The love of a mother is priceless. I know this to be true. I am crying right now while I am sitting in the waiting room. Not necessarily because of my mother but because of the lady who has been on the phone for the last hour. She is in her 60's and her mother is in ICU. Her mother was doing well but when they moved her, she started to seep feces from her wound and has suddenly taken a turn for the worse. I have heard this lady have the same conversation over and over as she called her sisters and her children. She cries on and off during each phone call. She laughs as she tells her daughter how her mother told the Chaplan he could leave with the wave of her hand. He had been praying for 5 minutes and she felt it was enough...so she waved him away.
She cries harder as she tells her daughter that her mother keeps telling her how much she loves her. She keeps telling her every few minutes. I hear the lady say..."She couldn't tell me for the past 67 years but she's making up for it today"....that made me cry. I am so thankful for my mother and for our relationship. My mother tells me she loves me every time I see her and talk to her. I have experienced her love for the past 31 years and never doubted it for one moment. She is an amazing woman and I love her. I am sorry for this dear lady who had to wait 67 years to hear her mother say, I LOVE YOU. We all need and want that validation in one way or another. The daughter said she only has a few days left to live and she is going home where hospice will take over. I pray her heart will mend in their last few days together.
If you haven't told your son, daughter, sister, brother, mother, father or spouse how much you love them....now is the time.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Heart Surgery
Last December we found out that my mom needed "emergency" heart surgery... 4 months later and we finally have a date. Apparently, their definition of emergency is different than ours. We found out that before you have any kind of heart surgery you have to go to the dentist first. If you need any dental work done, they schedule it before the heart procedures. They want to be sure you don't have any issues that could lead to infection...which would go right to your heart....so with waiting on two dentists, being sick with the flu for 2.5 weeks and other scheduling issues it took a whole 4 months to get her surgery scheduled. Crazy.
Today we had her pre-op apt. It was 4 hours of paper work. I have decided that "practicing medicine" really just means "one-who-fills-out-paperwork". I am glad that they are redundant, and that they try to eliminate any mistakes but I had forgotten how much paper work was involved in a hospital stay. We met everyone who will be a part of her team and they tried to prepare us for what surgery will entail. Her diagnosis is: Severe aortic stenosis, Tricuspid valve insufficiency and atrial fibrilation. They are going to fix 2 heart murmurs, replace the left ventricle valve and one other thing. They are also going to do a biopsy on a lymph node on mom's right side. She had breast cancer in 1981 and had recently found another lump and more recently a swollen lymph node. They thought it was best to do the biopsy while she was there. So, we have lots of excitement planned for Thursday.
We will all be at the hospital at 5am and they anticipate a 6-8 hour procedure. Scott will be skipping his IV treatment to be at the hospital with me and Billy will be closing the coffeehouse for the day. The surgery starts at 6:30 and we would appreciate all of your prayers. I should mention that we will be at the same hospital where my dad spent the first 3-4 months of his 6 month fight with GB. That hospital was our home for so long so each time I walk in those doors I am flooded with memories. I must say, I don't really like hospitals. I had forgotten how emotional they can be. There is no way that I could be a nurse...for multiple reasons...but especially because I would become too invested in my patients. It would be emotionally exhausting to "go thru" new people every day. I guess after awhile you would just turn off those feelings and shut everyone out...so you wouldn't get hurt or get too attached. I can only imagine how hard that would be. I know that the nurses and doctors who took care of my dad were kind, compassionate and loving and our family felt safe with them. I am praying that we will experience that again with my mom's surgery.
Please be praying for Dr. Brown, Robert the anesthesiologist and Sandy our nurse. Also, please pray for my mom, for a complete recovery, safe surgery and for peace. If after all of that you still have a few minutes, please pray for me and Billy. We are NOT ready to lose our mother and we need to be at Peace in remembering that God is in control....good or bad.
