For a bad day it was pretty good...

Today was a strange day. We walked the line, so close to what could have been a really nightmarish day. The thing that made the difference was that through it all, when they could have been bored or impatient or misbehaving, the kids were really pretty good. So to give you a chance to appreciate just how good they were I will list all the opportunities the kids had to take us over the edge into nightmare:

We kicked off the day with an appointment at the dentist for Kieran and Nyah. At 8:00. While there are all sorts of brave folks who are well into their morning by 8:00, we are not even all out of bed yet. So to be pulled out of bed early and hustled off to the dentist of all places, we had our first really great opportunity for misery and mayhem. But the kids were really good. The worst we had was Nyah getting a little bored and antsy while Kieran was having his turn. Kieran went without a fuss, which by itself is miraculous given the absolute HATRED he has developed for the dentist after having cavities filled and an abscessed tooth pulled.

We got back home and had our second opportunity for battles and teeth-gnashing. But instead of complaining, Kieran buckled right down and did homework without a fuss.

Opportunity #3 - we loaded the kids into the car to go house-hunting. The kids are really tired of house hunting, because we are not looking nearby so it is always a day-long event. But they got in the car and were extremely patient while we got the last few things ready and joined the kids who were all buckled up in the car.

So we have a nice long drive to Woodland Hills, which is a little south and east of Spanish Fork. We eat lunch in the car, Aiden has his nap, and everyone is a really good sport about being squished into the Altima, which Jeremiah wanted to take instead of the Sequoia to save gas. About 1:30 or 2:00 we get to the first house on our schedule. We take a good look, lots of pictures, and load everyone back into the car. Which won't start.

Opportunity #4 - Jeremiah and I don't know what the sound the car is making means, but since we are (very) low on gas we hope that gas is all that we need and Jeremiah heads off to find someone who can loan us the lawn-mower or snow-blower gas that they hopefully have around. So remember, we are squished in a little car that isn't running, so there is no space and no heat. But the sun is shining a little, and the car is still warm from driving up, so we are (fairly) comfortable and amazingly enough the kids are okay with just munching and listening to mom read. Jeremiah comes back with gas, pours it in, and the car still doesn't start.

Opportunity #5 - Jeremiah heads back to the nice neighbor's house to return the empty gas can and comes back later with her in her truck to try jump-starting the car. Still no luck. Still no fighting, tantrums, etc. Amazing. But with no progress on the car Jeremiah and the nice neighbor decide to drive down the mountain into Spanish Fork and get some more gas.

Blessed interlude - while we are all four squished in a little car on a cold winter day and still getting along okay, another neighbor comes up to the door and asks if she can help...knowing that a car with the hood up and a mom with three little kids squished inside means something is not right. So we head over to her house. Her oldest daughter sets right into making hot chocolate for the kids and Neighbor 2 offers to tow us into Spanish Fork to an auto shop. Neighbor 1 tries again to jump start the car but Jeremiah finally tells her he thinks it is no use and thanks her and she goes home. Delays are still afoot because the first shop Jeremiah calls won't even try to fit the poor stranded folk that we are into their schedule (but we can bring the car in on Thursday or Friday...). While he makes the phone calls to find someone who will make time to look at the car, Neighbor 2 calls around to find someone who has chains or a tow rope because she can't find hers. We have a shop who will help us and Neighbor 2 takes her younger daughter to piano lessons, borrowing a chain from the piano teacher. So we go outside by the car and wait.

Opportunity #6 - We are standing outside, it is getting colder, and it takes a little while for Neighbor 2 to get back. But no one is whining. They just play in the snow a little and plan where they will put the fort in the yard of the house they are sure we are now going to buy. Neighbor 2 arrives and everyone gets back into the car without any more than the usual fuss.

Opportunity #7 - The chains are hooked up and we are on our way. But it is a very jerky ride. Such that it gives me a headache...but the kids are still good.

