Can't Find Peter

I had a frazzled 30 minutes this afternoon. The lead up to the frazzled event: I took P&K with me at 12:30 to return library books, then we took the van in for an oil change. That took 50 minutes. Katharine wanted to get all the water bottles out of their fridge, but Burt Bros didn't seem too annoyed with her wasting power by opening their little fridge over and over again during that hour. The van needs new tires big time, ugh. After that I dropped off a donation at the DI, then went into the DI to see if I could exchange clothes that I've been gathering from the DI that still had their price tags on (pants that Wes bought and some of the clothes I got for family pics), I didn't have a receipt though. Wesley had tried to take them in for an exchange a month ago but they wouldn't let him. I thought I could persuade them. Walking in, I noticed that K really was stinky, so we gotta be quick. The guy seemed slightly annoyed at my request, but he said he'd make an exception. yay. But I had to do it today. And it had to be for clothes. Ok, sweet. I went and gathered some costumes (which is weird after my rant about Halloween yesterday) I was praying to find an orange jumpsuit for Sophi, cause she wants us to buy her one, but they are $40 bucks. I told her to not plan on it. But maybe the DI would come through for us? No luck. But I got a few things for the boys, and two dresses for me that I thought looked nice. Went to check out. Costumes do not count as clothes. Ok, shoot, ok... I'm going to go change her diaper in my car and then I'll be right back to put back these costumes and go find clothes. Changed K (big mess of a diaper), went to the bathroom and washed my hands, and looked for dresses. The two I got were $15 and $12, so they'd get me to the $45 credit I had if I found a few more, and I can see if these actually are nice or not. I grab a few more dresses. I had like 12, tried them on quickly as P&K watched youtube on my phone in the fitting room with me, and I got 4 really cute dresses! That I'm sure Lily and Abi will be happy to borrow. Cost was $48, and with my $45 credit from my returns, the guy said we'd call it even. Ok, yay! And then I got a ninja costume for Peter and a Moana costume for K next year ($4 bucks) and a Red costume for Owen (going to make a few adjustments to an Elmo-ish looking onesie.) Then I went home, nursed K, Peter wanted me to help him put on his ninja costume, I told him to go ask Abi or Lily, I fall asleep nursing K. 

Frazzled event: I am woken up by my alarm that it's time for trumpet, O is at a friends house, K woke up when I tried to get away, so she's fussing and wants to be held, D and O aren't home, I ask A where Peter is, she hasn't seen him, I look around and ask around for 5 minutes... no one has seen Peter. His shoes are here, his bike is here, he's never left on his own before... Where is he?!! We check everywhere again: all the beds, all the couches, behind the couches, downstairs, I even look in the toy box... Where is Peter??? And where is Owen? It's time for trumpet! Daniel has come home, Daniel go get Owen! I have an alarm going off telling me to get 12 pieces of candy for Daniel and Peter. They were invited a few days ago to a toddler halloween party, and my two opposite thoughts were "I should support people when try to do fun things" and "This is an inconvenience and I don't have time for it!" but I went to gather 24 pieces of candy for them to take to the Halloween party for the trick or treating part, I'm still holding K cause she's clinging to me and won't let me go, Trumpet alarm goes off again, Is Owen back yet?!?!? I send Natalie to check for Peter at neighbors houses and I text a few neighbors asking if Peter is over there, I grab Owen's trumpet and music books and put them in the car, I give Abi instructions on what to do to get Daniel and Peter, trusting that we'll find him, to the Halloween Party at 5. Natalie comes back, neighbors haven't seen Peter. Owen finally comes in, I distract Katharine with a rice krispie treat and am able to set her down at the bar, yay, I tell Owen to hurry into the car, I tell Natalie to grab the scooter, we'll go check at Evan's house on my way to trumpet, and she can ride the scooter home. Peter isn't there, Abi is still looking, I call Corey to tell him I'm going to trumpet with Owen but we can't find Peter, Corey says he and Wes will head right home, I call Abi again, and she found Peter. "Where???" "I'll send you the picture." I called Corey to tell him crisis averted. Abi found him, but I didn't know where. They said they'd stay a little bit longer then. I was able to slightly calm down and breath on the way to trumpet. We arrive, I look at the photo Abi sent me. He was under my desk. 

