The Pace is Changing

...and I'm liking it.  I am noticing that we are on the path to becoming a "normal" family little by little.  We still have close to a year (likely) of fostering, but we will be inching closer to normalcy along the way as the various cases come to a close.  Our first taste of making progress was Thing 1 and Pokey Puppy's visits coming to an end, giving us two weekdays without having to get kids across town at a certain time.  That was very freeing.  Very.  By the middle of next month, Sir Smiles' case should similarly change, if not even sooner.  That will mean The Baby will be the only one with visits.  To not have daily fostering requirements will be crazy great.  Crazy.  Can you tell I'm a little burned out from getting kids to visits 5 days a week for 10 months and often 4-6 days a week for two years before that?  I am craving a new normal.  

The Middles (Zade, Cassia, Poky Puppy, Thing 1) had their last day of preschool on Friday, so we are also done with the school schedule for the summer.  You school families who keep that schedule daily for your kids' entire childhoods are amazing!  I've had too many years living without that sort of schedule, and I've become a lazy slug, I guess.  I prefer not having somewhere to be every single morning.  Pajamas are meant to be worn for an extended time now and then, by golly!  I'd rather make lunch at lunchtime, for heaven's sake.  Yep, I'm a freak like that.  

We also have a little one (Sir Smiles) who turns 2 this week.  That frees us from having to have three adults around to care for the kids during their waking hours.  We will be back down to two, meaning we can have time with just Jon, I, and the kids.  Heaven.  I am an introvert.  I am a homebody.  I am now someone who has gone for more than 5 months with caregivers in my home every single day.  There has been no chance to just be us.  The caregivers are amazing and very helpful, but there is something beautiful about getting time to just be ourselves.  Brishen turns 16 in September, and that will bring us even closer to normalcy, because he will count as a caregiver any time he is home.  That will mean we can hire help when we actually need it and not all day, every day.  

In all these ways we are inching toward a calmer, quieter, saner life.  I can just feel it.  We were in the pool this afternoon, and I got to thinking that lots of our summer will likely be spent in that pool.  I won't be able to hear the phone ring.  I won't be able to fold laundry.  I won't be able to cook or clean or stress about much of anything.  I will be in an alternate reality where my kids are having a blast, I am cooling off from the heat, and life is good and slow and quiet and normal.  The pressures of everything else will have to wait because I can't get anything else done while we are in the pool.  We just have to...be.  Glorious!

These are some recent pictures that are little ways that we are starting to just...be.

Brishen is teaching Thing 1 how to play Chess.  It's slow going, but Thing 1 was on top of the world from having big brother to himself for such a grown up game.

It's hard to get The Baby to not drink the pool water.  He loves splashing and drinking.  I'd like to figure out how those people get babies to swim, but I'm too lazy to check out the YouTube videos.  Oh, well.  He'll figure it out eventually.

Basia used to have to swim by herself quite often.  Now she has siblings who are old enough to beg to join her all the time.  She likes that.  Brishen is still her favorite pool mate, though.

Jon even gets to join us in the water once or twice a week.  He hopes to get off work a wee bit earlier this summer, so he can get some time with the family in the pool.

The kids had a blast opening a box of Jon's old toys that Grandma sent.  I even had to explain who these raisins were to our caregivers.  Even our caregivers are too young to know the California Raisins.  Sheesh!

I am in the slow process of converting out play room and parts of our living room to include more activities that will encourage slower, calmer, more focused play.  I won't lie and say we haven't had some messes from this one, but it has been a big hit. 

With everyone!

This is us trying to keep the kittens from being eaten by Charlie.  The (dumb) momma cat brought her kittens into our back yard to live in a bush.  That same bush is where Charlie previously devoured three kittens.  My kids caught each kitten and returned them to our safe front yard.  The momma cat then took each kitten back to the dangerous back yard.  This was not fun.  Having seen Charlie shake a tiny kitten to death previously is not something I want to relive.  We finally got he momma cat to agree to keep them in the side yard, but we have to try to keep Charlie away.  It has been working so far.  

I.  Don't.  Want.  Any.  More.  Pets.  

Take your babies to some other neighbor's territory!!  We've seen them.  They're cute.  Enough, already!

The pool.  The water table.  Water play at the kitchen table.  Tea parties.  We are enjoying our water these days.

This little guy could leave us any day.  This tower that he built by himself represents how very far he has come in his time with us.  He has done amazing things, and I will always remember his pride at having built this tower all by himself.  You've come a long way, baby!!