Snow. A lot of it. Again.

Sunday into Monday we got around 10 inches of snow overnight. And, while still pretty, it meant an early wake up call from my school to tell me that we would be having a snow day. Yet again. I have lost count of how many we have to make up now. And while I am ALWAYS a fan of sleeping in and having an extra day to spend with the kids, I am NOT a fan of making these fun days up when it is summer. And hot. And the kids will be REALLY whinny by then.

Monday morning started with Mat and our wonderful neighbor plowing our driveway and our shared driveway. By the time they had gotten outside, the snow had stopped. Mat's plan was to go on to work once we were shoveled out. This plan would have worked except there is a part of our shared driveway that doesn't belong to us or our neighbor and it was never plowed. So we were stuck. If we had a car with 4 wheel drive, we would have been okay. But we don't. So, Mat had a snow day from work as well! Arlington went outside with Mat to help shovel. Here she is doing her part.

You can't see her shovel, but it is her shovel she has for gardening. It was a good thought, but she quickly found out that shoveling snow was real work, and she chose to lie in the snow instead. I am with her. Why shovel when you can make snow angels and snow balls??

Here is Mat doing some standing around shoveling

After the shoveling was completed by the adults, she and Mat took a walk to check out the rest of the neighborhood. The found her friend “K” and her dad and brother playing outside and they invited Arlington to play as well! Arlington was so excited to be able to play with friends today. They played outside and then “K's” family invited Arlington to have lunch and spend some time at their house. Thanks so much, you guys, for that. Arlington had a great time!!

The babies and I played inside on Monday doing puzzles and potty training, and coloring, and potty training, and having snacks, and potty training....... Cainan didn't have a single accident this day! Mat was in charge of Cainan and he did really great! Not that I am expecting a miracle but we will count this day as a success. Finley continues to do great. They did miss their sister in the morning. Arlington is definitely their leader and entertainer when it comes to that level of energy.

Finley still has a cold. It was worse on Monday than it was the whole weekend. She isn't running a fever or anything, thank goodness, but she was pretty miserable by Monday night. Hopefully she will keep it to herself.

Arlington spent the weekend doing art projects, writing little stories, and making pictures for Mat and I to hang in our office. That girl loves to do art. Here is a bracelet she and I made together:

It was fun to do this together. She loves beads. They were everywhere, though – kept shooting off the little pins on the bracelet. Arlington found this hysterical.

Arlington also wrote a few stories and put quotation marks around some of her “speech” parts of the story. I was pretty impressed. I had no idea that she new how to use quotation marks, or even that she knew what they were. I asked her where she learned that, and she said “they are in books, mom – when people talk”. She also read another book to me on Monday “I Wish I Had Duck Feet”. I had no idea she knew so many words. I have to say – for a girl who has always been in daycare, preschool, etc. who has two parents who work full time – she is doing fantastic. I do wish we had more time with her, but all that is important is that we use our time with her wisely. We don't push her too hard. We want her to be challenged, but not frustrated. It is a fine line to walk.

Mat and I were sitting with Cainan Monday night. We are realizing that our challenges with him are great and long term. We are not frustrated, but we are a little sad that Cainan must travel this hard road. We will always be with him – cheering him on. But we are hitting a wall in his comprehension and it is tough. His evaluation in April cannot come soon enough. I need to talk with them about all of the things we are seeing so we make sure our boy gets everything he needs. He is making progress. He can learn. BUT that learning growth is slow. Without knowing his birth history, his birth mother's history, and much of his orphanage history, we are shooting in the dark to what is causing his comprehension block. Maybe he just needs time. Maybe he will always need support in school. Whatever the answer – it is all okay. He is such a good boy. We don't have anyone to compare him too, though, and that makes it hard. Finley and Arlington are not typical kids for their age, so it makes it harder for us to know where Cainan should be at this point. So, this chapter is to be continued......

Today started out great with a two hour delay for school/work! That was a pretty awesome way to start the day. The kids and I had some extra time to get ready this morning before I sent them off to school. It was nice. When I dropped the kids off at school, the lead teacher had put a note in the babies' classroom and had put up a sign that said they had to make sure to take the kids who are potty training at least every 2 hours. Yay! PLUS in the bathroom I found a toilet training policy that recently went into place. I am glad I said something now. :)

Finley's preschool teacher made me laugh today. She has been spending part of her day in the 3 year old program because she is bored in the toddler classroom. Anyway, the preschool told me today that she was originally worried about moving Finley before she turned three because Finley is (and I quote) “a quiet, shy child.” Huh? She couldn't have been talking about my screaming mimi who tackles her 6 year old sisters without breaking a sweat. Finley is doing well in the preschool program, but this statement was too much! At least she is good at school. That is unreal a good thing.

So that is about it. No school stories to share with only 5 hours of work so far this week! This week starts our standardized tests, and my diabetic is a 3rd grader. We are nervous about him, but we have a plan in place in case trouble arises.

Have a great week and I will see you Saturday!!