The weather has been amazing for autumn, so we have been making the most of it. Jeffrey took the kids to the park in Milton on Saturday so I could get some work done, and on Sunday we set forth on the hike that we tried to do before Easter when I sprained my ankle. No accidents this time, and the hike was beautiful - less than ten minutes from home, amazing views, and we'd never been there before! It really is astounding where we live. On Tuesday Jeff and I took the kids to Dolphin Point for some easy exercise and exploring. It was the most beautiful day, and of course Carmie ended up swimming. We found a dead school shark on the beach, and Arley had no problems poking it and prodding it everywhere. We took magnifying glasses with us so the kids could explore the rock pools, and we taught them how to burn dry leaves with the sun's magnification. Hopefully they won't be setting our back yard on fire any time soon!
Poor Arley got sick on Monday with a bad cold. He was sick until Wednesday, and is still coughing. He has passed the cold on to Carmie, who was so sick today. We are hoping it clears quickly because we are heading up to Bowral tomorrow for a family get together. I took the kids to get their hair cut today, and Carmie had hers all chopped off! I couldn't believe she actually went through with it. She has so much head pain when she brushes her hair, because her head is ultra sensitive, so she just went for it and cut her hair short. It looks really cute, and it is going to be super easy to manage. I can't quite believe she did it though!
Little Arley has been missing his friend Jemma so much. He made her a card last week, and then on Sunday he begged me to take him to Target so he could buy her a unicorn with his pocket money. He was all set on buying her this $30 unicorn, but I put my foot down and found him a little stuffed toy unicorn to buy her instead. On Monday I took him to the post office so he could mail it off to her. He is such a sweet little guy sometimes!
Speaking of Arley, we had another session today with the behaviour specialist. We have been seeing her every two weeks for about eight months, and today she left saying she won't be back unless I call her, as we are done!! It is such a good feeling! Arley is much more manageable now, and so much happier. It has been hard work, but I really feel like he is such a success story, and I am so proud of him :)
It is really nice to feel on top of things. I still have a crazy amount of work to do, and I'm up all hours of the night doing it, but our family life has settled down so much, it all seems doable. It really feels like we have turned a corner. I'm sure there will be more battles in the future, but I'm going to enjoy this peace while it lasts!
Friday morning horse riding
