the things they say.

On love:
Mason (5): "Valentine's Day is not about candy. It's about love."

On rules:
Dhruv (5): "Did you hear that? Kara said please do not touch my paper, and Nathan stopped touching her paper!"

On nutrition:
Dhruv (5): "Are you eating porridge?"
Kara (4): "Ick! You are eating oatmeal from the sensory table!"
Cooper (4): "When I ate a blackberry, I threw up. It's true."

On politics:
Dhruv (5): "Even his wife gets to move into the White House!"
Nick (5): "This is my pet dolphin. His name is Barack Obama."

On cleanliness:
Sydney (5): "Aah! You didn't sing the ABC's. Your hands are NOT clean!"
Alexzander (5): "I dipped the toilet paper in the toilet and threw it at his head."



The things they say...

the things we say.

That's water you fell in on the bathroom floor. Just water...

If you run in the hallway, you will fall, hit your head and need stitches.

If you run in the room, you will fall and need to get 100 stitches. Is that what you want for the 100th day of school?

Look, there's no blood dripping from the cut, so your're not bleeding and do not need a bandaid.

You have two choices. Either you walk to the group area, or I carry you there.

If you don't finish your chocolate milk, you will never be able to have a carton again. Never.

What does patiently mean? Well, it means that you are patient while you are waiting for something.


The things we say...

the things you say.

You call social services when dad doesn't make him wear a hat. The cold is dangerous, you say. Funny how you don't put him in a car seat when you pick him up from school.

You insist that she will only use the bathroom if you accompany her. The bathroom is scary, you say. Funny how she uses it by herself once you leave.

You demand that he cannot drink chocolate milk anymore. The milk is full of sugar, you say. Funny how you pack all those sugared-up juice boxes in his lunch everyday.

You tell them not to yell in school. The noise is disruptful, you say. Funny how you are alwayas yelling.

The things you say...

Break my heart.

She has to move. Again. Just when she has finally adjusted to a new school, new friends, a new schedule, she has to move. Mom can't afford to live here anymore. They have to move.

My heart breaks.

He has a scratch. Again. Where did that come from, I ask. Shoulders shrug. No answer. He has another scratch.

My heart breaks.

They have a friend with leukemia. Again. Treatment begins. Hair falls out. Stage four. They have leukemia.

My heart breaks.

She has a rough start to the morning. Again. Mom was upset. Dad yelled at her. Her eyes are weary. She has a rough start.

My heart breaks.

Her shoes were taken. Again. She tells the teacher. The shoes are returned. They took her shoes.

My heart breaks.

12 months.

A lot has changed in the past year. And, I think that reflecting on these changes will help me appreciate them more fully.

So, in the past year I ...
* graduated from college.
* met Alex.
* began my first real job (as a 6th grade teacher).
* lost 15 pounds.
* moved in with the amazing Barker family.
* began paying back school loans.
* learned to love my cell phone.
* feared for my life on country roads.
* said goodbye to some of my closest friends at NWC.
* lost the desire to teach.
* moved back home.
* returned to my 'home' church.
* worked in a new school with new kids for the summer.
* made a variety of new friends in Faribault.
* began a new job in a preschool.
* found new roommates to live with.
* put thousands of miles on my car.
* cried more than I had in the previous 23 years.
* ...

In looking back, I can see God clearly moving, although not always (actually, rarely ever...) in the way I expected. He is so faithful, even when I so clearly do not deserve it. It is refreshing to know that despite all I do, God will never leave me. His love will NEVER leave me.

This leaves me excited for the new year ahead. I anticipate many changes and difficult decisions to be made. But, I know that God WILL be faithful to lead me, just as He has done in the past.

Politics.

Politics through the eyes of preschoolers!

"Who did you vote for: McDonalds or Okabama?"

"Did you vote for John McCain? I hope he wins so he won't give us more taxes. Then my mom will have more money to buy me toys!"

"Are you voting for Dora Coleman?"

"I voted today." Where? "At Mall of America." For whom? "My mom and dad."

"Barack Obama. He's the one."

Other kids:

First grade: "You look just like Sarah Palin!"

Kindergarten: "I hope Obama wins because my mom says we need some more color up there in that white house!"

Adorable.

Nathan points to a group of second graders sitting in the cafeteria. "That's my kid over there," he says proudly. Seeing the crowd I ask, "Which one?" Nathan replies, "The kid with the black shirt. The one with the head, [pause] the ears, [pause] and the neck." Ahh, yes. That one! :)