This weekend we got the long over due pleasure of hanging out with some friends we hadn’t seen in an overdue amount of time. Zach was so excited to see their daughter he talked about it all day. They played together the entire time but probably tattled on each other for minor offences about 10 times each. I was nervous their old chemestry wasn’t there.

At about supper time I had both kids on my lap and we were picking out Scooby Doo movies from Netflix streaming. I asked the kids, “Are you guys have a good time?”

“YES!” they both responded.

 I guess the tattling thing leaves no hard feelings. I wish I could blow it off so quickly with some of the tattle-tail women I know at work.

How NOT to use your chopsticks.

Self portrait

Last night in class a normally, very sweet, very patient classmate spoke out about the fifth graders she was teaching. “It was so frustrating. They were so needy. It was as if they needed me to hold their hand. I felt pulled in every direction because if I was helping one student I wasn’t able to get to the other 20-something kids. What should I do?”

Our professor, a retired teacher and principal said, “You wouldn’t happen to be teaching a group of Elementary Education graduate students would you?”

Oh, how roles switched. During my two weeks off I forgot to turn in two assignments! Luckily, I was able to turn them in late and get a B+, my first B of the whole program. Sad. I see the importance of getting my Master’s before I’m in a career where I must bust my hump everyday. I don’t know how teachers are able to teach and go back to school. But then I thought working, parenting and going to school would be unthinkable and it has happened, B+ not withstanding.

I am halfway through my student teaching and part of me feels ready to teach, and part of me thinks I need to know more. After spring break I teach for the last three weeks. I hope I can get everything in place before then so it will be smooth sailing.

To everyone I’ve been out of contact with for the last year or so, I’m sorry. I hope soon I’ll have a life again and lots of free time!! Unless, I really do get a job as a teacher, then I’ll see you on the breaks!

Spiderman scooter: check

Photo for generous Aunt Andrea and family: Check!

Something is missing…

Spiderman halloween costume mask: check!

Watching a three-year-old who truly believes he is Spiderman: priceless.

My son’s cousin came over to trick-or-treat with him on Halloween. The event became an shining example of his lack of abiltiy to share.

Not only can he not share, he wants to pinch the stuffed, beanie baby cat his cousin left behind.

I explained to him that we need to return it tomorrow, to which he said, “No it growed to be mine.”

Right.

Ooh, so exciting. I found this photo just in time for Halloween.

My paternal grandmother was the keeper of a bunch of very old photographs. A few of which, I know who they are, but the majority are a mystery. Who are these people? Who were these people who could afford tin type photograph or tinted tin?

Anyway, I’ve attempted to find more information but am at a stand-still. The black sheep of the family often moved away and their history wasn’t as well documented. Among the photos I found this great photo. I swore I would make a print and put it out for Halloween.

Creepy…

….or children who are scared of the combustion flash of the old time camera. I love the baby’s face. You’re imagination could go wild with this photo. Maybe this could be a fiction story starter for kids in my future elementary classes. Old pictures have so many story potentials.

So let your imagination wander when you see this photo. Unfortuantly, they didn’t have digital options and couldn’t delete. Poor Mom, probably had to deal with poor photo of her cute kids for years.

By the way if you know who anyone of these people are contact me!!!

I finally have a brain!
A brain to observe for 16 weeks, that is. My friend’s guru-teacher-mother has blessed me with being my mentor teacher while I student teach.

To celebrate I brought Wizard of Oz to my friend’s house for Zach and her daughter to view for the first time in uber-crisp HD. We could even detect the string that moved the lion’s tale. Did you know that Dorthy had freckles? In the end, Zach had a good impression of the witch to work with and my friend’s daughter had a new bond with Toto.

Zach keeps referring to the movie as the “Wizard of Bob.”

“No, it’s ‘Oz.” I corrected.

“Ob,” he replied.

My friend’s little girl told me a not-thought of method for killing the wicked witch, “You could spit on her.”

So true.

My friend and I had a good laugh at the line “Only bad witches are ugly.”

“If only real life was as simple,” she joked.

If only.

Always respond to every impulse to pray. The impulse to pray may come when
you are reading or when you are battling with a text. I would make an
absolute law of this - always obey such an impulse. –Martyn Lloyd-Jones

So far I am enjoying age three.

Unfortunately, no one told me that the temper tantrums are replaced by never-ending energy.

Honestly, if we could harness this kid to giant hamster wheel we would pay no electric bills. It is also a mostly, clean burning, constantly renewable source of energy. No naps are needed. Well, for him anyway. I need about 12 hours of sleep per night.

Why did no one tell me about the thrashing, throwing, tireless, teeming threes? Did I miss the memo? This kid can break more rules in five minutes than anyone I’ve ever met. He’ll also manage to do new things that require new rules while you are discovering the first set of broken rules.

For example, today, he put loose change down the slats of the deck? That’s perfectly good change that could be used in U.S. vending machines, gone forever. Why? Does the deck look like a piggy bank? Ever?

Also, does the vent system in our house resemble a toy box? I’m going to err on the side of caution and say, “No.” Still, thousands upon thousands of tiny toys have made their way into the duct work of our HVAC system. Thankfully, all have been recovered.

And to think, before I had children I worried that too much dog hair would destroy our heater.