A Fun Evening with Friends

Today's gift is a fun evening with friends.

Tonight we had two families come over for dinner. Kinda like a last "hurrah" before school starts on Monday. The kids were excited to see their friends, as we were equally excited to see the parents too!

My daughter with special needs was fantastic! She loved seeing everyone...but especially the adults in the group. You see one of the dad's is who pushed her in her own 5k in November and his wife ran the Disney Princess Half with me last year...and will again with me in February! The other couple...she just loves that dad too....and his wife is running the Disney Princess Half with me this year too! We are very blessed to have such amazing friends.

My other two children had their friends to run around with and they were very happy. They were being kids. While break is coming to an end we have to get back on a much "needed" schedule. Overall on break the kids pretty much stayed on their "schedule", so I was okay letting them have one more night be a little bit more "flexible".

My oldest daughter with Rett Syndrome is a pretty good indicator of this extra "flexibility" and tonight her A game was on! While she was being fantastic the other two were being kids....excited kids to see their friends..."typical" kids.

I think it is hard sometimes for my husband to cross this bridge of "schedule" versus "no schedule". I get it...I do. But there are times it is okay to come off a schedule and go with the flow. Tonight was a perfect night to let it happen...but he wasn't too willing to go there....until he did.

I will be the first to admit its hard to do things with other "typical" families when one of your children thrives being on a routine. It's either the whole family packs up and leaves or half the family leaves while the other stays. But there are times when you can bend the rules...and it is okay.

Our children are not getting younger...and either are we. As they get older, they can handle staying up a little later....and it becomes "typical" when families get together. Our oldest is 11 and while she has Rett Syndrome, I want her to be "typical". I want our whole family to experience "typical" when we can.

Tonight we pushed the envelope an extra 45 minutes. All went extremely well. Our oldest was perfect and the other two were "kids". In the "grown up" world they live in (because of their sister) we have to remind ourselves...at least I do...they are still kids...5 and 8 to be exact. Let them enjoy the little things!

To me, being the "host" for a get together is the best. If we feel anyone has to go to bed...we are at home. If anything goes wrong...we are at home. Yet, we still get to enjoy ourselves to the fullest. Schedule or no schedule.

Tonight we were the host family, we bent the rules (a liittle) and all was good...great in fact. Good food, great friends, a perfect daughter with special needs, football on tv, and 4 other kids running around being kids....what else can you ask for...

Here is a quote for today....

Live life for the moment because everything else is uncertain - Louis Tomlinson