A Nice Weekend...

My husband just finished up a 4 day weekend, and we really enjoyed having him home for a few days.  The Extreme Coaster is a real hit.  The kids spent hours on it over the weekend.  Even the rain did not keep them off it.  My dh angled it going down hill and the kids soar out about 20 feet.





Little Red Ridinghood sure does enjoy her new carriage.  She has given a ride to every doll and stuffed animal in the house.  It even runs well on sidewalks, so we went on a walk around the block a few times.



My poor big teen and dh took hours out of their Christmas Day to help Tom Sawyer make his new Bionicle.  It is huge.



My dear big teen can not wait to break into his very large chemistry set from the grandparents.  It looks like a lot of fun...as long as my house doesn't explode!

As if we didn't have enough excitement with Christmas, our dd turned 8 yesterday!!  Where do the years go? 




Well, after all that fun, it is time for us to get back to our routine.  If there is one thing these kids need, it is routine and structure.  My kids did better than ever before getting through so much change and excitement, but I want them to be able to leave it all on a happy note.  This way, they can feel good about themselves and we can ease back into our daily structure.  I am so impressed with our 8 year old dd.  Considering how difficult Christmas and her birthday usually is for her, she cruised through really well.  (Older adopted kids often have trouble with Christmas/birthdays, and with Goldilock's FASD issues, a lack/change of routine usually upsets her a great deal.)  Except for a few meltdowns in the last 3 days, she has pushed through with a good attitude.  A few years ago, we had to postpone her birthday for almost 3 weeks, while we tried to get her behavior under control.  Yes, improvements are being made all the time.  However, I can see that things are getting a bit slippery, so back to school we go.  Yes, we start school today! We will still celebrate New Year's Eve and make a gingerbread house, but otherwise back to the books.

I hope you all had a great holiday.

Blessings, Dawn