You LOVE school, but you also thoroughly look forward to the weekends for the sole purpose of two words...QUIET TIME. During Quiet Time, usually after we've done a few errands or completed our field trip for the day, you get to go into your room, lock the door and turn on your FROZEN karaoke boombox. You LIVE for this. For one, two, sometimes THREE hours you listen to the FROZEN soundtrack on loop, sometimes singing at the top of your lungs, sometimes in hushed tones. I check on your frequently: "You ok?" "Yes Momma! Awesome!" giving me a great big smile. This is your time and when you finally come out of your room, the giddy calm on your face is like you just walked out of a full spa day. I don't fully understand it, but I suppose there are worse obsessions to have in the world. When I showed you the new trailer for FROZEN II this week, you were OUT. OF. YOUR.MIND excited. November 22nd can't come fast enough for your fan girl heart.
We tried a walk through an open park with paved paths through trees and you were not having it. I sure wish I knew what the trauma is related to walking through trees. I know you didn't have any say in where your forever home would be, but trees are kind of our thing here in the Pacific NW...you know, the Evergreen State. We tried again the next day on the waterfront and you did great, so I guess we'll keep to what we know works best and try a different disbursement of trees another day.
Having dinners in our backyard is something that you do enjoy, which is fun. "Outside, Mommy? Umbrella?" Sure, let's eat pad thai and watermelon outside. :)
Isaac:
The end of the school year has been difficult for you. The daily schedule is off, the classroom walls are empty, there is lots of not-really-controlled chaos happening and it's been hard for you. In a moment of frustration on your behalf, it occurred to me that we were already in Albania last year and you missed the last three weeks of school so you've never had to walk through the end of school wrap up process. I am thankful for your teachers who are patient and compassionate and have given you the space that you need to process.
I got to volunteer for your school's field day! I was excited for this as I have great memories of my own field days in elementary school (Not to humblebrag or anything, but I was kinda the McKinley Elementary Field Day hurdles champion several years running #1983 #1984 #1985 #earlygrowthspurt #legsformiles). The joke was on me this time...I got placed at the Dance Station. For two & a half solid hours I did the cha-cha slide, macarena, and chicken dance with 400 elementary students. Sweet Moses, I couldn't feel my hips when I was done. (for anyone who is counting that is nearly 15,000 steps in 150 minutes). But, you LOVED it and was proud to show off your momma to all your friends...that makes it totally worth it (that and 600mg of Ibuprofen).
We had a GREAT meeting with your school team about planning for next year. This was a follow up to the meeting we had a couple of weeks ago when I was blindsided with a plan I wasn't expecting. The Lord gave us an advocate in the school district administration who totally gets you as a student and me as a momma who wants what is best for you. The meeting was calm, respectful and productive and I'm excited to see how you grow in the second grade!
Also...when I asked called out to you from another room "Hey Isaac, what are you doing in there?" You responded with (and with perfect clarity) "Oh mom, don't worry about it". ?!?!?!
I stole a few minutes of my own outside in the yard in the evening sun while the kids were doing something or other (not dying, mostly. Not sure of anything past that). I was soaking in the beauty of the magnolia tree and lilac bushes and hydrangea plants; the Japanese maple and cherry tree and maple tree giving shade. None of these were here when I moved in 11 years ago--just a dead grass lot with a broken fence. It was hard to recall the specifics of all the work it took to get it to this point, but I know there where wheel barrels of dirt and loads of paving stones and hours on my knees digging through rocks in the ground. In those few moments of quiet the Lord let me see the fruit of 11 years of labor and reminded me of the same that will come in my kids. I am in the wheel barrels and paving stones and dirt digging and weed pulling-dead grass lot with a broken fence stage of their hearts, especially Mila. But the fruit of the labor; the beautiful harvest that will come will be SO VERY WORTH IT in the years to come. I'm holding onto that promise.
No comments:
Post a Comment