Can I replicate evenings like this?

Some nights are just so, relatively, smooth that I just want to replicate them.  The kids listened as I gave one of my speeches about school and studying and homework.  There were no excuses or arguing.  Everyone ate dinner well.  Not even a fight from Jaemin.  Such a calm evening.  If only it were like this all the time.  :)
Lisa

Our visitor is no longer with us

He found his cheese this morning.

Lisa

There's a new mouse in the house

It's not Chelsi or chwi (mouse in Korean).  It's a real, live mouse.  It's bound to happen when you live in the country...heck, I'm pretty sure if you have grass with some trees, it's bound to happen eventually.  But, I guess the boys left the basement door left open one too many times and one got in.  Brian saw it run across the basement floor tonight, so the kids and I were trying to catch it.  We failed....miserably!  It ended up under the entertainment center by the end of the night and we couldn't get it back out.  So there are several traps under there just waiting.   We'll try to get this little mouse out of our house.  We only have room for one mouse here.

Lisa

How do they process trauma?

It's impossible to know how little kids process trauma.  We don't even understand how we, as adults, process trauma sometimes.  I mean we're all different.  I really never expected this to affect Chelsi so much, but now I know it did.

Chelsi was 2 1/2 when Brian had his accident.  That was the last time I cut her fingernails.  She has chewed them every since.  I thought that may that's what she did out of being nervous and she just couldn't stop and the accident really never bothered her anymore, but I think it does.  More than she can explain.  The other morning at grandma's she announced that "daddy broke his neck the last time he played basketball".  How do you take this?  Is she associating sport with accidents?  I don't think so.  I guess you really just never know.  I do know that we're all still really dealing with the repercussions.  Especially, the two of us.  There is very seldom a day that goes by that something doesn't remind you that it happened.

While we're happy Brian could walk again, it's very apparent to us how much our lives have forever changed.  He and we will never be the same.  Part of it is good and part of it is just okay.  Part of it we're still just adjusting to, even 2 years later.  Trauma is not something you just go on and say 'oh well'.  It's a process.  A process to get through, not over.

Lisa

Finally found a way to get them closer.

I moved the living room furniture around a bit last night and the big part of the sectional is now off by itself with the chaise end.  They ALL want to be there.  Before this they'd all fight because the next person was just TOO close.  Now they don't seem to mind.  Go figure.  I thought no one would sit there.

Public Restrooms with Kids in Tow

I always just assumed it was bad manners to use a handicapped restroom stall, even when I had kids with me.  So, I always squeeze myself and them into the stall and try to help them out.  It's always very difficult.  Today, we made our 2nd trip back to Walmart.  Yes, second trip.  I needed to grocery shop and Brian's glasses were ready.  I had called yesterday to make sure there was no possibility of mine being ready this weekend and they assured me there wasn't.  So, Jaemin, Chelsi and I ventured to Walmart this morning.

This afternoon, I got a call that my glasses were ready.  Since I'm tired of struggling to read any small print or my computer screen I decided to go ahead and make a trip back in.  Brian and the other kids had to go to church and the littles and I have to go tomorrow for Sunday school, so I took Jaemin and Chelsi back in with me for my glasses.  Usually, if I have both of them I bring my Ergo carrier.  I can then get Chelsi in the cart and carry Jaemin with no problems shopping.  I wasn't going to do anything but grab my glasses and run, so I brought nothing.  We ran in through the pouring rain and right as we get to the Vision Center Chelsi finally tells me she needs to pee.  So we ran back to the restrooms and all I could think was how am I going to do this without putting Jaemin down.  I'm a germaphobe big time and it nasties me out to think he may fall on that floor and touch it.

We walked in and I saw the handicap stall door open.  Inside was this little seat attached to the wall with a harness for little ones to sit on.  No way!  So I strapped Jaemin on and helped Chelsi get the seat cover down and helped her on.  Then when we walked out there was a short little sink perfectly her height.  It made it SO much easier.  I now know it's okay to use this stall if you are in a similar situation and there are no handicapped people needing to use it.  There's no way we could have all fit in a regular one anyways.

Lisa

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Lisa