoned the walk and I looked at Jody hopelessly and said "let's just quit and do nothing but watch tv the rest of the day." He laughed. It was a weekend to remember.

I can't help but think if I really counted it all joy my synopsis of my weekend would be "kids had a tea party, beautiful weekend, stunning sunrise, great church service and so fun to feed bread to the geese."