Winter Break Comes to a Conclusion

PUT ME DOWN!

Wednesday we hiked the 10 miles and the twins did great.

Thursday skiing was canceled so Steve took them and Buddy's siblings skating. Steve plays crazy hard when he plays. He's excellent on skates - as Canadian kids growing up on hockey usually are. He didn't know he could rent hockey skates though, and ended up with figure skates. He hooked the little spikes into the ice a few times and fell FLAT on his chest cracking who knows how many ribs. Doesn't stop him any, but he definitely feels it.

Friday we took the twins and Buddy's older siblings skiing. They stay mostly on the bunny hill and they had a two hour lesson so Steve and I were scott free to ski all over the mountain. We skied hard and took some really challenging runs. I ski best following him. If I'm on my own I'm uncertain and can't find my way so easily. We took the kids on the green run and Missy is doing awesome! Greg, too. James would tell you he is an absolute stunt man on the mountain, but truth is he's FREAKING out most of the time and stiff as a board and barely crawling along.  When he finally gets to the bottom he tells everyone how wonderful he is and how he's super fast. Steve was trying to help him understand that boasting like that is not speaking truth and that boasting isn't nice to listen to, that it is better to just keep the mouth shut. It makes no impression whatsoever.

The twins were doing great as far as cooperation and behavior all those days. Sabbath they woke up completely the opposite. I was at Buddy's house down the road staying with four kids as their mom had gone to a weekend retreat, and Steve was home with our tribe. When I arrived home with the four ready for church I walked into the house and saw how it was. Everyone had this flat expression and were just hanging in there, but the time pressure was making things tense.  I told the girls and Steve to grab the babies and the four still strapped in their seats and go to church and leave me with the twins.

The twins were in separate rooms getting ready or not, depending on their mindset. I waited. I kept them apart and waited for things to change. I didn't have to say much. They knew. Usually we would be at church by 9:15 or so, we three arrived at 11;15. Steve placed chairs just outside the sanctuary where the sliding door opens and had them where they could see and hear, but not be seen or cause a scene. As soon as it was over I took them and the babies home and fed them peanut butter sandwiches while the rest of the gang went to potluck with our prepared food. James pulled himself out of his mood and he was great. Missy gallantly pressed forward in rebellion.  I could not even have her at the table with the other kids. Steve came home and took her hiking in the rain over the mountain the rest of the day.  She came home completely changed and back to her rightful mind. She apologized and promised to help me with household chores the next day.

Sunday was sunny and warm and 60 degrees. All 8 kids played outside all day. They were beat tired at the end of it.  BUT we had no trouble with Missy.

Boys are dangerous!

James said he wanted someone to make an apple pie. I said if he wanted a pie he'd have to make it. I was not up to it. Good thing I had a ready-made pie crust for him....  He was proud of it.

Pieter is angry. Deep down bottled up anger is showing up in artwork. You know the kind you'd rather not see.... poop smearing. Sigh. Bathroom and bedroom walls. There's been a ton of drama regarding his family. His mother was MIA at the last visit which absolutely crushed this kid. Steve and I were kneeling around his bed as we tucked him in and I brought up the visit... No kid should have to wonder why his mom didn't care to see him. He was devastated. People went in search of her and her family gave us a  story didn't match the facts. She was to have unsupervised visits starting today and she just called me. She wonders why her visit was totally canceled today.  She gave me a different story as to where she was and why she missed the visit. I told her what it did to her boy. I spared her nothing and I don't know if that's good or not. I also told her that I didn't know why the visit was canceled... but that her missed visit could hurt her case. She was full of excuses but I could hear the fear in her voice. I'm sorry for her. I really am, but she has to stop and put her kids first. BUT that's me talking- the one who doesn't know what it is to be trapped in addiction.  Children's Services will be scheduling some sort of therapy or counseling for Pieter. Truth is  -he's gonna be angry until his mom quits hurting him, or he finds stability elsewhere.

Pieter has a giant bruise on his leg. We don't know where he got it. We only knew that it grew bigger by the day. There was talk of blo*d clotting* issues. I'm asking for a medical report. I need to understand what is going on. I might have figured out that he is getting bruised with his trike. It tips and the handle bars twists into his leg. The bruising is clearing up. There was a random email from the dad's lawyer asking for a furlough from jail* so he could attend the appointment for him regarding the bruise. I don't know what appointment that is. Neither does the social worker and so he decided to ignore the plea for a furlough.  I thought that maybe the appointment was today during the visit since mom was going to have unsupervised visit, but she didn't know about the appointment either and there's no visit...

Some of the kids Saturday night....

Daylight savings time! Ack.  Whose idea was it anyway??!

found these two almost two year olds  in my closet wearing our ski helmets...

In two weeks the kids will be off school for spring break. Don't ask. It makes no sense at all.