Getting back to normal

 One other thing that has helped me, and I think the kids too, feel like we are back to normal and in *our home* is cooking meals and sitting down together to eat.  Yesterday I made breakfast for the first time instead of just having them eat cold cereal, and cooked dinner.  Sarah loves to help me cook.  She usually chops up carrots, even if there are no carrots in the recipe, and then I'll let her stir whatever is cooking.  My life would be so sad without her.

 There are some fun/strange things about this house.  One of them is this fire pit in the backyard.  When the boys saw that for the first time, they decided this wasn't going to be so bad.   Noah especially was always asking to build a fire at our old house.  We never let him because of course there was nowhere to do something like that.  So I promised him that in this house he was going to get to build a fire on any night he wanted and roast marshmallows.  Right behind the kids other other side of that white fence is the park.  It's really nice to be able to just go through the gate and play at the park for a few minutes.

I had a good experience with this guy yesterday.  Ryan and I butt heads a lot.  I don't understand him and the feeling is mutual.  I have enjoyed watching him find himself a little this past year though.  He gets how smart he is now and sees that he can understand concepts that maybe are tough for others.  He takes pride in those things and it's helping his self esteem.  He falls back on those gifts when he has no friends that want to hang with him.  I'm really proud of who he is turning into.  (I just would like him to care about a few things more, like taking a shower.)  Anyway...  yesterday I get a call from his school, which happens on a regular basis.  The conversation always goes something like, "Mom?  I forgot my _______.  Could you bring it to me?"  This time it was the nose cone for his rocket that was due that day.  He totally forgot to DO it.  He was asking for me to bring him some duck tape so that he could throw it together quickly during class.  I couldn't find the duck tape, so I said, "Sorry, Bud!  You're going to have to get a 0!"  I was so angry because this happens so regularly.  Luckily, I was needing to run to the store right then though, and so I decided I could just pick some up and take it over to him and just hope he had enough time to do it.  They had GOLD tape, which I knew he'd be super excited about, and I felt so bad about getting upset at him and telling him I couldn't help him that I also picked him up a little treat and took them over to him at school.  Turns out his rocket did the best in the class during the launch.  I was so grateful that I had a chance to make that little argument as right as possible and at least let him know I do love him.  Sometimes I think I probably thinks I don't because I'm so hard on him about certain things.  I don't get him.  I don't know if I ever will understand why he won't just at least try to take my advice.  It's hard to show love to a kid that refuses to listen.  So I'm going to be grateful for these little opportunities to support him and give him things that get him excited.