kiddos

Mood: contemplative

I took care of our youth pastor's little four year-old boy Friday and Saturday. He is so much fun! When we got to Jylle's basketball game, he sat for maaaaybe one minute and then asked, "Can we go on an adventure?" Translation: Can we go all over the place? On the way home, Jylle and Kev started throwing riddles and knock-knock jokes back and forth. After about 87 of them, there was a quiet moment. Josiah spoke up and told three of his own! Then he sang Christmas songs, one after another, and we all joined in. It was the most fun I've had on a trip back home in a long time!

We've had our pastor's two girls since yesterday, and we'll have them until Tuesday. The oldest one is head on, sold out, crazy overboard in love with horses. They've been helping feed them morning and night, and Kev has led them around on two rides so far. Their intense and constant interest in all the animals is sweet and refreshing. They're easy keepers, and it's wonderful to be able to help out a family we love and respect so much.

I made three loaves of bread yesterday, and I took half of one for my SS class. One boy is lactose intolerant, so I skipped the butter and just brought honey. They loved it! It was the close to my talk on possessions and workmanship. (Right, if that's not self-explanatory, I don't know what is.)

I was barely upstairs after class when the girls were ready to hit the road and get back to the horses. It's so cold out, but the sunshine is delightful! They brushed the dogs, pet the cats, went on a long ride, and are watching "Anastasia" now.

The busyness and constant occupation recall vividly for me these same times with my three. It's a different kind of sweet to be thus engaged with kids not my own. Must be similar to the joy a grandparent experiences, savoring and drinking in all the moments, knowing they will end much sooner than later. I'll be thinking about that.

hail, hail

Waiting for the vans for the rafting trip

It was cold.

And we were tired from getting to bed at 2 a.m.

and having to be at the park by 8:30 this morning.

It is awfully quite nice to have us all together, even for just overnight. They'll be back on Thursday, and I will feel awfully quite nice once again. For a lovely little while.

subbing

I subbed at the elementary school yesterday, and I had first graders, then second graders, then third graders! I just get my "mom" on, and that works great. The third graders kept saying that I was really nice, which is kind of alarming to a sub because that sounds like a platform into being taken advantage of, or they're going to at least try. I figured out that it was probably because I acted a lot like their moms--smoothing a head of hair, swiping a crayon shaving off a shirt, reminding them to use manners, granting permission to do certain things, giving directions and just generally guiding them through the day. There were a few moments where firmness was called for, but mostly it was do-this, do-that.

When they came in from recess, most were red-faced and sweaty since it was our first really warm spring day. I did what I'd do if they were my own children. I picked up the spray bottle and asked the nearest kid if he'd like me to spray him. "YES, PLEASE!" He squeezed his eyes shut, and I misted his face and hair. Suddenly a swarm of eager red faces aimed up at me begging for the same thing.


I sprayed and sprayed, going from face to face, then en masse. (I was careful not to spray the papers on their desks or anything electronic.) The ones who were the hottest went to the sink and further showered themselves with more water to cool off, but I had to stop that because they were getting the floor all wet--too dangerous, and I didn't want to have to clean it up.

Simple pleasures, simple kindnesses. I had fun playing mom-for-a-day to about 50 kids. I thought I liked the middle school best, but this experience has me reconsidering. Maybe I just like it when we can all get a little respect and have some fun...