Today we had her pre-op apt. It was 4 hours of paper work. I have decided that "practicing medicine" really just means "one-who-fills-out-paperwork". I am glad that they are redundant, and that they try to eliminate any mistakes but I had forgotten how much paper work was involved in a hospital stay. We met everyone who will be a part of her team and they tried to prepare us for what surgery will entail. Her diagnosis is: Severe aortic stenosis, Tricuspid valve insufficiency and atrial fibrilation. They are going to fix 2 heart murmurs, replace the left ventricle valve and one other thing. They are also going to do a biopsy on a lymph node on mom's right side. She had breast cancer in 1981 and had recently found another lump and more recently a swollen lymph node. They thought it was best to do the biopsy while she was there. So, we have lots of excitement planned for Thursday.
We will all be at the hospital at 5am and they anticipate a 6-8 hour procedure. Scott will be skipping his IV treatment to be at the hospital with me and Billy will be closing the coffeehouse for the day. The surgery starts at 6:30 and we would appreciate all of your prayers. I should mention that we will be at the same hospital where my dad spent the first 3-4 months of his 6 month fight with GB. That hospital was our home for so long so each time I walk in those doors I am flooded with memories. I must say, I don't really like hospitals. I had forgotten how emotional they can be. There is no way that I could be a nurse...for multiple reasons...but especially because I would become too invested in my patients. It would be emotionally exhausting to "go thru" new people every day. I guess after awhile you would just turn off those feelings and shut everyone out...so you wouldn't get hurt or get too attached. I can only imagine how hard that would be. I know that the nurses and doctors who took care of my dad were kind, compassionate and loving and our family felt safe with them. I am praying that we will experience that again with my mom's surgery.
Please be praying for Dr. Brown, Robert the anesthesiologist and Sandy our nurse. Also, please pray for my mom, for a complete recovery, safe surgery and for peace. If after all of that you still have a few minutes, please pray for me and Billy. We are NOT ready to lose our mother and we need to be at Peace in remembering that God is in control....good or bad.
Here is my beautiful mother at Thanksgiving 08. She is beautiful inside and out. Please pray for her.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Easter Blessings
He is Risen! We had a fantastic Easter weekend this year full of love, laughs, family and focusing on Christ and his gift. We hate how commercialized Easter has become so we wanted to keep the focus on Jesus and family and we couldn't be happier with how our weekend turned out.
Scott was given Sat., Sun. and Mon. morning off from treatment so we packed in as much family time as we could. On Saturday morning we went to Lowe's to make birdhouses. The boys really love these clinics and work hard on their masterpieces. Lucas LOVES using a hammer and is always double checking those pesky nails just to be sure they are in all the way. And by checking I mean hammering...and hammering...and hammering. It's very cute.
After letting Scott rest at home for a few hours we headed to Bass Pro Shop. We had already talked to the boys about Easter traditions, Easter egg hunts and other "traditions" that parents like to torture their children with. :) Eli said he DID NOT want to do an Easter egg hunt and Noah had decided he didn't need to celebrate Easter with all of those easter bunny traditions either. So, we did something a little different this year. My friend Kelli mentioned how much fun her boys had at the Bass Pro Shop the weekend before so we decided to check it out. They happened to have 5 birds of prey on display at the front door so we got to see an Owl and some hawks, alive and up close. The boys loved watching the Owl turn his head and one of the hawks kept trying to fly off of his perch. We think he was jealous of all the fake birds flying from the ceiling. He just kept looking up at them as he tried to fly. After watching the birds for a while we started our little adventure.
Lucas went Easter egg hunting thru out the store while Noah and Eli went on a scavenger hunt. We got to dream about camping supplies while they hunted down there items. After Lucas found his 5 eggs and the boys found all their objects they got to spin the prize wheel to get a trinket. It wasn't your normal Easter egg hunt but it made all three of them happy and we all got to dream. After a quick snack we headed to our new favorite park and stayed for about an hour. It was packed but we had a great time soaking up the sun and petting all the dogs!