(I guess Wes and Peter are two versions of the same.) I was standing right by that desk looking at the loveseat that is across from it, I'm blind that I didn't see him! I thought I heard breathing and stopped moving to listen more carefully but then it had stopped so I figured I was mistaken. Maybe I should keep blankets and clothes off of the floor, and then I would have noticed there was something under the desk that hadn't been put away and could have found him. We walk into trumpet, Ms Kyra asks "How are you?" and I said "Ahh! A little frazzled!" and I gave her a brief cliff's notes version of us trying to find Peter and get out the door for the lesson in time. But good news, I felt very pleased that Owen had his straw and eraser! Yay. Owen found the straw Friday and I found the eraser by the Bose when I was putting away the Bose remote on Saturday, it was a haopy moment. I'm glad we found them.

Abi got Daniel and Peter off to their little party and had fun. Since they got a ride their with a neighbor and her daughter (cause I was at trumpet) I picked them all up when the part was over. Peter looking sharp in his new ninja costume.

They painted ghosts, went trick or treating around the house, made cookies, and had a dance party. 

When the party hostess Becca send got the text reminder today, other mom's said their kids were so excited about the party and they had been counting down the days. I didn't say anything, but could have texted "I haven't told my kids about this cause I don't want them to nag me about it, maybe they will come if I'm feeling up to it when the moment arrives?" And when the moment came, Abi was willing to get them dressed in their costumes and out the door, so they went and had fun. I'm glad other people do things like this and give my kids memories that I don't have the energy for!

I guess I did the cookie exchange last year, and my apologies to all the people who felt obligated to come. I didn't mean to add anything to your list! I guess I was feeling social. Not feeling it right now. We'll see when December comes if I decided to do it. Another neighbor recently had a poetry reading night which sounded cute, but it was on a Friday and I didn't think Corey would like to do it or have it cancel date night, so I never brought it up and was just playing it by ear, and then we ended up having to pick up Hyrum right at that same time (it was General Conference weekend) but I did feel bad that I didn't support her trying to do something social and neighborly. I let her know right before that I wouldn't make it. I had been thinking about it and the poem I would have shared was this one called "Thoughts are Things", which I came across shortly after I finished coaching certification, so the I loved the idea that thoughts have life and create the results around us (it's true!). The first time I came across it, it was this version attributed to Henry Van Dyke: 

I hold it true that thoughts are things; 
They're endowed with bodies and breath and wings;
And that we send them forth to fill
The world with good results, or ill.

That which we call our secret thought
Speeds forth to earth's remotest spot,
Leaving its blessings or its woes
Like tracks behind it as it goes.

We build our future thought by thought,
For good or ill, yet know it not.
Yet, so the universe was wrought.
Thought is another name for fate;
Choose, then, thy destiny and wait,
For love brings love and hate brings hate.

But I thought it was weird how it kinda ended abruptly and that the pattern/rhythm changed in the last stanza. I mean, sure I guess poets can do whatever they want, but it seemed off. I was googling it and found another version, longer, and following the same pattern, by Ella Wheeler Wilcox that I like better. It seems more complete: 

I hold it true that thoughts are things
Endowed with bodies, breath, and wings,
And that we send them forth to fill
The world with good results - or ill.

That which we call our secret thought
Speeds to the earth's remotest spot,
And leaves its blessings or its woes
Like tracks behind it as it goes.

It is God's law. Remember it
In your still chamber as you sit
With thoughts you would not dare have known,
And yet made comrades when alone.

These thoughts have life; and they will fly
And leave their impress by-and-by,
Like some marsh breeze, whose poisoned breath
Breathes into homes its fevered breath.

And after you have quite forgot
Or all outgrown some vanished thought,
Back to your mind to make its home,
A dove or raven, it will come.

Then let your secret thoughts be fair;
They have a vital part and share
In shaping worlds and moulding fate --
God's system is so intricate.”

Whew, so there was another tangent, and now I'm done rambling about the chaos of this evening. Looks like I should take a lesson from that poem and watch my thoughts! They are moulding the fate of my day. Coaching your mind is a constant thing to work on. Just cause I know it doesn't make me good at it or aware of myself most of the time! Typing it out helps me see what was going on in my head. It was good to type that all out, it helped me decompress. Ok, so that's been the last few hours. It's 10:20 now, Corey's ready for bed. By me being up here blogging this, my poor husband has been abandoned to fend for himself since he got home. We did a little phone version for scriptures tonight rather than gathering around the tv in the side room. This is what Corey's evening has been like! (aka smothered!)

I think the kids all like scripture time each night. Corey usually starts it off with a Daily Dose of Internet, and then brings up video links that he's been saving throughout the day to give us a peek into current events and what's going on in the world, like the war in Israel. It's a big bad world with lots of real problems. Having kids makes messes and not being able to find them for 30 minutes isn't the worst thing that has happened in the world today. Good to keep perspective.