Elsa Skating Party

Whew! I need a weekend to recuperate from my weekend! We were super-busy both Saturday and Sunday but it was really a good weekend. Saturday we had plans to run errands and finish Christmas shopping until Hermano contacted us about visiting. So, we included picking him up in the mix and had a great time bouncing around from store to store getting what we needed. We got home later in the day after dropping Esperanza off at her niece’s second birthday party and Hermano helped me make the burlap wreathes for some of my family members and his aunt. Hermano wanted to spend the night but his foster family wasn’t comfortable giving permission without first speaking to their agency and getting it cleared by them. So, we took him home that evening around 9 with plans to pick him up again on Sunday for Chica Marie’s birthday party. The Elsa skating party was to commence at 2 pm and we needed to pick up Mini Momma and the birthday cake before getting Hermano. We managed to gather everyone, grab some Frozen inspired balloons and get to the roller-skating rink just a few minutes after 2.

 

There were some minor bumps to the party, like Chica Marie initially refusing to skate and Hermano getting angry that the skates he had didn’t fit (and he tried several pairs), but all-in-all it was a success. I was very disappointed that none of Chica Marie’s friends from daycare showed up (and I was surprised her grandmother didn’t come – I thought for sure she would be there. I had a Christmas card and one for the pictures with them and Santa for her – I guess I’ll have to mail that now) and other than the 7 of us, only my two friends from work came with their daughters. Still, all who were there had fun and the 4 little girls learned to skate in one afternoon. The teenagers had a nice time skating together and taking selfies (yes, while skating). I managed to strap on a pair of skates and not kill myself – Hallelujah! The cake was good, the Elsa crowns and wands were a big hit, and Chica Marie received some lovely gifts. So, it was great in my book! I was exhausted by the time we were being ushered out the door so hockey practice could start, but I felt content knowing that Chica Marie had a memorable and happy birthday party.

 

We drove home after the party and I kept Mini Momma with us for a little longer than I told her foster mom. Her foster mom was frustrated with her because she went to church that morning and hadn’t come back home early enough to get ready, so the foster mom had to go fetch her (the church was just across the street from their house). Mini Momma said she was anxious to move out because her foster mom gets mad at her for no reason. I did my best to diffuse the situation and hope that Mini Momma had forgotten her anger by the time she went home. I was happy with how well she behaved during the party and after with her sister at home. It makes it easier for me to keep having her over for visits because they aren’t as stressful as they once were. Yay for progress!

 

We took Hermano home around 9 again last night with hopes he would be back for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I decided, since our county case worker gave me the email for Hermano’s case worker, I would email her regarding visits in general and Christmas specifically. It seems like the county is willing to give a lot more freedom to Hermano than the foster family has been willing to give. I can understand where they’re coming from – raising a teenager is HARD and raising a teenager in foster care makes it all the more challenging. Still, I’m glad it sounds like visits with us have been green-lighted and there shouldn’t be any issues. Hermano had asked about seeing his girlfriend for Christmas, so I asked about that too and it was nixed. Despite what Hermano relayed to us about visiting with his girlfriend, it seems like the county is opposed to him seeing her at this time due to her being one of the reasons he ran away from his previous foster home over the summer. I don’t know that she was the reason, but she certainly facilitated the running by taking him with her to a different town in a different county. There was also some rift/trust issue with Hermano seeing the girlfriend when he wasn’t supposed to and not telling his foster family. Regardless, I gullibly believed Hermano and agreed for him to see his girlfriend at some point during Christmas and now I have to undo that because Hermano mislead me and I believed him without first checking with the powers that be. Sigh. I love this kid but sometimes his antics give me a run for the money!

 

Sunday night, after the party, my house was full to the brim with kids and noise and clutter. The baby had a massive blow-out poopy mess which required an immediate bath, which Esperanza helped me with; Mini Momma was playing with Chica Marie and undid her new Elsa dolls hair resulting in Primero taking the doll away from them. Hermano was watching football and yelling at the oblivious players and scaring the dogs who yipped in protest. The girls pulled the toy bins apart and swapped baby dolls, as they’re prone to do, and Love Bug learned to climb onto the chair and then the kitchen table. When Esperanza found him and asked him what he was doing he said, “All done!” and clapped for himself and his latest achievement. Primero played loud music on his Bluetooth speaker and sang along just as loudly, while Esperanza and Hermano decided to give the cats catnip. After we took Mini Momma home, Primero and Esperanza decided to wrap Christmas gifts, which of course Chica Marie couldn’t see, so they sequestered themselves in my bedroom leaving me and Hermano in the living room with the little ones. I decided to make the last burlap wreath with the help of Hermano and Love Bug snuggling on my knee. At some points I found the chaos a little overwhelming but when I realized that the noise was happy noise and the mess was a joyful mess and that the kids were getting to spend time with their siblings, I embraced the pandemonium and, in the words of Timon and Pumbaa, said “Hakuna matata!” No worries!