The Rough Ride to Abilene

We seem to be okay with absolutely wearing ourselves out in the summer. Now that Jordan and Ella have joined the family, they have been forced into our way of life, like it or not. :)

Monday night was the first Summer Youth Series in Houston. Sugar Grove was excited to be the first host of the summer. The kids and I got to church at 9:30 on Monday morning and did not get home until 9:30 that night. I guess it slipped my mind that yesterday (Tuesday) was not only the first Girls' Bible Study class of the summer, but that we were leaving on a 9 day road trip immediately following GBS. Somebody please stop the madness!

As we were leaving the church building yesterday, Jordan's meltdown began. Oh, the pains! Josh was taking him to the bathroom before we left and Jordan could not decide between using the regular potty or the urinal. (I'm glad that as a woman I don't have to choose what kind of urine receptacle I want to use!) Since he wouldn't make up his mind, Josh decided for him. After 5 minutes of Josh trying to get him to go tee-tee, Jordan screaming his head off because Josh told him he needed to go potty on the regular potty and Jordan never relaxing enough to let the urine out, Josh gave up.

We got on the road, Jordan calmed down and asked for a piece of bubble gum. He chewed on that piece for about 2 minutes and was done. We threw it away. He asked for another piece a little later, chewed it for 2 minutes and threw it away. When he asked for a third piece, I told him he could have more tomorrow. Oh, the wailing that followed.

Then, since he was so upset, he thought it would be a genius idea to start hitting his sister's hand with his shoe.

By this time, I was done.

We pulled over into the parking lot of a bank in Hico, and I told him I was moving him to the very back seat and that when we got to Poppa and MeMom's, he was getting a spanking with a wooden spoon because of 4 hours of inappropriate and hateful behavior. Once again...the wailing and the pleading, "Moooooommy, I proooooomise I'll be kind."

So, Amy and I unpacked the WHOLE van, pulled the back seat up so that I could put his carseat back there and reloaded the whole van. Because I didn't want to stop again, I told him he needed to go tee-tee on his little potty. "But I want to tee-tee on the graaaaaass." SO SORRY! He sat on the seat for about a minute, and I said, "Okay, pull up your pants and get in your carseat, please." "But I'm not done." "Yes, you are."

Then the flailing started.

Then I picked him up off the potty and spanked his bare bottom three times with my hand.

For ten minutes after that he was screaming, very loudly. I talked with him and he slowly calmed down. I said, "Why are you screaming?" He said, "Do I still have a spanking coming?" I assured him that he didn't and that the spanking in the van was sufficient.

After that, he was fine. Hopefully our two and a half trip to Lubbock today will be less eventful! :)