Just for you

I've got a suprise for you! When you're having one of those days where your kid is being the most whiny, cranky & misbehaved kid ever, feel free to refer to THIS story & use it. Go ahead. Pass it around. Tell your friends. Whatever. I'm a giver. Merry Christmas. Happy Birthday.

My 2 oldest boys decided to quickly jump in the shower. I should have known something was up right there. After several minutes Reagan emerged from said shower crying & talking about pee. Yes pee. A few seconds later Reid jumps out of said shower & begins trying to defend himself. From what we still had no idea. We were still trying to decipher:

Reagan-"Reid..sob...sniffle..sob..he...cry..sob..pee..."

Reid-"But..but..he.."

Now I had two brothers & heard stories. I'm thinking maybe someone peed in the shower & the other one slipped in it. Which is gross in itself but better than what actually happened.

So we make both boys get dressed & sit down to explain. Both boys decided to see if you could fill a water gun with pee. Then undecided on how to then rid the gun of pee got the brilliant idea to take turns shooting each other with it. I know. I know.

You're welcome.

Report Cards

As a student that struggled with grades, especially Math, I have looked at the report card as more of an ongoing progress chart. That's not to say I have no expectations. I expect each child to perform within their spectrum. No conduct issues are acceptable.

Reagan has maintained a steady stream of S's. Which is Satisfactory. Meaning great for 1st grade. Reid has struggled with Math & Science. Boy can I relate. Tutoring has helped & so now we have all 80-100's with our math grade being the best improvement. Going from a 65 to a 90!! I know how hard he worked for that 90 so it means more to us. Going in early everyday for 6 weeks paid off well. Reid is proud of himself too which is the most important thing.

Reagan is the Student of the Week at school. Which means we made a huge poster outlining his interests & fun facts. He gets special attention from his friends & teacher. I get to read his favorite books to his class & he will get an awesome crown made of cardboard. Yay!! So all in all a great week for the Howard clan.

Normal

"There's a new kid on our bus Mom, and he sits by me." Great, I thought while I listened to Reid describe this child. He seemed like a very nice young man. Every day after that Reid came home to tell me something else he'd learned about his friend on the bus ride to & from school. He was in a car wreck, his brother is still in the hospital, his Mom is in jail, his Mom was driving drunk & caused a wreck that almost killed his younger brother, he lives w/ a new foster family. The story kept getting worse as the week went on.

I talked to Reid about it & of course he had a ton of questions. I checked on the family to ask if they needed anything since they are indeed a foster family & had just inherited a couple of boys. They said they were OK & were actually happy that their new "son" was talking to someone since he says nothing at home. The stories this child says are true & so much worse. After 2 weeks this child had unloaded all of his burdens & was finally able to talk about something else.

After learning what foster care meant Reid was sad he may one day lose his new friend. He asked me one night if we could ever adopt his friend & his brother, like The Blindside movie. I explained life isn't like a movie. There are laws, rules & circumstances beyond our control. I told Reid that God had chosen this certain foster home, this bus & him to help this child heal. To listen, learn & be grateful. Saturday when I looked outside Reid was playing with this child & they were both so happy. So normal. I said a silent prayer that this precious child get as much "normal" as possible.

Holidaze

Every year it's the same thing. I can't wait for the holidays & begin the countdown after Halloween. Then it gets here & passes in a blur of parties, presents, shopping & eating. Of course with 3 kids everything is a blur but you get the point. This year we're waiting on 2 babies to grace our large family, Keith is finally home for good & the boys are all healthy. I truly couldn't ask for more, so I won't.

One flu over the cuckoos nest..

The flu hit us hard this week. Reid had to go to the hospital for fluids & a little rest. His temp reaching 106.1 was scary for all involved. The body does some strange things to compensate at that temp. Anyway, Reagan was next. His fever was never that high but he joined his brother in violating the poor toilet/sink. Forced to do double duty while the other sibling was occupying the toilet, our sink has been scrubbed & sanitized to the max. Laundry has also doubled since towels, clothes & blankets are in high demand when kids are sick. Being forced to stay inside has made me a little loopy. I was talking about cabin fever & Rowan ran to me & touched his little hand to my forehead & exclaimed "Your cabin fever is really high Momma. You should go to the Doctor." **Sigh**. Good thing kids are cute...

That which does not kill me...makes me really fun to live with.
**Glad my hubby was home & could help.

Friday Fill-ins

1. He was a turkey this morning..(Reagan).

2. October is what I look forward to most this time of year.

3. My best friend is new.

4. I promise to be honest with you.

5. Appearances can be totally accurate.

6. The last person I gave a hug to was Reid & Reagan @ the bus stop.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to burgers- Martha style, tomorrow my plans include family and Sunday I want to get ready for the week.

Reid

I knew I had a strong emotional tie w/ Reid. If he's sad I know it, if he's having a bad day I can feel it. Most mothers have this w/ their children, it's nothing special. But when you have a child like Reid it comes in handy. He's been "fine" on the outside. Made a new friend, happy about school & got new clothes for school. But last night as I was about to get in bed I had a strange feeling I needed to talk to him. It was overwhelming actually. He was already coming to my room. He layed in my bed & just poured his little heart out. He's sad & doesn't know why. He told me he's grateful for everything he has but his brain tells him to be sad & mad. He tries to feel different but he just can't anymore. It gives him a headache. His medicine for Asperger to control his tics & his other meds to stabilize his mood can cause depression so we're making a Dr. appointment to change those. I'm so happy he felt he could talk to me & let me know how he is feeling. I'm always proud of him but last night he proved to me again just what an amazing kid he is.