Look at those three beautiful children.  Don't they look like angels?  So sweet.  So pretty.  So well behaved.

WRONG!

This morning Brice and I were awakened at 5:00 a.m. to the sound of a child yelling for "MOOOOOMMMMMYYYYYYY!"

After I stumbled out of bed, found my glasses, and staggered to the boys' room, I was told two things.

"Mom, I peed in my bed," from one child.

And, "Mom, I threw up," from the other child.

Really?

I feel like there was probably a conversation like this two minutes prior to that point.  It went like this:

"Hey, are you awake, I think I'm gonna throw up."

"Yeah, I'm awake.  I have to pee."

"I know, how about you pee, and I'll throw up, at the same time.  And then we'll tell, Mom."

"Yeah, sounds good."

Brice sometimes gives me a hard time for taking waaaaay more pictures of her than the other two.  But I think it's probably obvious why.  She will stay in one place.  She will smile and laugh and make cute noises.  She doesn't throw sticks at me.  Or ignore me when I say "stop running away".  She doesn't pull her pants down to try to show me her butt and then laugh hhysterically like it's the funniest thing ever.  And until she starts doing those things, she will get to have more pictures.

Needless to say, after our rocky start this morning, things didn't get much better.  We showered the boys off and turned on the TV.  No sense in going back to bed.

It was one of those mornings when I kept checking the clock hoping it was time to take Jace to school.

I've read a lot of stuff on other blogs and mommy websites about the challenge to "not yell".  I just don't know how that is done.  I always think, maybe it's my evident stress and anxiety that gets the boys all worked up to yelling and jumping and flinging themselves around and hitting and poking and screaming. . . But even when I stifle back every scream and speak in hush tones with a calm and quiet manner, I am trampled by noise and yelling and insanity.

The only way to gain control of the situation is to yell loud enough to be heard above the other yelling.  Right?  Either that or ignore the situation completely and take Livvy to my room and LOCK the door.

I've tried both.  The end result is usually the same.

Oh well.  These pictures are good, at least.

I know Jace and Cameron were both annoyed with me and ready to take my camera and beat me with it.

I should have said, "Don't worry about it, boys.  It's pay back for how you will wake me up in two days."