Catch UP!

Got a call for an emergency respite situation for a two year old for the whole weekend. Oh, my! We haven't even given back the first kids and they're asking us to take more. This kiddo had had a major organ transplant, couldn't drink liquids, had a nut allergy, plus other allergies. We sent up a quick prayer, discussed it and said no. It was horrid to hear the disappointment when I called them back. I hate disappointing people, but I just am not ready to take on more.

We're trying to prepare for the advent of snow. As of last night, the garage is clean and by Vanessa's request the Honda is parked in there. We might actually get my van parked in there after we return the borrowed canoe. We finished painting one side of the house - trim and all. The water project is finally completed with gravel over the whole area to cover the black weed cloth.  The summer tires are stored and the odd bits and pieces of various projects taken down to the barn. The new gutters are up and the old ones taken down to the barn.

We still have a LOT of leaves to rake. They started to pile up this week. The garden needs some attention. There's mowing to do. There are irrigation hoses to roll up and put away. The chicken barn needs to be cleaned and winterized. The other barn - especially the tack room needs organizing. We have a very large burn pile yet to go...  It seems there's no end, but it is amazing how much we can get done while the  babies are with their parents!!

I'm sad there are no winter greens in my green house, but it was one too many things to take care the last few months.

This week has been tough on Missy. It is parent/teacher conference week - ALL WEEK. It means the kids come home at lunch so the twins have had to work with us and they would rather be at school. Missy has really struggled with the whole change in schedule, as I knew she would.

James' report card and conference went well. I am very proud of his accomplishments already. He is doing so well. Everybody reports that he is super well behaved.  He still struggles with writing - as expected. The hand coordination is difficult because his fine motor skills have a long ways to go. He is slow and that is also expected with his slow processing.. For math he is pre-taught everything alone- and then he is allowed to go to the regular math class and he can do the work.

Missy is reportedly the happiest kid in the school.

YUP! You read that right.

The look on my face must have spoke volumes. The teacher laughed and said, "I know, you are thinking we are not talking about your kid. But it is true."

Good. PTL! actually. I'll go with that. Maybe someday it will rub off on the home Missy. :-)

She desperately wants to do what the other kids do, but cannot. They see that all the time. It is frustrating for her. She is pulled out of class dozens of times a day for her special one-on-ones and she is really starting to know that she is different. It's kind of sad.

The court hearing for the babies is on Wednesday. We totally expected the babies to go home for good that day - until the mother's attorney clued her into the knowledge that the CASA is not on the same page as everyone else and doesn't want the Buddy to go home for another month. I called the social worker and it was a surprise to even her because the CASA had said she was in agreement with the plan!! We don't know what the CASA bases that decision on. She hasn't been to my house or talked to me in months. I wrote a strong recommendation against the CASA's idea. She does not see what I see. It's now up to the judge.

The Buddy is ready for the switch. The transition has been long and he's starting to feel insecure about going back and forth. He wants to know where he is going to sleep at night. He wants to be with his mommy. One day as she brought him back to me in the evening we both knew he'd made the leap in his mind. He is ready.  He knows his family is his. He cries every time his mom leaves him now. She comes in and plays with him and the other kids and then when his attention is averted she slips out.

Buddy's brother, almost 7, came over and played Legos with James for a couple hours. The only one not comfortable coming to our house is the 9 year old sister. She gets super anxious and almost frantic  - stranger anxiety or something, even though we are certainly not strangers. We visit back and forth a lot these days, but she has been really affected by the whole situation and I think she may have some long battles with anxiety to face yet.

Grandma Tall's funeral is this weekend. I have to get cooking for the potluck meal...