Balancing

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Anastasia and Isabella go to the their homeschooling classes all day. Sometimes, I like to take advantage of only have three little ones (cause three is just so easy!) and attempt to get errands done, but usually, I like to really focus on teaching Francesca and Victoria. I try to be the speech therapist, physical therapist and occupational therapist, all rolled into one. 

I bring out the puzzles, the shape sorter, and speech cards and try to encourage them to learn everything I think they need to know.  To learn what the experts say they should know already. Whether they want to learn it or not, they are usually pretty good sports about the whole thing.

I want to fix them sometimes. Not their physical differences, but I want them to be able to learn like other kids do. I admit it, I am impatient. Not with them.  But impatient for them to progress the way society says they should. Or maybe I think they should. 

I don't think Francesca really sees the value of making a triangle out of her magnet bars. Perhaps I am working with the wrong venue. Maybe I should be making triangles out of cookie dough and then she would get the point. And why am I stressing about a triangle for anyway? Is the sign of a good person their knowledge of geometric shapes?

Of course, little Catherine, genius that she is, constantly wants to learn everything. I try not to compare. 

But when I see kids, much younger than them, passing them up, I feel like somehow I am not doing a good enough of a job. I feel like I should work overtime to get them to be on target for their age. Which, of course, is an impossible task. You can't undo two years of being neglected and starved. 

"See, Victoria. See the red heart. Can you say heart?" 

And Victoria, sweet little child, tries to say heart, but no one but me can understand her. 

I know she understands, even if she does have a blank stare on her face when others talk to her. She has a veil surrounding her, and she doesn't let many in. Maybe she never will. 

The fears of "what if" begin to trickle into my thoughts. What if they never really do learn to speak clearly? And how is Francesca going to learn to do a zipper? 

How much do I push? Do I expect too much?  If I worry about it enough, does it mean I am doing enough for them?

My friend, Jen, shared this quote:  "Motherhood is about raising and celebrating the child you have, not the child you thought you would have. It's about understanding that he is exactly the person he is supposed to be. And that, if you're lucky, he just might be the teacher who turns you into the person you are supposed to be." 
-Joan Ryan "The Water Giver"

And I know they are teaching me so much more than I am teaching them. 

So, I tell myself to chill and we all move on to chopping up playdough (I don't recommend the brown playdough, it looks waaaay too realistic. Ew.)

The one thing I am sure of though, is that my cooking skills will be easy for them all to learn! Yep, macaroni and cheese again!!

A Surprise Visit

We were just hanging out this morning, riding the dog, thinking today was going to be gloomy and uneventful.....but then......

Grandpa came to visit! Suddenly our day was full of fun. 

The weather is way too cold us (even though Anastasia adamantly refuses to wear a coat), but who cares when you are going to a restaurant where you can order a "Rooty Tooty Fresh and Fruity"! No one can be dismal after you order that.

You can even do school work at good old IHOP. The menu taught us all about the 7 Wonders of the World. 

Some delicious caffeine perked us right up. (don't worry, the container was empty, and also dirty after she dropped it several times)

Smiles all around! 

Who needs a fork? Not me! 

We decided to visit Great at her assisted living place. They always have fun stuff to play with there. Don't those dolls look real? They are anatomically correct too, as Isabella found out when she wanted to name the doll she was playing with Hazel. Then, she undressed it and found it was more of a Howard. Of course, now they have decided they really want dolls like these for Christmas. I have no idea where to find them? Anyone know what kind they are?

A little cuddle time. We're so glad Grandpa got to visit! 

And some kisses from Bo, the resident dog. He is a cutie! 

Well, tomorrow, back to the routine, or maybe not.......

We're Back!!!

Is anyone still out there reading? Finally, finally, we figured out how to get the internet to work on my laptop! I have missed you all. Thank you so much for all your prayers and thoughts. We are all doing well. 

Such a plethora of adventures to write about, where do I even begin?

