Full House

We had a full house this weekend. Sarah had a friend spent the night on Friday so we grabbed a twin mattress of a spare bed and plopped it on the floor. Last night she had two friends spend the night so we grabbed another twin mattress off another extra bed and plopped that on the floor as well.

Any bets on how long those mattresses will stay on the floor?

They are from beds we have set up for foster kids. Naturally they sent us two little ones who need cribs. I had one crib already set up and just this last week I went ahead and bought another one. Now that I have two cribs I wonder if I will ever use both of them once these kids leave.

I was actually happy that we had to put those mattresses on the floor. I can't remember the last time Sarah had someone spend the night. Last night we dropped them off at the local movie theater. It was nice to have that feeling of normal for her.

This year she is having a good year after all the issues with bullying. Sad to say, there is mainly one thing different, Joselin isn't here. It keeps nagging on me that she was sabotaging Sarah in some way. Well, whatever the reason, I was happy to have a full house this weekend.

We also hit up the Greek Festival in Columbia this weekend. Big mistake. Not because of the kids but because of the crowds. There are no pictures because there is not much excitement in looking at the back of someones head. There wasn't room to move around. It was held at a local Greek church and the space was not big enough for the amount of people who came. Finally we just bought some food and took it to the car and left. No where to sit or even set a plate on. We won't be back next year.

Shopping, crowds and sleepovers, that pretty much describes our weekend. We didn't go to church because of Kiwi's MRSA, we didn't want to put her in a nursery.

Now I am off to do my reading for class tomorrow night. Mondays come fast.

Shopping

John had the pleasure of experiencing a shopping trip with the youngest 4 today. We had the baby and Larissa in the sit and stand and Kiwi in the actual shopping cart at Kohl's. Anthony actually got to push the shopping cart around a few times which he enjoyed and did well at.
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Our goal was a suit for John and a dress for myself. They had a great sale this weekend. We were shocked that John was able to find what he wanted in the size he wanted, that is unusual for him because he is a popular size. I even found myself a skirt and shirt but spent more on myself then I usually do. I even splurged and bought a purse to match.
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Uh, anyone hear of a muffin top. Hahahaha, I know what one is now and I have one, yuck. Hard to get rid of but hopefully with a little spandex I can minimize it. Amazing how much they charge for that little bit of spandex too.
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John did comment that we were getting more stares then usual. I don't know why, four kids 7 and under, but I guess we are a little old for such young ones. They all call us mom and dad so it is apparent that we aren't the grandparents.
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After the excitement of our shopping trip we had no interest in taking the kids out of the car until we got home so we ran through the drive through of Chik fil A. For some reason we were exhausted after that trip and both really wanted naps, we put the little ones down instead.
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I think that John has a little better understanding of why I will not take all the kids to Walmarts by myself!

Well, took my online quiz and started studying for my midterm on Thursday, now I really need to go to bed. Nite all.

My Baby is 5

Larissa is now 5. However, she will always be the baby of the family, like it or not.
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She was happy, the day was a success.
Checking the cake out.

I love the look on Sarah's face. She gets pleasure from seeing others happy.

Shh, don't tell her, a Craigslist buy in perfect condition. She has been wanting one but I thought that maybe she was too old for one. The weight limit is 80 lbs and the price was good so........

Blowing out the candles.

Trying to pull out the doll so we can eat.

You can see the layers in this picture. Yes, I used chocolate between layers. We are a chocolate family after all.

I hope that everyone has a great weekend. We are shopping today for John a suit, we have a wedding to go to in October and he can't quite fit into his old ones.

Making Cake - Done

Well, what do you think?

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First you put the 9" cake down, then the 8" on top, then the large bowl on that and then finally the small bowl. Don't forget to cut the center hole out of each layer.

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Stick a Barbie type doll in the center. This one has saran wrap around it up to the waist. In the past, I have taken the clothing off and given the Barbie a frosting top too.

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Decorate however you like. No two cakes are alike. This one has Larissa's name written on it in celebration of her new attempts to write her name (everywhere).

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Frosting is a great thing, it hides many imperfections.

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Sorry I did get any pictures of the layers, the babies were waking up and I needed to get it in the fridge.

Making Cake Part 1

I got the little ones down for a nap and realized that I needed to make Larissa's birthday cake for tomorrow. I use four different pans, two cake mixes. What I am making is a dress that flows outward as it goes down. This little bowl goes on the top. I bought this when I made my first Barbie cake for Tasha 16 years ago.

