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:
Testing out their beautiful lanterns
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