Sydney is still out of school, week two of the two week break is underway, and I have to say, that little girl is quite willing to jump into Homeschooling if it lets her sleep til eight every morning. She IS, her mother's daughter. Her love of sleep is rivaled only by my own, I have taught her well. Anyway, today she went to see a Physical Therapist who is working with her on teaching her some relaxation techniques and some other muscle retraining techniques to encourage her body to start talking to her brain about stuff a little more and a little better. She did great, and though Eric and I were sort of looking at each other like: "Huh? Why are we here?" We saw potential value, and luckily, it worked out to be true. So as of right now, we believe that though the process will be long, we also believe that the end results will be in her favor.
To jump to Madison...today was a late start day at school. The Principal said that it was a Collaboration day for the teacher's...I think that is school-speak for having a catered breakfast and watching a fun movie with a teacher in it...though I wouldn't quote me on that, I have no true basis to go on here. I just know if I worked there, that is what I would need to motivate me to get up early on a Monday when I don't have students warming the seats in my classroom.
What this meant for us was that Madison didn't have to be to school until 10:05. Yep, that 5 makes a huge difference there and at the end of the day when they walk out of school at 3:05. Also, the school made today Family Fun Night. NO homework was assigned nor were tests scheduled. Kids were invited to unplug and get to know their families again. In the spirit of this, I made French Toast this morning to get Madison ready for her Zombie Fun Run fundraiser for school, Eric created a torn shirt that said: "Run Like a Zombie is Chasing U!"which she thought was quite cool.
After school it was off to Madison's Volleyball game. And as Bucket Lists go...Madison is ready to write a new list after this year. First she made the Volleyball team, then she has played quite a few times, and then tonight she got to start in the 2nd game. They play their last game on Thursday, then they are into the Play-Off rounds next week. We can't believe that the Season is already at an end...proof positive that time truly does fly when you're having fun!
We ended the night with "Field of Dreams" because the girls couldn't remember seeing it and Dad and I felt it too valuable a story for them not to see it. As you can imagine, they loved it and we still love it...so for us, that turned out to be the best way to spend the extra time together. Bradley? Huge fan! He watched all but the last twenty-five, thirty minutes of it before he fell asleep. So for us, it was a win!
But here's the big winner in the day. Though Bradley was not directly involved in this, it is about him, and because of him. Without effort, Madison quietly created a little Awareness and acceptance of her brother at Volleyball. Turns out, last week, the Coach encouraged the girls to open up a bit about their families. A few have asked Madison if Bradley is her brother and they have told her how adorable he is. When her Coach invited the discussion about families, Madison was more than willing to share about hers. My girl is compassionate and passionate, and though I got my information about it from Dad, as he is the one that talked to the Coach...at one point, the Coach had to gently ease the conversation away because her story had a couple of the girls with tears in their eyes. This was not a negative move on his part about her it was more a realization by her team of what Bradley has been through, and his family as a result; tough for us adults, really tough on kids. Madison does not quibble about her brother, she is a smart kid; she knows where he's been, what he's been through, and she has a greater understanding than most realize of how close we have come to being without him if we weren't willing to change everything. And if you were to ask Madison if she would do it all again to keep her brother...she would.
For Madison and Sydney, Bradley is just their brother, and he is pretty awesome to them. Accepting him is like accepting the air to breathe, loving him and wanting to share him with the world is just part of who they are. You can't teach that kind of love, you can encourage tolerance, but that kind of unconditional love comes from deep in the soul. And like to like, soul to soul reaches for each other in these three kids. Together these three kids are the best thing to ever happen to Eric and I, I couldn't be prouder of them. And honestly, I am so Blessed to have this 12 year old daughter to lead the way down a pretty uncertain path, because at the heart of it, hers is strong and full.
Happy Monday all! In our house, it was pretty great indeed!
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