When we got home we played outside and painted our birdhouses while Scott grilled/smoked some chicken for dinner. It turned out to be the juiciest and most delicious chicken we have ever had. It was yummy! We hung Eli & Lucas' birdhouses in our back yard as soon as they were dry. Noah redid his birdhouse and is now in the middle of a very intricate paint job. He is painting it like a church and keeps telling me that he has never spent so much time on a project before. He is doing a great job and I will share photos of his masterpiece when it is done. We are very proud of his patience with this project!
This is Lucas' birdhouse. He worked hard on his paint job. Notice the clouds?
It also has a welcome mat and an Air Mailbox.
This birdhouse was made by Eli and painted by me.
I had a lot of fun painting this and it makes me want to make art...
After the kids were ready for bed we tried out a new Easter tradition. We really wanted the kids to have a better understanding of what Jesus did for us so we used this great Easter cookie recipe that helps illustrate his sacrifice. You start with almonds or peanuts and let the kids crush them with a wooden spoon. Each act that the kids get to "perform" helps illustrate Christ's suffering, death and resurrection. Scott read verses from the Bible while I directed the ingredients. After the nuts, we had the kids smell some vinegar while Scott read. They couldn't believe that this is what they gave Jesus to drink. Next came the egg whites. The eggs represented Life and the sacrifice that Jesus made. He died so that we may live! Then we had the kids taste some salt while I added a pinch to the bowl. We talked about the tears that the disciples shed. Then we added some sugar. We talked about the sweet gift of eternal life. Next, we beat the ingredients till it formed stiff peaks and folded in the nuts. After more Bible verses we scooped mounds of the cookie onto a baking sheet. The mounds represented the tomb where Jesus was buried.
When the tray was full we turned OFF the oven (it had been preheating to 300 degrees while we got the ingredients ready), loaded the tray and SEALED THE TOMB. The kids loved that and kept trying to guess what they were going to find in the morning. They thought maybe the cookies would disappear like Jesus' body or that if we looked in there we would see people walking around! (see Shadrach, Meshack & Abed-Nego) Each of them put a piece of tape on the oven and we all went to bed....
In the morning, when we opened the tomb, the cookies were still there! But, they were cracked (like a tomb might be) and when we tried them....they were hollow and light as air! We finished up the Easter story with the rest of the verses and got ready for church. I didn't think to take photos of the cookies but believe me, the boys loved them. In Eli's prayers on Sunday night he even thanked God for having me show them the Easter story with cookies. Sweet huh? :) Oh, and I did make Easter baskets for the boys filled with chocolates and peeps. I couldn't let go of ALL the silly traditions and yes, Noah got one too. He didn't complain either. :)
We have started going to a new church here in KC but we went home for Easter. There is a new pastor in Ottawa and we really enjoyed his message. He came to our house a few weeks ago and ended up staying for 4 hours. He is a great addition to that community and we were blessed by his visit. It was so good to see some of our old friends and to get lots of hugs too. For me, it was an extra sweet blessing to take communion with Scott and to be in church with my family. I am very thankful for the progress that we have made in the last year. Scott was so sick last Easter and I am grateful that my husband is still here on earth. I love to worship with Him and to hear him sing!
After church we went to Grandma's house and on the way Lucas told us that he thinks we should move back to Grandma's house. First, because we never get to see the coffeehouse any more and he misses it and Second, because he really misses seeing Grandma. Grandma loved hearing that. The kids played in their old room and we enjoyed spending time with Grandma and Uncle Billy.
Happy Easter to all our loved ones. I pray that you will experience Christ's unconditional love, grace and mercy this year.
Scott was given Sat., Sun. and Mon. morning off from treatment so we packed in as much family time as we could. On Saturday morning we went to Lowe's to make birdhouses. The boys really love these clinics and work hard on their masterpieces. Lucas LOVES using a hammer and is always double checking those pesky nails just to be sure they are in all the way. And by checking I mean hammering...and hammering...and hammering. It's very cute.