Opportunity #8 - We get to a stop sign, and when opposing traffic is clear and we start again, Neighbor 2 starts too fast and breaks the chain. During the entire next who-knows-how-long, instead of whining and complaining, the kids watch with interest while Neighbor 3 stops and asks what is up and Neighbor 2 asks her to find another rope or chain. Neighbor 4 stops and asks what is up and goes home to get some pliers to try to fix the chain. Neighbor 5 stops while 4 is still gone, but we send him on his way because 3 and 4 are on the case. Neighbor 6 and 7 stop after 4 has returned and they are working on the chain, but things seem under control so they go home, too. Fixing the chain actually isn't turning out to be possible, but then Neighbor 8 turns up, has a tow rope right there in the bed of his truck, and also doesn't have children to shuttle back and forth to various obligations, so Neighbor 8 offers to tow us and Neighbor 2 goes back home. (Her kindness was very generous on this day, especially. Tuesday is the day when her kids have mutual and piano lessons, and, and, and...but she still took the time to help us.)

So, with Neighbor 8's help we make it off of the mountain and into the parking lot of Clegg's Auto Shop, which is going to close in 20 minutes. Neighbor 8 leaves us with his cell phone number in case we need help, and goes back home. (Which reminds me, while we were at Neighbor 2's house, Neighbor 2 1/2 stopped to talk to 2, heard about the situation, and told 2 that she (Neighbor 2 1/2) would drive us to Farmington tonight if we needed her to. Amazing.)

Opportunity #9 for nightmares came while waiting in the waiting area of the auto repair shop. Now the kids were not perfect, they kept fiddling with things that I kept telling them to leave alone, but Aiden only ran off a couple of times, and even when they were running around in circles (those poor little legs stuck in the car for so long today...) the noise was much less than it could have been.

Opportunity #10 we were saved from by the auto shop owner himself. They did not have the part that we needed in stock, and we were already past closing time. Jeremiah had called his mom about the possibility of driving down to get us, and we were trying to think of where we could hang out while we waited the hour+ it would take for her to get to us. Just when I'm thinking of the (freezing) cold walk in the dark to the nearest gas station and spending an hour trying to keep the kids out of stuff and from running around in the convenience store, the shop owner tells us that he can loan us a vehicle from the sales side - that he could put on dealer plates and we would just have a really long test drive. After a whole day of blessed little miracles, this was a really big one for me. I was tired and wanted to go home and was SO happy to avoid the convenience store nightmare I had envisioned.

While we were getting car seats moved and things arranged, Neighbor 2 poked her head in to see if we were okay. Yes, thank you so much, we told her, and she was off on her way.

Opportunity #11 for nightmares on the way home was avoided by Jeremiah. He noticed that the right rear tire on the minivan we got to "test drive" was fairly flat, and upon inspection the mechanic found a nail in the tire. Imagine with me, us having a blowout on the freeway on the way home... Shudder.

Opportunity #12 - everyone is buckled up in the minivan while we wait for the mechanic to repair and inflate the tire. Again, no whining about being in car seats. Happily I had the things to make sandwiches because we had planned on still being out looking at houses at dinnertime. So I sat on the minivan floor making sandwiches and the kids ate their dinner like it was normal to be strapped down in a slanting car after already spending inordinate amounts of time in a cold car that day... Yet another miracle.

Opportunity #13 - the drive home. How many times have we had a drive half as long that was miserable because people were noisy and ornery and ready to go home and go to bed? But Kieran and Nyah played together quietly and well the whole way home. Aiden had a tough time, but was not as difficult as he has been on other drives, to be sure.

Miracle #14 - because really, every time today that we were on that razor edge so close to teetering into misery, we were saved by little miracles. And the last one was that the kids went to bed without the bedlam that is usually bedtime. Jeremiah and I are exhausted, and a (fairly) easy bedtime was just what we needed.

The kids were not perfect today, but SO much better than they could have been. SO many people helped us. SO many things went as well as could be hoped instead of being absolute disasters.

And I am SO very grateful to a loving Heavenly Father who watched out for us on what could have been a "terrible horrible no good very bad day".