Monday, December 2, 2019

Almost 3 yrs

It’s been so long since I logged in that I didn’t know how and it wasn’t easy to crack the code!!

The twins are almost 16. James is doing incredibly well. We found a school that he absolutely loves. They teach life skills as well as academics and he couldn’t be happier. It’s a boarding school off the grid a a couple miles from the ocean and tucked in some woods. It’s a very small school and his teacher and principal are well educated and experienced in special ed. They claim he’s their hardest worker and always the first to volunteer to help someone. They also say he’s 100% on board for everything. Whether it’s an outing or an activity or getting up front at church for a music concert he’s all in. Always. It’s his second year there. He comes home for home leave every month and all summer. It’s a 5 hour drive to the school from here.

Missy lives at the opposite corner of the state. It’s 4 hours from here. She’s in a group home for special needs kids. There’s actually one other girl in the home. She attends high school and has therapy and caregivers pretty much around the clock. We see her monthly. She has been there one year. I can honestly say it has taken a full year for me to feel normal again. I still struggle with anxiety and a little ptsd related to her occasionally. We talk in the phone weekly. Her health is not as good as I wish. She has gained a lot of weight and tears up her skin to the point of 40 to 60 bandaids needed for wound care daily. This program is working far better for her than living here. She does like it and they cater to her wishes and her lack of drive far more than I wish but it’s okay. She is who she is. The honeymoon was long but she pretty much carries on with her old behaviors... thus the continual therapy.

Vanessa is married, living in New Mexico and has a baby girl. Our first grand daughter. Brianna is in university in Tennessee. Christina is Cut Flower Farming here at home. We have recently purchased a plot of certified organic farmland and will be building a home out there soon. The young boys- Duckie and Buddy or whatever we called them way back then are now 7 and 8 and they still spend time with us most weekends and even join us on vacation, etc... they are doing well.

Obviously I lost the joy of blogging sometime ago. You can find me on Instagram under Angela Ford , though there’s a million of us... so my tag name currently is Rootsreachingdeep. I love to take photos, chronical our lives - home renovations, new building project, diy and flowers and gardening.













Tuesday, February 21, 2017

This Is RAD

We were traveling. It had been a long day. We were out looking at a possible emotional support dog for Missy. We fell in love with the pup. However, we had not fallen in love with the price so we were headed home to think about it for a bit more.  We had made a pact to be very deliberate in this search and make no rash decisions based on cuteness.  :-)

As we pulled into a fast food joint to use a restroom Steve reminded the twins they needed to finish the water bottles he had given them at the beginning of the day. They still don't just drink water... It has to be scheduled, as does #2 bathroom use. They just don't unless we require it. And as of my latest experiment  they can go two weeks ...  How scary is that?!! (To say nothing of our plugged toilet situation when they finally do go... Honest to PETE!)

Steve led the twins to the restrooms then went to the counter to get something for the kids. He was back with Missy and a bag of food fairly quick. He reminded Missy to finish the water so she could have her treat and returned to the building to wait for James. No sooner did he shut the door and walk away then she started her whine, "I'm starving.... blah, blah, blah...."  She rarely asks directly for what she wants when she knows the requirements.

"What did Dad just say?"

"I don't know!!! Groan, whine cry....

"Well, when you remember let me know."

I'm super careful to sidestep direct communication. I've taken lessons from the expert...

To be sure, there wasn't more than 2 inches of water left in the bottle. We had been working on it all day.  I heard gulping and loud exaggerated belching and groaning about her stomach not possibly being able to handle that much water, etc...  And then suddenly she needed to go to the bathroom again. I hid my rolling eyeballs and said, "Sure, of course you may go, ONLY LEAVE your water bottle here in the car. It would not be right for you to go and dump it because dad asked you to drink it before you can have your treat."  -No sidestepping communication this time.

She ran off in a hurry. I watched her go and I saw nothing amiss and bent to my reading. When she returned  she came up to my door and swung her EMPTY water bottle in my face.  I just looked her in the eye. She flashed me her Cheshire cat grin.

This is RAD. 

Lord help me, this is CRAZY making business!!

She got in the car and this time did not beg for the food. She just waited quietly.... This scenario boggles my mind. If she really truly revels in pulling a trick why wouldn't she keep it to herself? Why does she risk a consequence to let me know I've been had? Somehow the conquest is not enough, she has to rub my nose in it. When Steve got back with James I told him what had just transpired. He just said, "Well, that's too bad." Opened up the bag of treats and ate hers.....