Time

Time

When my boys were babies I thought they were a lot of work. They needed all their needs meet for them. I thought when they got older you did less for them and there would also take less time. As two of my boys are in their teenage years I am learning they are just as much work as when they were babies. When they are teenagers they need guidance and to be taught life lessons. Some life lessons they have to learn for themselves and others you can teach them by example. I have really enjoyed every stage and age they go through. When they are little they cuddle, giggle and have all their firsts. It was always hard for me when they started preschool because it was the first step they take to branching out on their own. The biggest step when they are little is starting Kindergarten. Once they start Kindergarten the years go by so fast. Way too fast. As I sit here at a cross country meet watching my oldest warming up I think back about when he was just a little boy. Then memory that comes to mind is when he was sixteen months old sitting in his high chair eating Thanksgiving dinner. He loved trying new foods. It was so cute to offer him a new food and watch him taste it to see his expression. Someone had a water with lemon in it and he reached for it. I gave him the lemon slice to see his reaction. It was priceless! He put the cut side to his mouth and sucked on it. Right away he puckered up. Everyone laughed and when I reached for it to move it away from him he took it back and did it again. It was so funny he liked the lemon but I think he linked everyone’s reaction the best. To this day he still likes lemons and any lemon candy or smell.

Friends

Friends

Some friends come and go while others are with you for a lifetime. Some friends you know for a long time but aren’t as close as ones you have just met. My best friend and I just clicked right away the first time we met. We have been in each other’s life and best friends for twelve years. The time has flown by so fast. She has recently taken a job where she is going to be traveling a lot. She isn’t as accessible as she once was. She has four little girls and even though this job was the best choice for her family she hates being away from them.  I went from seeing her several times a week and talking daily to now maybe one every other week. I miss her dearly. While she is away I help her husband take care of her four beautiful girls. When she is home she doesn’t have to work so it’s nice when she is home. This is a temporary job that should be finished in three to four years but right now it seems so long. She is just like myself where we will do anything for our family. I am proud of how strong she is for putting her family first and taking this job. I have another friend that I have known longer than my best friend but she isn’t my best friend because we are very different in how we view the world and it definitely puts a riff in our relationship. I am still very close to her just not the same as my best friend. I am counting down the days until she will be home and I can visit her. The holidays are always times when she will be home and we celebrate them together with our families. With her traveling this year I will look forward to the holidays even more now.

Ritter Springs

Ritter Springs

I thought I loved going on field trips when I was a kid but I love them ten times more now as an adult. I love learning along with the kids. The most recent field I chaperoned was to Ritter Springs Park. This was so much fun. The kids were doing a lesson called Nature Unleashed. This field trip was with my youngest class. He is in fourth grade. I love seeing them all so excited and ready to go in the morning. They almost can’t contain their excitement. The chaperones and teachers get the lunches and coolers all loaded up on the busses. I remember as a kid loving the bus rides. You got to sit by your best friend and I always got to sit next to the window. That was my favorite spot where I could look out at the scenes going by as we passed them. We arrive at the park and the kids all pile off of the bus in a line ready to explore everything. This particular field trip the students had booklets to fill out about their observations. I begin with having them identify manmade objects and non-manmade objects. After we identified what they were and the differences we talked about how they complement each other and how they are not good for each other. The kids were so attentive and had great ideas, questions and answers. It was noon and they were all starving. We all sat in a circle eating our lunches talking about what we had seen so far. After going throughout the entire park they were worn out and hot. After bathroom trips and drinks they were ready to load up to head back to school. They got back on the bus and the ride home was very quiet. I think some even fell asleep on the ride back to school. The Ritter Springs field trip was a success.