Victoria has a new favorite game: ring around the rosy. Must be played at least 500 times in a row, without pause, in order to keep that sweet smile going. 

Notice what Francesca is wearing? Big girl underwear!!!! Sure, she peed in it in 5 seconds, but it's a start. Sort of. Nakedness and the potty seem to agree with her, which makes it a little difficult to venture out in public.

The movie star also loves taking walks, with her walker, on the actual street. No more fear!

Victoria came down with a nasty bug. The germ mutated to five times it's original strength and immediately passed to me.

They were dropping like flies around here. 

Poor babies. Poor me! 

Such sweet, supportive sisters! 

Finally, the weather is cold enough for some cool tights that don't match. 

And the really, really big news: Victoria is now taking three to four steps all by herself. I am confident she could take more steps, but she likes to fling herself forward and she looses her balance. So, take that, all you doctors who said she would never walk! 

We've had some fancy picnics in Grandma's cool treehouse. Yes, little Catherine is wearing the latest fad of feet pajamas with sparkly shoes. 

We had a fun afternoon collecting leaves and making them into placemats. Francesca was so proud of hers! 

Such beautiful leaves! 

Victoria, the leopard fashionista, shows off her rarely seen smile. 

I got the girls some new fall clothes. Anastasia had to be forced to wear this dress. For some reason, she doesn't like it at all. What do you all think? Do I have terrible taste in dresses?

Isn't Isabella getting tall?

The giant tower. You are never too old to play with Legos. 

Just another wild and crazy evening! I got my haircut at one of those cheap places, so now I look "dorky" (thank you, son, for supply the much needed adjective here).

We have a new tradition around here too, ice cream for dessert, every night. We have also had an increase in the purchasing of stain fighting detergent. The rule is, if you don't do your chores, you don't get any ice cream! 

Catherine loves dog-back riding. Othello is such a patient pup.

Anastasia and our cat, Tchaikovsky, engaged in a movie. 

And last, but not least, this is what happens around here when I go to the bathroom for a minute. My creative children dress Francesca in ten layers. Never a dull moment! 

A Little Update

Thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers. The kids and I are doing fine. We are going through some changes. Soon, I will try to find a computer that I can download pictures on.

We did have some good excitement: Francesca is pooping in the potty! She is so proud! She is really starting to talk now. Her favorite thing to say is: "I do." As in, who wants more potatoes, who wants more spaghetti, who wants more....rocks! I do!

Again, thank you all and I promise to be back soon.

Asking a Favor

Would you all please say a prayer for the kids and me? We could really use them right now.

Thank you!

The Big Party

The big day had finally arrived, the long anticipated Halloween party!!! Schoolwork that day consisted of learning how to cook all kind of interesting treats. 

Yum! Did you know hot dogs will curl right up in boiling water?

Everyone looks absolutely fabulous! 

My dear friend, Melanie, is one of Victoria's favorite people to hang out with . 

Don't all the little ones look cute?

We started off we some ghost stories to set the mood. 

Then, we bobbed for apples. 

Isabella grabbed her apple on the first try. 

Anastasia got more than a little wet, but she didn't give up.

 The cool "hand punch".

I wish I had a little mustard to make eyes with, but they still turned out pretty good. 

The Pokemon Duo. 

Time for "stick the hat on the witch". 

It was harder than it looked, especially after being spun around a few times. 

Just call me Anakin, Anakin Skywalker.

Cookie decoration was a huge hit. Anything with icing usually is a good idea around here! (Catherine ditched her queen costume to be a rainbow princess)

How many pounds of icing can you fit on one cookie?

The cutest pumpkin ever! 

Now for the haunted house! Beware! 

Be brave and feel the eyeballs, teeth, fingers and veins! 

Then it was time for the costume parade.

The noise was rather deafening. 

Monster tag went on and on...

and then time for more snacks.....

Anastasia worked for many hours to make these. They were delicious! 

I think the party was a success! Now for the really fun part, clean up time. Sigh. 

Anybody want some extra cookies?