416 + 312 Weeks

This week has been a little up and down.  On Friday we attended a winter solstice event that the kids were so excited about.  We made beautiful lanterns and the kids loved the project - in fact, they said it was their favourite craft project to date.  The solstice event was an evening gathering and spiral walk at the Aboriginal cave that we like to visit.  The kids were totally hyped up to go, but when we got there, there were too many people and I just knew that Arley wouldn't handle it well.  It was extremely dark unless you were in the cave, which was lit up beautifully by candles, and there were three fires: a social fire, a fire for the spiral, and a fire for cooking.  But all of the kids were playing out in the darkness in the bush, which seemed a little like madness to me.  Either way, Carmie and Arley weren't really included in the play.  For some reason, this always happens.  One on one, or one on two, they get along great with their friends, but where there is a bigger group of their friends, Carmie and Arley are sadly largely ignored, and they just don't know how to fit in.  Arley is younger than most of them, and Carmie is really shy when it comes to joining in their play.  It is really heartbreaking to watch.  Carmie wondered off into the bush alone with a lantern, and I found her crying in the dark because she had no one to play with.  Then Arley started getting angry at me because the kids wouldn't play with him.  He was yelling at me trying to get me to make them play with him, but I didn't want him playing hide and seek with them out in the pitch dark, because he has been playing a 'game' lately where he has been spontaneously hiding from me and being really quiet when I call him, which of course makes me panic.  And then all of the people there, the darkness, the story time - he just couldn't handle it.  We stayed a little over an hour, walked the spiral early and very quickly, and got out of there.  It is a shame, because the cave looked so beautiful, but stumbling around a bunch of strangers wasn't his thing.  He had a meltdown all the way home, and it continued once we got home.  Carmie was sad that her friends didn't play with her.  So, I guess, for us the event was a small disaster.  It makes me realise that shaking up the kids' routine and doing something in large groups just isn't for us.  

The next morning Arley was still combative, so we got the kids out to Collers Beach.  He is into smashing shells with rocks at the moment (delightful!), and a beach walk often helps to centre him and calm him down.  We spent a few hours at the beach, and it seemed to work.  Arley came home much calmer, thankfully.  It was good that we got out, because it rained solidly for almost two days after that.  This meant that horse riding was postponed until Tuesday, but it also meant that we set off for the library on Monday, which we love to do on a rainy day.  We lounge around looking at books, the kids choose about 30 books to borrow, and then we haul them to the library cafe and spend another good hour reading books over lunch.  Two ladies came over to see what the kids were reading, and one little old lady commended me on raising them right when she saw how Arley could read.  It certainly felt good to hear it.  The kids might be different from other kids, but I think they are pretty incredible.

So the kids had horse riding on Tuesday as well as today.  They are both doing so well, it's a pleasure to watch.  It's easily their favourite activity, and I don't even mind the cold when I sit outside to watch them :)

Yesterday we met up with a family at Narrawallee park so the mother could ask me about homeschooling.  Her kids were gorgeous, but I think they will be staying in school.  We did however make new friends and plan on meeting up with them again.

The kids are terribly excited about their birthday next week and their party on Sunday.  It is a constant topic of conversation and a countdown every morning.  There will be eleven kids in all at their party, and we are going to Flip Out, the trampoline place in Nowra.  I'm a little nervous because it is a large group, and Arley is going to be off the charts excited, but hoping that all of the jumping will keep everyone entertained as well as get their energy out.  Fingers crossed that we all survive Sunday :)

More videos of the kids horse riding:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDP_7rraCqI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQYeH-87b8A

Testing out their beautiful lanterns

At the winter solstice before it got hectic

Collers Beach

Thanks for the presents, Pop :)

Rainy day at the library and cafe

Little geeks :)

At Narrawallee

415 + 311 Weeks

We've had another fairly calm week, with only two difficult Arley instances, and I wasn't even around for one of them.  The kids were at Mollymook park with their carer Wes, and Arley got a bit physical with Carmie and he got into trouble.  A fifteen minute meltdown ensued.  It was probably so bad because I wasn't there to help him through it, and now he doesn't want to play with Wes ever again.  We are still going to try though, because playing with Wes is so good for him.  We had an OT session today, after having no therapy for five weeks, and our OT says the difference in Arley is huge.  She said he is calmer, and played with her instead of next to her, he shared ideas with her and built something with her.  This is all a really big step, so I was so happy to hear it.  It's not just my imagination that Arley is doing so well.  We have noticed a big change in him.  His whole body seems calmer.  He is going through a really bad phase where he won't share anything with Carmie, and he is really possessive about his belongings, but I think I know how to deal with that, so I'm on it.

On Friday of last week we took the kids and Bella to Collers Beach again (we tried but failed to find more ants for our ant house).  We have never seen the tide lower, and it was so beautiful.  There were so many rock pools to explore, and we were walking on what is usually the sea bed.  We found a ton of fossils (but no ants!) and it was really peaceful.  We were the only ones out there.