Scott is always Lucas' partner and I help Eli while Noah tackles the projects on his own. Usually, daddy ends up helping everyone finish cause Eli and I take things nice and easy. Each time they complete a project they get a badge...and I am so behind on sewing them onto their aprons...have I mentioned that before?
Lucas went Easter egg hunting thru out the store while Noah and Eli went on a scavenger hunt. We got to dream about camping supplies while they hunted down there items. After Lucas found his 5 eggs and the boys found all their objects they got to spin the prize wheel to get a trinket. It wasn't your normal Easter egg hunt but it made all three of them happy and we all got to dream. After a quick snack we headed to our new favorite park and stayed for about an hour. It was packed but we had a great time soaking up the sun and petting all the dogs!
When we got home we played outside and painted our birdhouses while Scott grilled/smoked some chicken for dinner. It turned out to be the juiciest and most delicious chicken we have ever had. It was yummy! We hung Eli & Lucas' birdhouses in our back yard as soon as they were dry. Noah redid his birdhouse and is now in the middle of a very intricate paint job. He is painting it like a church and keeps telling me that he has never spent so much time on a project before. He is doing a great job and I will share photos of his masterpiece when it is done. We are very proud of his patience with this project!
This is Lucas' birdhouse. He worked hard on his paint job. Notice the clouds?
It also has a welcome mat and an Air Mailbox.
This birdhouse was made by Eli and painted by me.
I had a lot of fun painting this and it makes me want to make art...
After the kids were ready for bed we tried out a new Easter tradition. We really wanted the kids to have a better understanding of what Jesus did for us so we used this great Easter cookie recipe that helps illustrate his sacrifice. You start with almonds or peanuts and let the kids crush them with a wooden spoon. Each act that the kids get to "perform" helps illustrate Christ's suffering, death and resurrection. Scott read verses from the Bible while I directed the ingredients. After the nuts, we had the kids smell some vinegar while Scott read. They couldn't believe that this is what they gave Jesus to drink. Next came the egg whites. The eggs represented Life and the sacrifice that Jesus made. He died so that we may live! Then we had the kids taste some salt while I added a pinch to the bowl. We talked about the tears that the disciples shed. Then we added some sugar. We talked about the sweet gift of eternal life. Next, we beat the ingredients till it formed stiff peaks and folded in the nuts. After more Bible verses we scooped mounds of the cookie onto a baking sheet. The mounds represented the tomb where Jesus was buried.
When the tray was full we turned OFF the oven (it had been preheating to 300 degrees while we got the ingredients ready), loaded the tray and SEALED THE TOMB. The kids loved that and kept trying to guess what they were going to find in the morning. They thought maybe the cookies would disappear like Jesus' body or that if we looked in there we would see people walking around! (see Shadrach, Meshack & Abed-Nego) Each of them put a piece of tape on the oven and we all went to bed....
In the morning, when we opened the tomb, the cookies were still there! But, they were cracked (like a tomb might be) and when we tried them....they were hollow and light as air! We finished up the Easter story with the rest of the verses and got ready for church. I didn't think to take photos of the cookies but believe me, the boys loved them. In Eli's prayers on Sunday night he even thanked God for having me show them the Easter story with cookies. Sweet huh? :) Oh, and I did make Easter baskets for the boys filled with chocolates and peeps. I couldn't let go of ALL the silly traditions and yes, Noah got one too. He didn't complain either. :)
We have started going to a new church here in KC but we went home for Easter. There is a new pastor in Ottawa and we really enjoyed his message. He came to our house a few weeks ago and ended up staying for 4 hours. He is a great addition to that community and we were blessed by his visit. It was so good to see some of our old friends and to get lots of hugs too. For me, it was an extra sweet blessing to take communion with Scott and to be in church with my family. I am very thankful for the progress that we have made in the last year. Scott was so sick last Easter and I am grateful that my husband is still here on earth. I love to worship with Him and to hear him sing!
