So Teal was running late now for rehearsal, and Gabe was a little stressed, It's hard to tell what he understands, what he is lying about, what he is saying just to make us happy, and what is actually going to sink in. In this instance it was as simple as asking why he was wearing a different shirt than the one I sent him to school in that resulted in crying, rocking, and lying. But on the road we were and the rest of the day went pretty well and was drama free. It was in the morning that I would be tested. We had several setbacks, and tears, and timeouts as we were packing up to check out. I ended up setting up the rules for the event before we got out of the car. As I was terrified to see bounce houses, game booths, and at least a dozen adult volunteers. This surely would send Gabe into a fury of running off with people he doesn't know and kissing everyone!
The Rules:
-Big hugs and any kisses are for family (with the band we've come to saying that a quick "hello hug" is ok)
-You don't let anyone pick you up
-There will be no whining (this went for both big kids)
-You will use real words and open your mouth to speak
-Above all, always be respectful (also went for both big kids)
I pulled Alex aside and asked her to keep an eye on him, make sure he's safe! The band did great! I love watching Teal sing! These Coke Inspirational meetings are always so well done and the testimonies are inspiring, I didn't realize when Teal started working there that they were such a outspoken Christian company but they've proved it time and time again in the (almost) 7 years Teal's been there.
I am happy to report that it went well......until the event was over. All of a sudden, I became the warden again, he kept looking at me like he was in trouble, then would run off to play, or he would cling to anyone he could find, interrupting their conversations to give them a hug or say hi, then look at me like I'm his jailer. I want to be the fun mommy, I want him to cling to me, or obnoxiously climb on me while I'm talking (like Alex does). But I'm in battle, If I loosen up, it all blows up. We had more problems when we stopped at the store before heading to the beach (because I forgot beach towels) I thought, surely this beach trip is going to kill me. After all the drama, we get to the beach, the first time we've taken either of our boys. Gabe went ahead with Teal while I got Alex ready and I was pleasantly surprised to find a happy, down right, giddy little boy who couldn't stand still enough to get his sunscreen applied. Teal said he wouldn't shut up! My Gabriel? It was hilarious! He was jabbering on about "Mommy, and Daddy, and Alex, and Davis, in the sand, and the water, look at the sun!" He ran right to the water and jumped in! Whereas Alex, cool as a cucumber, walks to the shore, sees a shell and keeps shell hunting with Daddy for almost an hour. I laid on the sand with Davis, soaking up the sun, watching my boy play in the water. It was two hours of perfection! The big kids covered each other in sand, and ran back and forth to the water, not a single argument, no tears, just perfection! We wandered around Charleston admiring the houses and churches, had some dinner (thank God for restaurant.com) then headed home. Though Alex must have felt left out of all the drama because we had a small explosion from her as we were walking to the car. They immediately fell asleep and My Favorite and I talked, uninterrupted, for 3 hours, it was great, it was refreshing, and completely necessary. It's always important to fall in love with your spouse again.
Sunday morning we woke up to what seemed like a calm household (Teal even let me sleep in longer) only to find that the quiet calm was a result of Gabe sneaking a whole (large) Ukrainian chocolate bar that was given to us the other day. So, more tears and more time, talking about deception, conscience, the Holy Spirit, and encouraging him to realize that he is not an animal, he has forethought, he has self control, and the ability to ask permission. But at the end of all that, I got to say, "let's be done with all this yuckiness and go get our baby chickens!" That really turned things around :) The kids were excited to see the chickens but Gabriel got distracted by a basketball, so he and Teal played while Alex sat in pure bliss, catching and holding her new babies and naming them, she even named one of Granny's, a little Black Cochin, Byebye Blackbird.
We went from there to a Michelle's for Yana's birthday, the kids seemed to relish in the normalcy of playing with Nadia and Marni while I made a cake. Teal had to leave for work before any of the real celebration but it was just us so he was ok. Although we did have a dinner protest, I refused to engage and we just had a nice time. The boy didn't get any cake but there were no tears, so I'll count that as a win. Got home and put the kids to bed at a reasonable time. I'm grateful for my little family, not always easy but when I take a step back and look at what the last year has developed, I am so proud of my Gabe and I know that it will be a long road but God has great things for him.
