Here's a list, in no particular order, of the notable and mundane in the last six months at The P-Pod. Some will require an entire post to fully appreciate, but I will have to get to that later.
1. Sadie loves bubble baths. Actually, both kids do, so we frequently fill the kiddie pool in the backyard with bubbles and the kids take their evening baths outside. Oh, the joys of summer. As can be seen above, Sadie still fits in a utility sink and that is often where we launder her.
2. Last January, Benjamin turned five. I can't believe I haven't posted any photos from his party.
3. Last February, Sadie turned two. No photos up yet. Ack.
4. During Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve we were able to get up to the Sierras for some hiking and sledding. At one point there were four adults and seven kids. Maks and Tati had not been sledding like that before. We hiked to the bottom of a drained reservoir - an awe-inspiring experience!
5. Maks and Tati were reunified with their father after a year in our home. We were sad to say goodbye, but happy that the family had stabilized.
6. Benjamin has decided that girls can't be cool. He also doesn't like to do girl things or use girl colors. I am not sure who taught him that, and I especially can't believe that my showing him videos of female race car drivers (surviving crashes, no less!), stunt motorcyclists, and rock stars has not altered this perception.
7. Benjamin appears to have some dancing ability. Maybe it falls under the category of modern dance, but it's there.
8. Two days after our foster kiddos moved out, we got on a plane bound for Ohio. We spent two weeks visiting Brent's family in the Cleveland area and Benjamin's biological families in Upstate NY. It was lovely. (Not easy...but lovely.)
9. Shortly thereafter, we went camping in Big Bear with some friends.
10. And in between those trips, my sister had a baby! Welcome to the world Caleb Nathaniel Vandewarker! (The name is on par with Benjamin Anwel Petrencsik. I approve.)
11. I've been learning a lot about Sensory Processing Disorder and how Benjamin has several of the symptoms. This is part of what has made his behavior challenging and why a lot of adults don't know what to do with him if he begins a meltdown. He is mildly affected, but he can be very challenging. Because of all that I've learned and the empathy I have for parents with kids who require more than the usual amount of stamina to parent, I am starting a parent support group. Parents who are attending have children who are difficult for all kinds of different reasons, but there are many commonalities in our experiences. It's just launching, so I will share more on that later.
12. Sadie will be going to preschool two days a week. Hooray! She needs more stimulation than I am able to provide. She is extremely social, active, smart and wholly committed to displaying the typical characteristics of being two.
13. Benjamin is going to be a KINDERGARTENER. Oh, I both wipe a tear from my eye and dance a mini jig. He is going to love learning. He will thrive in the structured environment. But I am sad that this sweet time of littleness is coming to an end. He is already excited about his school uniforms and the arrival of his big boy backpack.
14. Maybe our house will have less shrieking in it when school starts. I tell you, the heckling that Benjamin does combined with Sadie's angry screams...
15. Outside of the heckling and squawking, our family is feeling more like a unit these days. I have had to really work on re-bonding with the kids after the fostering situation was over. We were all stretched and it was good for us. God's hand was in all of it, even the really difficult parts. And now we are recuperating. We haven't done much this summer (probably part of the reason the kids are presently coming out of their skin) but that was the point - I needed to reestablish some routines, some slowness, some time for tender moments and books being read and lazy mornings. We are now all ready to move on to what fall and the commencement of school have to offer. It is good.
16. Some time in the past year I started saying no to writing and editing assignments. I could not find the time to keep working on those projects. I am planning to ease back in, but I have deeply needed this time of rest so it may be a while before I am back in the groove.
17. I still have not painted my front doors, but I anticipate having more time once school starts. There are loads of house projects that need attention.
18. We finally hired a gopher service to free our yard from the tyranny of the rodent. In an act of serendipity, our neighbor (whose untended yard is the hub of the kingdom) decided to get gopher service, too! I am beyond excited - I will be able to have a winter garden this year.
19. In typical Jessica fashion, I just discovered a pile of sealed and stamped envelopes: thank you cards for Christmas and birthday gifts...all from December through February. Ahem. Perhaps I will get them in the mail this week. I wouldn't hold your breath.
And...that's the end. (For now!)