After church we went to Grandma's house and on the way Lucas told us that he thinks we should move back to Grandma's house. First, because we never get to see the coffeehouse any more and he misses it and Second, because he really misses seeing Grandma. Grandma loved hearing that. The kids played in their old room and we enjoyed spending time with Grandma and Uncle Billy.
Happy Easter to all our loved ones. I pray that you will experience Christ's unconditional love, grace and mercy this year.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Top Ten Moments of Florida Vacation
You will have to forgive me for awhile as I continue to post Florida photos.
We just had so much fun and I have sooo many photos (600) to share.
We just had so much fun and I have sooo many photos (600) to share.
Here is my list of Top Ten Moments that we had in Florida:
1. Seeing the Ocean for the first time and watching the kids experience it for the first time.
2. Finding and collecting a coconut that fell from a tree!
3. Snacking on Alligator on our way home. It tastes like chicken!
4. Being 15 minutes from the beach and going there every day.
5. Waking up before the sun to experience the sunrise at the beach.
6. Finding and collecting seashells on the beach.
7. Swimming in the Ocean and riding the waves with the kids.
8. The majesty, size and beauty of the Ocean. The sound of the waves are magical and lulling.
9. Going to the beach at midnight, walking hand in hand while the moon reflected off the water. So romantic, calming and relaxing!
10. Going on vacation with 5 of the most important people in my life. It was priceless!
1. Seeing the Ocean for the first time and watching the kids experience it for the first time.
2. Finding and collecting a coconut that fell from a tree!
3. Snacking on Alligator on our way home. It tastes like chicken!
4. Being 15 minutes from the beach and going there every day.
5. Waking up before the sun to experience the sunrise at the beach.
6. Finding and collecting seashells on the beach.
7. Swimming in the Ocean and riding the waves with the kids.
8. The majesty, size and beauty of the Ocean. The sound of the waves are magical and lulling.
9. Going to the beach at midnight, walking hand in hand while the moon reflected off the water. So romantic, calming and relaxing!
10. Going on vacation with 5 of the most important people in my life. It was priceless!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Praying For Lymies
I found some new Lyme blogs tonight and wanted to share one with you.
I thought this was such a great idea that I wanted to plug it on our family blog. We have had hundreds of people pray us thru these last 2 years and we are eternally grateful. God has sustained us by the generosity of His people. Please take a minute to visit the blog and pray for the Lymie of the Week: Amy
3rd Grade: Everyone LOVES Eli...
After I took Lucas to school on Monday I went upstairs to volunteer in Eli's class. I picked a great day to visit too because we celebrated a birthday AND had art class! I spent most of my day using flash cards to help the kids review for a test. I now know what a prefix and suffix is...forwards and backwards. Ha.
The best part of the day was art class! They were working in clay and I got to help make a pinch pot. My mom was an art teacher for 30 years and I majored in art(graphic design) in College...so I loved it. When I was in college, I was a substitute at my old JH/HS and even had the opportunity to teach my mom's classes for 6 weeks. I love to teach and have considered being a teacher many times....so being in an elem. art class for an hour was great fun for me.
I sat at a table with 4 little girls and guess what they talked about ALL hour? They talked about ELI!!! They had all sorts of questions and theories on who he is, how funny he is and what girls like him....and who he likes. App. the boys think that Eli gets all the girls when in reality, Eli is just a great friend to everyone...and the girls love that. He reminds me so much of Scott. He is genuine and shows sincere empathy for those around him. If Eli is your friend, you can count on him to be a good listener and to really care about you. He has such a big heart and loves to make people laugh. It was a lot of fun to hear the girls talk about Eli. One little girl asked me what it was like to be a StepMom. She wanted to know what the kids called me, did we play games, what kind of games, did we like each other and was Eli's dad nice to me... turns out this little girl has never met her father or her step-mother and she wanted to know what that relationship was like. I can honestly say that I don't think of the kids as my Step kids, they are just my family that I love. I would do anything for them. I imagine it is comparable to a parent who adopts a child. It doesn't matter that you didn't birth the child, you still love, nurture and care for the child as your own. You would give your life for the child and you would protect them at all costs.
