Little Trip, Big Accomplishment

I have been avoiding going to the public library for months. I just didn't want to deal with children yelling (yes, in the library), then at checkout having a child climb on the desk while another one is crawling or rolling on the floor making moaning noises or a hand down the pants... So this is why library trips had become mommy only events. Go figure. But since returning from China, time has not been on my side and no library trips have happened. Fast forward six months to today I said something like this, "I would like to go to the post office. If you can conduct yourselves nicely AND do exactly as I say AND not run around AND hold my hand AND stay next to mommy (catching a theme here?) while we are at the post office, we can go to the library, but you have to be good there too." We went over this before we left the house and also before we piled out of the van at the post office. Mr. M only needed a little reminder in the post office (after we were waiting in line for a few minutes) and he really wasn't doing anything that I hadn't said he could, he was right next to me rolling his car on the floor, but I knew I had to keep a tight reign or else the car would go flying into or under something and he would be off.
So as we walk in the lady purchasing items and paying at the counter comments in a voice loud enough for ALL in the room to hear, "I'm sure glad I don't have that" and indicates toward us. God weighted down Elizabeth just enough to keep me from bounding over to her and throttling her (nicely of course). Instead I calmly replied, "But they are all blessings!" with a smile on my face. She in turn replies, "Of course they are, but still..." with a sarcastic tone. She continued commenting to the clerk about us or kids, because of the looks she threw our way, but we could no longer hear her comments, thankfully. I think if I had heard any more of her comments we would have left. We already hear, "All they all yours?!", "You have a BIG family!", "How do you handle it?!", "Well, I couldn't do it!" enough when we are out in public all together. I don't want any of my children to feel like they are a burden or in some other way a detractor from a "better" life. I really mean it, children are a blessing!
Back to the post office.. The gentleman in front of us didn't seem to mind our presence and by the time we got to the clerk she was congeenely smiling at us and even commented as we left, "I didn't even know they were down there." Speaking of Mr. M and Mr. T who had sat down on the carpet in front of the counter. I don't know if she was trying to be extra nice because of the other lady or if she really didn't see SIX people walk up to the counter. Anyway, this was the first time EVER that a child wasn't trying to climb the counter, press buttons, pull my clothes off trying to get my attention, yell, touch merchandise, or run away in YEARS! ~sigh of relief~ Thank you, God. We needed that. The library was slightly more turbulent, but considering the precident of previous visits- THEY WERE ANGELS. Even if Elizabeth was singing the whole time- we wanted her to be more verbal...~smile~. Now did we walk away with any books, no. But movies can be educational, right?! Gotta love Babar and Swiss Family Robinson.