Tantrums, Snapping Turtles, and a Vacuum to Save the Day!

I wonder if I am the only one out there who mentally writes blog posts or emails in my head when I can't sleep? Ahh c'mon, there have to be a few of you who might join me in this absurdity? :) Today (which by the time anyone reads this would be "yesterday") has been voted the hardest day of parenthood yet. I told my dear friend, Belinda, this was a unanimous conclusion. With all two votes cast between Ken & I! Let's just say they don't call it the terrible two's for nothin'! ;) And Darcy, haha, bless your heart for coupling "angelic" with Jack's name on a day like today! haha. (Thank you for that sweet compliment!) :) Majority of the time, Jack does have an angelic face and is just the sweetest little guy! Before I rant about the challenges of toddlerhood, let me just preface this first with the hopefully obvious truth that we simply adore our kids to no end and wouldn't change a thing about them. Ok, big sigh and deep breath after a LONG day! (Take a look at the time of this post if you don't believe me.) What an unusually off day for Jack. Ken & I didn't realize bouts with tantrums could last all day. Ken & I tried to keep each other sane through comic relief, but shamefully I admit I was more like a snapping turtle than anything close to cuddly. My parents would probably imagine flash backs of me in my grouchy kid moments and they'd joke about needing to push a plate of food near me with a ten-foot pole. Yes, it's true, when I'm hungry and tired, I take on a new personality. And it's not one I think anyone would enjoy being around. ;) Lord, thank You for grace!!! It's not like today's frustrations could be summed up with anything specific, it was just the culmination of one thing after another, seemingly all day long. Anyone out there with a toddler want to attest to days like this? Let's just say the highlight of our day, was a family trip to Fred Meyer tonight for a new vacuum. It was a much needed excuse for us to get out of the house and let Jack run around. Mission Vacuum turned out to be the turning point for the night. Ken and Jack were playing chase down the isles and nearby shoppers would turn their heads with huge smiles as they watched our playful, grinning-from-ear-to-ear two year old, running on all cylinders ahead of his Daddy's footsteps just feet behind. Then the two of them would burst into laughter as Ken would tickle him and throw him up in the air when he'd catch up with him. Maggie, on the other hand, enjoyed her first break from the tantrum scene and was able to blissfully catch some zzz's in her carseat while she got pushed around in the shopping cart. And I, got to soak in some sweet time of just remembering the beautiful, fun, simple moments of parenthood like this that bring it all back into perspective and remind me why it is a constant joy - even in the trying days - to be a Mom and have the blessing of raising children.