I got some sweet compliments while I was with the 3rd graders too. One little girl said, "Ms. Dawson...You smell good!" :) and one little boy drew me a star with his smelly markers. He is one of Eli's good friends and we ate lunch with him a few months ago. He is quiet and sweet. We ended our busy day by celebrating a birthday with cake and juice and a rousing game of Thumbs Up Seven Up...wouldn't you know I was picked EVERY TIME!
I had a great time in Eli's class. His teacher loves him and it was nice to see him interact with his friends. I even got to quiz him for his test and he passed with flying colors. Not only is he kind, loving and funny....he is SUPER SMART! I was so proud of him and how he treats his classmates. I had a great time in 3rd grade and can't wait to go back!
The best part of the day was art class! They were working in clay and I got to help make a pinch pot. My mom was an art teacher for 30 years and I majored in art(graphic design) in College...so I loved it. When I was in college, I was a substitute at my old JH/HS and even had the opportunity to teach my mom's classes for 6 weeks. I love to teach and have considered being a teacher many times....so being in an elem. art class for an hour was great fun for me.
I sat at a table with 4 little girls and guess what they talked about ALL hour? They talked about ELI!!! They had all sorts of questions and theories on who he is, how funny he is and what girls like him....and who he likes. App. the boys think that Eli gets all the girls when in reality, Eli is just a great friend to everyone...and the girls love that. He reminds me so much of Scott. He is genuine and shows sincere empathy for those around him. If Eli is your friend, you can count on him to be a good listener and to really care about you. He has such a big heart and loves to make people laugh. It was a lot of fun to hear the girls talk about Eli. One little girl asked me what it was like to be a StepMom. She wanted to know what the kids called me, did we play games, what kind of games, did we like each other and was Eli's dad nice to me... turns out this little girl has never met her father or her step-mother and she wanted to know what that relationship was like. I can honestly say that I don't think of the kids as my Step kids, they are just my family that I love. I would do anything for them. I imagine it is comparable to a parent who adopts a child. It doesn't matter that you didn't birth the child, you still love, nurture and care for the child as your own. You would give your life for the child and you would protect them at all costs.
I got some sweet compliments while I was with the 3rd graders too. One little girl said, "Ms. Dawson...You smell good!" :) and one little boy drew me a star with his smelly markers. He is one of Eli's good friends and we ate lunch with him a few months ago. He is quiet and sweet. We ended our busy day by celebrating a birthday with cake and juice and a rousing game of Thumbs Up Seven Up...wouldn't you know I was picked EVERY TIME!
I had a great time in Eli's class. His teacher loves him and it was nice to see him interact with his friends. I even got to quiz him for his test and he passed with flying colors. Not only is he kind, loving and funny....he is SUPER SMART! I was so proud of him and how he treats his classmates. I had a great time in 3rd grade and can't wait to go back!
Dear God...
Please be with all our new cousins and our Um..Aunt Thai (sorry Uncle Thai!), Aunt Vicky and especially Dominic and help us to move to Florida soon. Please be with Grandma (Mary) and help her heart so she can get out of the doctor's (we have been praying for her upcoming heart surgery since Dec.)
-Lucas
When we got home from our vacation the kids still had 5 days before they had to go back to school so we called them several times while they were at their mom's. Once, I asked Lucas if he was having fun and he said, "I think we forgot it was spring break cause we haven't done anything fun."
