Baaaaaaa

Yesterday when I picked her up Libby told me a boy at school wiped a booger on her desk.  "Um.....that's gross." I said.  Then she said he also wiped ear wax on her chair.  "He sounds charming."  I had to giggle a little because this sounds like any story by anybody who ever went to school.  When I asked her how she'd responded it was all over her face why a kid in her class might pick her as the target of his disgusting displays of boyishness. She blows up like a fourth of July fireworks display.  I mean, she attempts a pokerface, but the kid has got nothin'.  No skill at hiding how she really feels.  In the end we decided next time she could get up, hand him a tissue and go back to work.  I actually thought of some great comebacks, but maybe a snarky approach isn't the best approach in first grade.  Anyway, I told her I believed that he's "gettin' your goat", and (again) we must try our best to not let others light our fuses.

A girl in her class pushed her buttons today and it was reported to me by the student teacher that Libby was very patient in a frustrating situation.  She said Libby told her, "I know how to deal with that.  I have a little sister."

The best though came tonight at dinner while Peyton was doing her best to get under Libby's skin by leaning into her as we sat at the kitchen island.  Always my firecracker Libby yelled, "PEYTON!  STOP KICKING MY GOAT!"

Blowing Off Steam

This is how the girls are blowing off steam after school today. Libby throws a Pepsi can at Peyton and tries to land it inside her bike basket. She's about 0/50 at this point. If Peyton's head were the target she'd be about 48/50. Wait. Peyton's head IS the target. Got it. I'm quick like that. We'll see if Peyton catches on....

I Really Love Summer

Three years ago I wrote this.  Tomorrow, I go back to my fourth year of teaching since I took a leave of absence when the girls were born.  Add that to the years of teaching I had under my belt before my babies and I'll be able to retire..... well, one day.  I gauge everything that way.  Everything is relative to when the girls were born.  The end of summer this year is bittersweet because we had the best summer.  Even today while shane and I sat on a park bench and watched the girls play I said, "Isn't it nice to sit here and not have to hover over them on the play structure?"  He agreed.  The girls are so capable right now and we totally soaked that up this summer.  Not that I haven't loved other summers, and I certainly don't wish time will go any faster, but this summer has been the best.  Here's how we spent our day together today....

Look.  Everyone pedaled their own bike. 

We played at the park and then met my dad and Margie at McMenamins North Bank for lunch on the river before riding back.  Not a bad way to end a great summer.

Breakfast of Champions

Because it's still summer, we eat cupcakes for breakfast. 

School is going to be a rude awakening for all of us on many levels.

Summer Sass

This teacher isn't usually in a hurry for school to start.  However, I just said to my kid, "Oh yeah?  I know you are, but what am I?", so I'm thinking school might be our saving grace this year.  Also, I might be 50% responsible for their ever evolving mouths....

Not So Dreamy

I was talking to my friend (another teacher) yesterday about how she'd had her first back to school dream already.  I hadn't, something I attributed to a very relaxed, fun-filled July.  My back to school dream usually has students swinging from the rafters while I try (unsuccessfully) to get their attention.  Sometimes though, I'm on the other side of the desk.  In this dream, I walk into a college auditorium full of people who have their blue books and pencils out ready to take a math test. I have no blue book. I can't find a pencil. Ugh. Always math. Always about being unprepared.

Anyway, a back to school dream signals the beginning of the end.  And last night.......it happened.  In my dream I reported back to the school cafeteria where breakfast was being served.  I had french toast, sausage and hash browns with an adult Ryan Fleming, my childhood friend who lived at the end of my street.  Make no mistake, food is a priority even when I'm sleeping.  In my dream, though, students showed up on the same day as teachers.  A friend and colleague showed up too, having been told she could teach my class this year.  Um........awkward.  After dropping the girls off with their teachers in the cafeteria it occurs to me that I am minutes away from having students show up to learn in my classroom.  A classroom I've not set foot in since June.  I walk calmly through the cafeteria doors and then sprint down the hall to my classroom, where everything is still stacked against one wall for summer cleaning.  frantically, I start positioning furniture (and broken carousel horses.....what?) as fast as I can, trying to make it look like I'd given thought to being a teacher before this moment when my students start showing up at the door.  And this is where I woke up.  Sigh.

Holy July!

We're home after a month of being on the go for, seemingly, every nanosecond. Disneyland, our latest adventure, was awesome. Some highlights were breakfast with the Princesses, The Tower of Terror and Splash Mountain. By the last day the girls had overcome their fear of the characters and even hugged Goofy, something Libby was adamant she WOULD NOT do. Donald was an elusive little bugger and the line to greet Mickey was a little long, but we did get visits with Minnie and Pluto. This'll be a hard summer to beat....