Gratitude Friday...

Hey, good news.  Rhys still lives with us.

It was touch and go there for a while.  Like all of Wednesday.  

When I got to school to pick him up, he decided, no, thank you very much, I'd rather stay at school, if you don't mind.

Well, I didn't mind.  But the teachers seemed less than thrilled with the idea.

During the "discussion" about whether or not he would be coming home with me, he added a new phrase to his already FABULOUS threenager vocabulary.  

As a reminder, his favorite fit-throwing phrases are, in random order:

1)  I JUST WANT TO LEAVE THIS HOUSE!  (see also, I DON'T WANT TO LIVE HERE ANYMORE! and I WANT TO GET OUT OF HERE!)

2)  NO!  I DON'T WANT TO!

He rounded out those adding a third favorite, "YOU'RE HURTING ME!"

Good stuff right there.

And when said while I'm attempting to carry him out of the preschool across a crowded parking lot of TRULY SYMPATHETIC mommas (sarcasm font), well, it's a miracle CPS wasn't called.

Let's not discuss the fact that any amount of pain I was inflicting upon him was because I was trying to carry him like a sack of potatoes and/or a football.  Because he refused to walk or be carried like a normal three year old.

AS IF THAT'S A THING.

Normal three year olds, that is.

He did some hitting and plenty of kicking of the back of my chair in the car.  I, being the responsible parent, opted to turn the music up as loud as I could stand it so as not to hear him screaming at me.

For the entire seven minute drive between the kids' schools, I kept repeating, "I will not get on the crazy train with him...I will not get on the crazy train with him...I WILL NOT get on the crazy train with him..."

Once we got inside AK's school (which wasn't an easy task, mind you), he selected a new tactic and simply flung himself on the ground.  In the middle of the hallway.  Not AT ALL in anyone's way.

We went to the bathroom because, honestly, I needed to go before we drove all the way around the metro-plex until he feel asleep.  He didn't want to stay in the bathroom with me and it seemed likely he could take off if not watched, so I had to restrain him.  

And pee.

Are there awards for that?????  

He just LOVED it.

After I was done, he decided to let off some steam by hitting the metal bathroom stall doors, oh, and the wall.  Really, I'm not sure how he didn't hurt himself.  

I left him in the stall to do as much damage to himself as he could stand.  And to check on AK who was unfortunately serving as a witness to this fit.  

Surprisingly, she wasn't crying.  We washed our hands side-by-side like the threenager wasn't kicking the wall.  

The Academy would have been impressed.

Then the scenario from his school repeated itself as I attempted to get us out of the school, through the parking lot and into the car.  

"YOU'RE HURTING ME!"

Not yet, dude, but give me time.

(Kidding.)

(Kinda.)

After round two of Wrestle Mania to get the threenager buckled into his car seat, we headed off for an afternoon of driving.

He lasted 15 minutes before he was out cold.

AK and I got a CFA frosted lemonade and enjoyed the silence.  

But in case you were thinking the nap solved the problems, let me just crush those dreams.

He woke up at 3:00 ish and proceeded to cry until 4:30 pm.  When he decided to play with AK.  Only that ended with them fighting and both in tears.  So we loaded up the car again and drove some more.

Chris skipped some sort of concert and came home to help.  

Because I don't send up a flag of surrender often but when I do, it's serious.

Chris was fortunate to be here for Rhys to poop in the bathtub.  He was ecstatic.

Yesterday was a much improved day.  But let's just be honest here and say, anything would have been an improvement.  Today though, he, again, did not feel like leaving school was something he was interested in.

There was no screaming today.  But I did have to physically wrestle him out of school.  

When we got home, he went straight to the playroom and pulled all the bins off the shelves and dumped all the contents out.  

I had to threaten him with throwing every single bit of it in the trash if he did not pick it up.

ALL OF IT.

Took him 15 minutes or so but he did it.  

Then we went to the park where he scraped his finger on the slide.  I had to carry him home.  But thankfully, a little neosporen and a band aid and it looks like we'll be able to save the finger from what seemed like almost certain amputation.

Often, at the end of the day, I find myself completely drained.  Almost unable to think a coherent thought.  And I wonder WHY.  It seems crazy little people are able to turn my brain into mush every.single.day.  But they do.

Maybe it's a game.  Something they whisper about.  

Regardless, I am spent.

Although, I'm gonna have to get over it.  Since there is still another load of bedding to wash.  Because sometimes the five year old takes her pull-up off in the middle of the night WITHOUT REALIZING IT and I get to do three loads of laundry the next day.

But...BUT...when we got back from the almost catastrophic park excursion, there was an Amazon box on my porch.  I almost didn't open it because it's near the holidays and it's possible I ordered something for the kids and totally forgot about it.

(See previous statement on brain being mush)

Curiosity got the best of me though.  Inside was SIX bags of Pamela's Chocolate Chip Cookies.

And a note from a sweet friend saying she thought I needed a treat.

SIX BAGS.

This was an expensive happy she sent me.

In the midst of a crazy week when my heart has been so broken, both for my own son, who is going through such a hard time learning how to be a human, and for the children in other parts of the world living in fear and uncertainty, that package was such a love note to my heart.

Y'all.  What if instead of spending time posting and protesting and complaining and contemplating what might never be, we simply did something kind for someone else?  

I had the opportunity to do that this week.  And my friend did that for me.

Kindness.  Love.  Sympathy.

That is the stuff.  

Thank you, Lord, for both the chances to give and the opportunity to receive.  All goodness comes from you.  And I acknowledge and thank you for it.