The weather has finally become really cold, so we have spent a fair bit of time inside.  Arley has gotten very into making inventions and concoctions in the kitchen.  The kids have been making these disgusting drinks and trying to get us to taste them (no chance), and Arley always wants to make food these days, but he tries very odd things, like melting potatoes to put on cookies...needless to say, that recipe didn't work!

I accidentally knocked Carmie's tooth out one night while I was tickling her, so that is the third tooth to be knocked out of her head.  There was tons of blood, and when I was cleaning the tooth I accidentally washed it down the drain.  Bad mummy!!

The kids had their two horse riding lessons this week.  They are really the highlight of our week.  Carmie surprised us all by accidentally cantering over a jump.  Milea was yelling, "Trot!  Trot!  Trot!" but as Carmie got closer to the jump, she ran out of time to slow her canter to a trot, and she soared over the jump.  We were all surprised, and laughed with relief when she didn't fall off.  Today she asked Milea if she could canter over all her jumps from now on!  Of course I didn't get it on video.

I took the kids to Batemans Bay this week, to go to the indoor playhouse, as it was raining.  Little did we know the playhouse is closed on Mondays.  Arley cried, as that was his reward for completing his writing book (he chose to do the book, and chose his own reward, so I was all for it).  We ended up staying down there and seeing the movie Pokemon Detective Pikachu, and then going to the mall. Carmie said the day was even better than going to the playhouse, so it turned out alright in the end.  I remember a time when there was no way I would have taken the kids to a movie by myself, let alone all the way to Batemans Bay, and to the mall as well as the movies, all without incident.  Things are definitely looking up :)

Carmie at it again:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UHWqfIOHHc

Beautiful Collers Beach at low tide

Mollymook park

Missing tooth!

Bear and his pet fly

Experimenting with making his own chocolate freckles

Sitting on Rocky

 Posting a letter to Jemma

414 + 310 Weeks

I just sat down to write this blog and began to think about our past week, but my mind went completely blank.  I could not think of a single thing that we did.  Then I scanned through the photos, and realised we did so much!  The weather has been amazing, not like winter at all, so we have been making the most of it.

On Friday we took the kids for a play at Narrawallee park.  It was surprisingly crowded for a Friday, and then we figured out it was because there was a mother's group there and the park was crowded with little kids.  This made Arley quite unsettled and out of sorts, so we just had a short play, and then I walked the kids to the headland.  Once there he calmed right down, watched the ocean, climbed the rocks and collected shells.  It is so beautiful out there, I think the angriest person would find peace.

On Saturday the kids went to their friend Dusty's birthday party, which was held at Funland.  The kids had a blast, but Funland always gets Arley amped up and overstimulated.  He came home out of sorts again, but I think he thought it was worth it because of the fun he had at the party :)

Sunday was the warmest winter day ever, so we took the kids to Collers Beach so Bella could have a run around.  All the surfers had come out to play, because the waves were amazing, so we sat and watched them for ages.  We then walked across the beach and around the headland to go fossiling, and we found five fossils!  We also started collecting ants, because last week the kids and I built an ant house that they got for Christmas.  It turns out that collecting ants isn't the easiest thing to do!  Jeffrey and I finally got our technique down, and captured seven ants.  We actually got more, but I accidentally killed some of them.  So now we have a few pet ants.  They're not quite the kittens the kids are longing for, but they are pretty fun to watch.  We are supposed to have about thirty ants for our ant house, so tomorrow we are going on another 'antventure'.

Monday was a public holiday, so I took the kids bowling with their friend Aska (who used to be a homeschooler but sadly started school this term), and their other friend Yenje.  Carmie actually won, which is a huge turn around from the last time we went bowling and she lost.  We had horse riding on Tuesday of this week, and the kids were fantastic.  They have started jumping, and they are doing so well.  Right after horse riding we raced off to meet some friends at the aboriginal cave at Burrill.  We had the best day.  We had a fire going, the kids roasted apples, painted with ochre paint that they made themselves, and made up all of these amazing imaginary games.  They explored the bush and played with fire and reconnected with friends they hadn't seen in a while.  Carmie also scared the life out of me by climbing this very high tree trunk.  I made her come down quick smart, but not before I got a photo :)

The kids had a joint horse riding lesson this morning, and they left all smiles.  We had a great day afterwards, watching tv and a documentary, playing Sushi go with Jeffrey after dinner, and Arley wrapped up presents for all of us and gave them to us.  I got a $2 coin, he gave Carmie his toy dagger, and he gave his dad a juggling ball.  Today was a calm and happy day which was a great ending to a busy and happy week.

Here is a video of Carmie and Rocky jumping:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDWxuB153tg

And a video that Milea, the kids' horse riding instructor, took of the kids this morning:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlGE1vI7Wkk

 At Narrawallee

The scariest kangaroo ever

 Dusty's birthday party

 Collers Beach

 Bowling with friends

 At the cave

 Can you spot Carmie up there?

 This morning's lesson