Ground Zero

While I've never read any research specifically supporting this, some people say that you have to spend as much time OUT of trauma as you did IN the trauma to really begin to heal.

If this is the case, this week marks that turning point for Speed.

We've done it, Buddy. We've made it to Ground Zero. Can't wait to see where you go from here.

Speed is SEVEN!

(or will be in a couple hours, at least)

We celebrated Speed today in our cul-de-sac. We pulled every single item with wheels out of our garage, had some friends come over, beat up a mummy pinata, and wrapped each other up in toilet paper as mummies. Speed chose a lemon cake and hot cheetos as a snack. His gifts were reflective of him getting older....pokemon, legos, chapter books. Tomorrow, he will celebrate with his class in the morning and by trick or treating in the evening.

Things to love about Speed as a 6 year old:

Speed is a fashion guy. Only his sense of fashion is really very different from anyone else's. Today, he came downstairs dressed for his party in a striped shirt and plaid shorts. Most days, he wears athletic shorts and a t-shirt, which one would think one could not UNmatch, but ooohhhh trust me, you can.

Speed is straddling that point in time where a kid gives up the little kid stuff and trades it in for the big kid toys. We can still play hairdresser and baby dolls and Little People with him from time to time, but a lot of days he'd rather be drawing or throwing a ball or building with legos.

I'm hopeful that I will be able to say this every year (because I've said it every year for the past 3): Speed is the BEST HELPER in the world. He and Sunshine often assure me that when they are old enough, they will let me lay on the couch while they do everything for me. He is my trash and recycling guy, folds and puts away his own laundry, helps unload and load the dishwasher and CANNOT wait for the day when I let him vacuum.

Any trouble Speed gets in at school is because he is too social. And I will take this fact over the other reasons you could get in trouble (or have before) any day. Speed has a couple best friends, but he is friends to everyone at school.

Speed prides himself in all the sporty things he has learned in the past year. His favorite things may be that he can ride his bike (briefly) with no hands and that he can stand like a flamingo on  his scooter while it's moving.

So grateful to watch this boy grow.

I love you, Buddy. Happy Birthday!

Nearing a Decade

Today marks nine years since I got my fostering license and we have decided to gear up to start again. Technically, we could start as of today but I want to finish a couple things first (1. getting a couple more people background checked/strengthening our village and 2. having a guest in town without an FBI check (she'd pass, don't worry...it's just more effort that I plan on spending).

The need for foster homes is so great. It's in the news regularly and is hard to ignore.

So we will open our doors again after Thanksgiving. A big part of me was ready to stop because I thought the kids wouldn't be on board. But they brought it up. More than once. The compassion in their hearts will always amaze me.

Working with Mommy

Chickadee, to a woman in the restroom at church yesterday:

"Hey, you know what?"
-What?
"My mommy comes to school with me. She works there."
-Oh, I bet that's nice.
"Uh-huh. She's like the principal, only she only does the speech therapy part."

Exactly.

A Vegetarian in the Making

Sunshine, last night, while chewing on a drumstick:

"Mommy? Was this chicken dead or alive when you cooked it?"
-It was dead.
"Did it die because it was sick and old or did someone kill it so we could eat it?"
-Someone killed it so we could eat it.
"That must not have been very fun for the chicken...."

Worth a Shot

Speed and Sunshine lost teeth yesterday within minutes of each other. Speed has embraced the tooth fairy, but only if she stays by the front door. His tooth was placed on a window sill right by the door. Sunshine (who shares a room with Speed) insists that her tooth goes on the bed. However, last night she put it waaaaaay on the other side of the top bunk where the tooth fairy couldn't reach it (unless the tooth fairy got a chair...which she tried...but then someone stirred and she flew quickly away).

Speed woke today to find a tooth gone and money in its place. Sunshine woke to find money and...her tooth still waaaaaay on the other side of the bunk.

Tonight, as she was climbing into bed, she grabbed her tooth off the dresser, put it under her pillow and said: Let's see if the fairy comes again and I can make some more money!

Nevermind Hobbies

I decided to pack up all of my quilting supplies yesterday. The blocks I was working on on May 9, 2013 are exactly where they were almost 3 1/2 years ago.

Sunshine asked what I was doing. "Oh, just packing this stuff up because I really don't have time to do it right now."

Her response: "Well, maybe when we are much bigger and don't hang out with you and you are all by yourself all the time, you will have time to do that."

Um, no thank you. That doesn't sound like a fair trade to me.