Best Class Ever

And just like that....it's over.

The hugs, the tears, the feelings....I hope  I truly never forget how yesterday felt.

I asked my class to think of something they learned this year and the first little girl raised her hand and said, "Friendship is the most important thing in life."  I broke down.  Nobody talked about math or reading.  It was purely about feeling safe, having friends, knowing their teacher loves them so.  

There is absolutely, no doubt, that was my best class ever.  I've said this before, but this class....was magical.  I knew it when it was happening.  I could feel it daily.  I talked about it to them and to others about how lucky we are.  

I made the longest iMovie of my life, nearly 45 min.  How could I delete pictures?  Delete memories?  I couldn't.  So they're all there.  

They were well behaved.  They were an extremely intelligent class.  They were hard workers.  My test scores have never been higher.  I had to double check the accuracy they were so high.  When it was confirmed, I thought, "This class is just about perfect."  My heart is so full it hearts.  A little girl had tears falling onto her paper.  I whispered, "Are you ok?"  She stood up and wrapped her arms around me and cried.  I cried holding her little body against mine like she was my daughter.  Nobody, laughed or said a word.  We were all feeling it.  We had all grown together enough to respect each other and if she needed to cry and hug that's exactly what she's get.  I knew I wouldn't let her go, until she let me go.  So we hugged for a while and she pulled back, looked up at me and started crying all over again hugging even tighter now.  

I walked down the hall with them for the last time at 3:42 with a handful of tissues in front of colleagues and parents who don't know my and hugged and whispered to each and everyone of them at Parent Pick Up, at the edge of the sidewalk for the walkers and at each bus.  

Team 216 2015-2016 will be in my heart forever….

*Written on June 10, 2016

Brecky Boo Turned 3!

Dear Brecky Boo,

When I was considering have a third child (YOU!) one thing I worried about is I wouldn’t have enough time with you to teach and love you the way you deserve to be taught and loved.  As your third birthday just passed I am proud to say I no longer need to worry about either.  Not only am I doing a fine job of teaching and loving you everyone else in your life is also.  Especially your sister and brother.  You may never really understand not only how much they love you, but how much they are there for you in every single way every single day.   Their love for you amazes me.  They each would give up anything for you.  You are such a lucky little brother!

This year was huge for you in many ways.  2015 started out with me taking you to Theraplay several times a week.  Luckily, this lead us to getting your ears checked.  It turned out you couldn’t hear!  I was shocked!  A few short weeks later (after weeks of appointments) in early June you have surgery to put tubes in and had your adenoids removed.  Not only did you begin hearing …you started TALKING!  The day after the surgery you said a couple words you’d never used before, the next day you were putting two words together for the first time ever!  It truly felt like a miracle.  The months that followed were so exciting!  Every time you’d see a friend or family member they would always mention how well you were speaking and my heart would explode with gratitude.  Over the summer you continued going to see Ms. Denise and Ms. Lindsey for speech.  However, a couple months before your third birthday we quit all services because there was nothing else to work on!  Your speech is actually better than an average three year old now!  I am so proud of you and so thankful that everything worked out!

Your favorites as you turn three are:

·         Your Ning Ning

·         Reading books – particularly Scooby Doo right now

·         Playing with chalk in the driveway

·         Collecting sticks

·         Rough housing with your brother

·         Mommy singing you songs rubbing your eyebrows at bedtime

·         Daddy’s dragon stories

·         Victoria’s learning games she’s always making up

·         Your favorite show to watch is Sheriff Callie…the more times the better.

Even though you turning three is so bittersweet, I am looking forward to watching you learn and grow this year.  Lately you've been calling me your Favorite Mommy.  I love it and will embrace this phase as long as it lasts….hopefully for the next year:-).

Love you always and forever no matter what,

Mommy

He's So Lucky

She's like a second mommy.

But also a best friend.

He has no idea how lucky he is.

Best Birthday Find

For Christian's birthday when people asked what he wanted he said Target gift cards.  

He had his sight set on an outdoor riding toy.

On Presidents' Day we finally gather his gift cards and headed over to Target with the sole intention of making his big purchase.

We finally found the thing he wanted and then he wasn't so sure.

So he started looking around.

We never let him spend birthday money.

Never, not one dollar.

It all, always goes into his bank account, so although I was ok with him buying something I didn't want him to buy a bunch of little things that he really doesn't care about.

And then he found a full size ping pong table on clearance.
When I said, "Yes," he yelled "This is the best day of my life!"
It took a man and me to get it in the cart.
Another employee approached us and asked to take the cart to the front of the store until we were done shopping.
Then it took two men and myself to finally get it into the minivan.
Christian said, "When Daddy gets home he's going to be SO EXCITED!"
Daddy did happily get it from the car to the kitchen.
He put it together and I said, "It fits perfectly!"
Then Mark said, "This is half of it."
Oh my!  It's way bigger than I expected!

Here he is, in all his glory!

He's uses it constantly.

He's gotten really good at it and it's a ton of fun.

Exactly what a birthday gift should be!

The Breakfast That (S)Teamed

A few weeks ago we casually taught Brecken how to use the microwave.

Each morning he eats waffles or pancakes microwaved.

If it's really a lucky day, he might find a Toaster Strudel.

He likes his breakfast borderline frozen so we taught him how to warm things up for 20 seconds.

Several mornings he did the entire thing himself.

Until last week……

He took out a paper plate, took a Toaster Strudel out of the freezer and put it in the microwave….

for 20 MINUTES.

After two minutes luckily Brecken came to me in the bathroom while I was blow drying my hair and he said, "My breakfast is (s)teaming!"

As soon as I stepped out of the bathroom I RAN to the kitchen.  

It was filled with horrible smelling black smoke.

The paper plate had just started on fire.

It was a really close call.

And Brecken's breakfast independence has come to an end.

Friends Are Valuable

No truer words have ever been stuffed in a fortune cookie.  

This was my fortune last Sunday at our favorite family Chinese buffet next to Minnehaha Falls.  

It couldn't be any more perfect.

Algebra for Fun

Not only is reading my only daughter's very favorite thing to do in the whole world…

But now she's reading about algebra for fun.

At her conference we discussed what we're going to do with her next year….

shipping her to middle school a year early is a real possibility…..