Can Anybody Tell Me Why We're Doing This?

It's a respite weekend for the 3 beauties we had a month ago... There are girl toys ALL over the house. Vanessa, Brianna and Christina's dolls and doll clothes have been resurrected and they all have new names and hair styles. They have James playing Polly-pockets... There hair bows and headbands and strollers and coloring things everywhere. It's kind of fun to watch kids who actually know how to play with dolls. Unfortunately, Missy's not into it. In fact she has been spiraling since the middle of the week and is not even able to participate in much.

Daniel Boon playing polly-pockets with the aid of the police....

We're riding the waves. We're about to crest with Missy, because I can hardly imagine getting worse than this. Nearly every word out of her mouth is "NO!!" and "I don't want to!!!".  She bulls along on her own agenda regardless what is said or done to change her course and when she can't get her way it is instantaneous down on the floor raging.  It doesn't matter who is watching, either. She has not even nice to the girls and I have to keep her occupied and away.

I'm the recipient of too many, "That can't be MY kid", kind of stories lately.  Someone took a lollipop from the prize box at her violin lesson and when she took another and another and another and ate them all lickity split the teacher decided after 4 to make her throw the 5th one in the trash. When Rebecca turned her back the stinker took a sixth one and was chomping it up quick. The teacher put her foot down and said, "Enough! You may not eat another one and you may not eat that one." That very child threw herself on the floor in a grand display.  She had a group practice on Friday and I warned everyone she was not to have ANY treats - and she came out covered in chocolate anyway.

Missy and I had to run the track in the rain this morning. She's a good runner. I could not keep up and she could not understand that. I reminded her that she practices running all the time.

Everyday, though, I am more and more amazed at what James is learning in school. He has been telling me about the different concepts they are learning. His teacher is quite ingenious. He sings little jingles for math concepts. He always tells me stuff as though I don't know a thing. It's quite funny. I am so thankful... Last year he had almost nothing to say about his day as school. This year he tells me everything all the way down to specific spelling rules. God bless that teacher!

The kids enjoyed a good game of kick-the-can in the dark last night with Steve and the girls. Unfortunately for Missy, she missed that, too. Hitting other children is not allowed. Pray for us. I'm not sure at the moment why I'm doing this anymore.