A Bright Day!

Today some an old friend, Sarah, descended on our household, together with her four children. George (10), Lewis (8), Grace (6) and Robbie (4). So that makes nine children in our house now until Sunday afternoon!! It's amazing though because whenever our two families get together there is a very happy atmosphere and the children play together beautifully. The middle three boys especially get on very well, whilst Grace and Abbie seem perfectly happy playing Barbies & PollyPockets together - and with the Playmobile palace.

INTERLUDE: - George is Autistic and very much 'looking in' on the others, but he joins in a bit and is quite fun to have around. We have known him since he was 2 and now he is going into Yr6 of school. Paul initially used to work for him as a therapist and then over-saw his ABA (Lovaas) program for a number of years. It's incredible to see where he has come in that time. He is in a mainstream school with a classroom assistant who is there JUST for him and has done very well all things considered. Coupled with input he has always had and still receives at home this has worked well for him. Sarah works on the ethos that the important thing is not so much academic achievement for George, but ability to function in society in a reasonably understandable way. And to be honest, I can see that school (he has been at a particularly good one) has greatly helped him in this regard.

Anyway - back to our day... The Brights arrived at lunchtime and the after lunch (a picnic on the living room floor as there are too many for the table!) we all went for a walk in the park as George was requesting to go and feed the ducks. He remembered we did so almost 2 years ago, when they last came!! The boys played rounders together and I was very impressed by Robbie's hit of the ball.

Jacob in bat, Robbie back-stop


Lewis in bat



Abbie in bat

The girls played in the play-park together. Gracie went to push my girls on the swings...and generally do the Mumsie thing. She also derived great pleasure from pushing Ellie's pram.

INTERLUDE 2 - I just thought I'd add. No-one told them what to do. That's just what happened. Grace's Mum is a farmer's daughter and, although feminine, not a girly-girly at all as a child or even now for that matter. Sarah had three brothers and is 'tough'. Grace is girly, just because she is! And Sarah's boys are big and tough - just because they are! These are probably the least gender-reared children I know and yet they just are what they are.

Then we went to feed the ducks,



throw sticks & stones in the river;


(Helena)


(chit chat)


(man2man)


and play on the rope swing; George


Robbie


Grace


Phoebe



and build mud pies;


Gracie's mud pie


Back home, stopping for a quick game of football and then chicken curry for tea. We had all 9 children bathed & in bed by 8.45 and all asleep by 9.30 (most were asleep by 9.00, but George was wandering for a bit). I was very impressed!!

tomorrow we are hoping to go to the Reasheath Maize maze (again for the boys) and do the big maze - should be fun with 9 kids!!

While I'm here - a quick catch up;

Yesterday we did a bit more of our Zoo theme work. We learned all about bears - how many kinds of bear, where they live, what they eat, habitats... and Jacob painted a lovely picture of a panda.

Joel's Polar bear


The activities lasted a while and kept them occupied for a bit - and the request to do it was theirs not mine - bonus!!

We have another friend here too at the moment - Helena. She is 16 and I must say, it is quite nice having a teenager about the house, although she is very quiet! She has been taking the children to the park at least once a day and that has been really nice (for them and me!!). They have played with her almost non-stop, - that's what she came for!! She goes home tomorrow and I know the children will miss her :(