I guess this isn't really a Barbie cake, it should be called a Princess cake. Sometimes I take their clothing off and decorate the top, lately I have just gotten lazy and saran wrap the doll.
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I wasted 15 minutes looking for the doll. I thought I had hid it in my closet but couldn't find it. After searching in vain for awhile I remembered that I decided not to hide it in there because Larissa has learned that it is my hiding spot, I found it under my bathroom sink.
I put the largest layer on the bottom and cut out a small section so the doll can fit in.

Now I get to wait. I could only make one box because I had 5 eggs and needed six. Thankfully Jason is going to buy me some eggs. I hope the get the cake parts put together this afternoon and get it into the outside fridge. I will decorate it after Larissa is in bed.

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So, you will have to come back later to see the finished product.

School Troubles

I finally was able to reach Anthony's teacher this morning. The school phones have been out. He got two yellow marks this week so I wanted to check his progress.
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Well, he is slowly starting to have behavior problems. All along she has been having problems with him whenever he decides to be in a bad mood, then he is angry the entire day. He has started being disruptive in class. She asks him to be quiet and he starts to make strange noises. She says that he used to stop for her and now he doesn't.
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I asked her about how he is doing socially. She says that frequently he plays by himself. She has seen kids offer to play with him and he won't. He has problems with peers. He doesn't read them right. He thinks they are being mean if they accidentally bump into him but then when he is being bullied he doesn't recognize it. I know that he has been diagnosed bipolar but in so many ways I see high functioning aspergers.
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He has so many problems socially and his pragmatic speech scored at a 2 out of a possible 100 in his last speech evaluation. I am looking for another specialist to see him. It is hard to find good ones for 7 year olds. It is especially hard because when he is good he is really good, but when he is having an off day he is really off. I don't know when he will have a good day or have an off day.
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Well, just got a call from his teacher. He is not having a good day. Disruptive in testing and art.
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Wish me luck in finding someone who can help, I need it!

This 'n That

This week has gone fast, tomorrow I have class again. I have been more aware that time is flying and have been trying to keep up with my reading. I actually have a midterm test next week and then a 15 page paper with a powerpoint and 45 minute presentation two weeks after that. Uh, I really haven't done much for that yet but print up a few articles. I just realized that I need to get back with the district office with some paperwork. I started a process to observe classes then stopped right in the middle of it. I think that Larissa's IEP threw me off this week.
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Larissa really enjoyed her program today. She didn't seem to have any problems with keeping up with that all day program. However, she did go to bed earlier tonight.
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I am trying to get adjusted to the new schedule. In the morning I have to tote the little ones out to the car and strap them in, drop the kids off at three different schools and then come home and take both the kids out of their car seats and back into the house. At 1:45ish I take the kids back out to their car seats and go to Larissa's school. I then take them out of their car seats and go into the school to pick up Larissa. I take all the kids back out to the car and strap the kids in again and then head over to Anthony's school for pick up. Then when we get home I get to take the kids back out of their car seats.
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Does taking two little ones in and out of car seats count as exercise? I do have an issue with where Kiwi sits, it is hard for me to reach. I have Anthony and Larissa in the back row (Sarah too if John is home), then Kiwi and the baby in the middle row with one seat locked up so the kids in the back can get out for drop off. Kiwi sits in the middle row in the middle. It is hard to get to with the seat locked up. Larissa sits right behind where that seat is locked up so I can help her with her seat belt. Thankfully Anthony can do his own seat belt! I have to laugh, my biggest complaint about all these kids is having to tote them in and out of car seats. I have to be thankful that I have a car that fits all those car seats!
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Addictions....
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I have to admit that I have an addiction, I read numerous blogs. I have several that I follow on a daily basis. It is amazing how I can get emotional about someone else's life. One of the blogs I check in every day hoping to see the words "I got a call". They have been trying to adopt domestically for over two years. Two years of rejection is hard, it is even hard to watch someone go through. Well, this week they got that call. They received a baby boy. I was so happy for them I found myself tearing up.
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I have never had to deal with infertility issues. I have never lived with that pain and so can't say I know what they are going through. However, I am a very empathetic person and do understand the feeling of loss and see their pain. I think that adoption is a great option. From experience, I can say that I know that it is possible to love an adopted child as much as a biological child.
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I used to have another addiction, Farmville. I have realized that my farm has been severely neglected. Now I have a homestead on Frontierland. I imagine that will get neglected too. I just don't have time for those games anymore. However, I do find myself playing solitaire sometimes.
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So, fess up, what is your addiction?
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I am off to study.