Music Marathon Month

December brings many Christmas celebrations, which for me also equal lots of musical performances. Today was my last madcap day of music this month, and while everything turned out wonderfully, it also resulted in these two having to take their second bath in less than 12 hours:


More on that later. First a little re-cap of today.

9:00 Brandon goes to his first meeting.
9:15 I have a rehearsal at home with 6 lovely ladies who are singing "O Holy Night" during sacrament meeting.
10:27 Brandon arrives back home just in time for us to leave for choir practice (I'm the choir director).
11:45 We arrive back home, and I get a call to see if I can fill in for a musical number during Relief Society. I find some music while Brandon quickly bathes Colin (who was supposed to shower while we were gone but didn't, the little toad), Aidan and Logan. We get everyone ready for church.
12:30 While making PB&J sandwiches, I lose it with one child when he asks if we can have something hot for lunch next Sunday. The word "ungrateful" was mentioned a few times.
1:00 We arrive to church just barely on time.
1:30 The sacrament meeting program was lovely. The choir and other musical numbers did a fantastic job--I truly felt like we had angels singing with us.
3:30 I play a simple but nice arrangement of "I Know That my Redeemer Lives" during Relief Society. Another very lovely meeting.
4:10 On the walk home from church, Logan is being a bit of a pill (he hasn't had a nap yet, of course). Brandon and I swing him between us to cheer him up, during the course of which his arm pops out of socket.
4:15 I am supposed to be at the stake center to rehearse a duet for this evening, but am instead on the phone with our pediatrician's answering service.
4:30 I have left Brandon to deal with things, and arrive at the Stake Center for the main choir practice. I tell my duet partner what happened, and she tells me how to fix it if it's his elbow. I call Brandon to explain over the phone, and he says the doctor told him to go to the ER. We decide he'll try the elbow method first.
5:00 Brandon arrives at stake choir practice! He was able to pop Logan's elbow back in, and all is well. I love that he agreed to sing in the stake choir this year.
6:00 I arrive back home. Brandon is making waffles, and I have to quickly find some music to play as background during the live Nativity scene that will take place during the stake program (oops--hadn't done that yet).
6:15 Liam practices the stake choir pieces with me. He is going to be my page turner.
6:30 Everyone snarfs down "Daddy's Special Waffles" as they are called at our house.
6:40 Brandon leaves to drop the youngest 4 off at a friend's home. Liam and I head to the stake center.
7:00 The stake music concert goes beautifully. Again, the choirs of heaven were with us. Liam does a great job turning pages, and Brandon is a great tenor.
8:20 I am home ready for a relaxing night.
8:30 Brandon arrives home with the kids. Andrew announces that the friends' oldest boy threw up on Aidan and Logan 5 minutes before Brandon got there. Aidan said some of it even got in his mouth. Good bye relaxation.
8:31 Boys are back in the tub. Which leads me back to the picture--second bath in a day. We hope that our kids don't get sick for Christmas. Both Logan and Liam had a little 24-hr stomach virus a few weeks ago, so maybe we've got immunity.

It was a crazy day, to say the least. But very fulfilling, also. It is always a tremendous thing to see months of hard work come to fruition. I would do it again in a heartbeat, but preferably without medical emergencies or throw-up involved.