The week after our awesome vacation I had the opportunity to volunteer in Lucas' Kindergarten class and Eli's third grade class. Before we went to Florida, both of the boys had asked me to come help and I was so excited that my work schedule allowed it. Lucas didn't know what day I was coming to class so it was a big surprise for him. He was the last one to class and when he saw me he gave me a big hug and kiss and then sat down to do his K thang. I sat right behind him so I got to see him in action. It was great to see him in "his element" and to see him be a leader.
His teacher had told us that she sits the "trouble" kids next to Lucas because he makes sure that they do the right thing. If they are talking he tells them to stop talking and to pay attention. The first few times those people were moved, Lucas thought that he was in trouble but in reality, his teacher was just moving another one by his side. He did such a great job! He paid attention and when he was done with his work he was allowed to go around the room and help some of the other kids. I had lots of jobs while I was there. I helped "J" do his morning papers and worked on the alphabet with him, I read a super silly book to the class and I directed Kindergarten PE!!! I went as a helper but the teacher was so busy setting up the gymnastic bars for an older class that I ended up being the teacher. Wow...that was fun...but have you ever wrangled 40 (ok, maybe it was only 20) 5 & 6 yr. olds who needed to run, run, run? It was loud and crazy!
After PE, we went to music class and I got to see Lucas sing. Now, don't get me wrong, Lucas sings ALL THE TIME at home but they are usually only silly songs. He makes up his own songs about dinner, the stove, his family, his nose, you name it...but this time I got to see him sing "seriously". The teacher told them that he was going to be looking for "Active Listeners" who were ready to have a solo piece in the upcoming musical....guess who was picked that next week? LUCAS! He is a little nervous but he gets to sing about the letter E....
So, overall, I had a great time in his class and LOVED seeing him learn and teach his classmates. He is such a strong leader and I love watching his personality evolve..He is an amazing boy!
-Lucas
When we got home from our vacation the kids still had 5 days before they had to go back to school so we called them several times while they were at their mom's. Once, I asked Lucas if he was having fun and he said, "I think we forgot it was spring break cause we haven't done anything fun."
The week after our awesome vacation I had the opportunity to volunteer in Lucas' Kindergarten class and Eli's third grade class. Before we went to Florida, both of the boys had asked me to come help and I was so excited that my work schedule allowed it. Lucas didn't know what day I was coming to class so it was a big surprise for him. He was the last one to class and when he saw me he gave me a big hug and kiss and then sat down to do his K thang. I sat right behind him so I got to see him in action. It was great to see him in "his element" and to see him be a leader.
His teacher had told us that she sits the "trouble" kids next to Lucas because he makes sure that they do the right thing. If they are talking he tells them to stop talking and to pay attention. The first few times those people were moved, Lucas thought that he was in trouble but in reality, his teacher was just moving another one by his side. He did such a great job! He paid attention and when he was done with his work he was allowed to go around the room and help some of the other kids. I had lots of jobs while I was there. I helped "J" do his morning papers and worked on the alphabet with him, I read a super silly book to the class and I directed Kindergarten PE!!! I went as a helper but the teacher was so busy setting up the gymnastic bars for an older class that I ended up being the teacher. Wow...that was fun...but have you ever wrangled 40 (ok, maybe it was only 20) 5 & 6 yr. olds who needed to run, run, run? It was loud and crazy!
After PE, we went to music class and I got to see Lucas sing. Now, don't get me wrong, Lucas sings ALL THE TIME at home but they are usually only silly songs. He makes up his own songs about dinner, the stove, his family, his nose, you name it...but this time I got to see him sing "seriously". The teacher told them that he was going to be looking for "Active Listeners" who were ready to have a solo piece in the upcoming musical....guess who was picked that next week? LUCAS! He is a little nervous but he gets to sing about the letter E....
So, overall, I had a great time in his class and LOVED seeing him learn and teach his classmates. He is such a strong leader and I love watching his personality evolve..He is an amazing boy!
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