He really is a great kid... and when I say he, I mean all of them

Tonight at 9:00 our home was filled with chaos.  I had just returned from Parent Teacher Conferences, which went amazingly smooth.  The usual comments from teachers:

Kyle is a great kid.  Full of personality, a lot of "personality".  He's going places, I can't wait to see where he ends up. And a new one: He has really matured over the past few months ( say what??)

Mikenzie is doing great, no complaints.  She is so sweet. Such a hard worker.

Baylie is such a joy to have in class, I wish I could clone her ( me too ).  

I would love a classroom full of Baylies.

Brandon is doing excellent.  Very bright. Love having him in class. 

As I walked into my home it was not a welcome sight.  Dishes were still piled high from making dinner for the missionaries that we hastily packed as we ran out the door, still steaming hot and 15 minutes late ( as usual ).  The window for conferences was closing quickly and we had no time to tidy up before we left.  James was busy working on the computer trying to finish last minute business before he left for his weekly traveling work assignment.  The dog was hyper, chasing toys and begging for food.  The boys were watching a sports program, as usual.  Mikenzie had just returned from work and Baylie from a volleyball game.  It was a typical teenage activity filled night.

We quickly huddled the family together for a few reminders, a spiritual thought and a family prayer before James left for his business trip.  As we tried to find some semblance of peace, Tucker came running in with James' sandwich he had prepared for the road, which caused a loud round of laughter.   The kids were teasing one another ( borderline bickering but we held the line ).  We managed to get our thoughts and concerns out ( seminary attendance is slipping around here ) and finally a family prayer.

James gave me a quick kiss and yelled over the now not so borderline arguing to call him when things calmed down a bit.  I jokingly told him to expect at least an hour.  Once he left and I had regained some control of our home I got to work organzing and cleaning.  Brandon finally put down the balls, the hot pad and whatever else he was harassing Baylie with and discovered he had math homework to do.  Mikenzie was in the shower, Kyle was already in bed and Baylie was doing her usual milling about, as she has to burn every single last cell of energy before she can finally drop off to sleep.  I tackled the dishes and the laundry, started to pick up shoes and  backpacks that had been discarded around the house a few hours earlier.

Slowly but surely the house became our home once again.  Lights were dimmed, the dishwasher was humming and peace was beginning to fill the air.  As I took a deep sigh of relief at the quick progress I made I saw this wonderful sight:

Brandon, who 15 minutes earlier had Baylie almost near tears due to his relentless teasing and hyperness, had quietly asked for help with a difficult math problem.  Baylie, who had just asked Brandon less than 10 minutes earlier" Why can't you just GO AWAY??"  willingly helped him until he understood the correct steps to the math problem.  I even heard a "please" and "sorry " ( not for the teasing, but for taking the pencil out of Baylie's hand too quickly ).

Amazing!!  Peace!! Kindness!! 

My children never cease to amaze me.  I think I am doing something right...

Kyle also greatly impressed me tonight.  In a rare sighting of humility, he returned to his old job ( the one he left because it was " the worst job ever " with hopes of making loads of cash at a " way better job " which turned out to be a total dud of a job due to his hectic soccer schedule).   He humbly went to his former manager and asked for his old job back.  That took a lot of maturity on his part and I am so impressed.  I know grown men that wouldn't take that big bite of humble pie.  He did it all on his own.  Just earlier that day I wondered how much time we should give this restless child of mine before we started to pressure him into looking for another job.  I would have never guessed he would return to his old employer ( on his own nonetheless ) and ask for a job. As mentioned earlier by a teacher or two: He really is a great kid!

And when all was said and done, even this guy was ready for some peace...

Be Grateful!!