Wednesday, August 23, 2006

The fun has begun

WOW! What a busy couple of weeks!!! School has officially started and I am feeling the impact. My feet are achy and as usual, my voice is starting to crack. That happens every year. I think it's because of all the "extra" talking I have to do this time of year. I also have to have my voice at a decibel that can be heard over 17 kindergarteners when they all appear to not be listening. I should be labeled a fireman instead of a teacher. I feel like I am constantly putting out little fires. Don't spit on her, don't poke him with your scissors, please get in line, when my voice comes on, yours goes off, please raise your hand, stop playing in the sink, keep your hands to yourself, go to the restroom...quickly and tuck in your shirt, where should your hands be, etc, etc. The list could go on and on and on. Overall, I do have a wonderful class with very smart children. My voice should recover in a few weeks and things will become as normal as a kindergarten class can be. (Whatever normal is) I also should stop hearing my name called in my sleep rather quickly, I hope. I am looking forward to the next 2 years with this class.

Just a few of the funny things that have happened so far...

*One kid argued with me because he was convinced I could recognize a drawing of his brother, Earl. I didn't know he had a brother and all he had drawn was a circle for the head, a bigger head for the body and straight lines for the arms and legs. How could I have missed it?

*One little boy actually took 10 minutes in the bathroom on more than one occasion. He said he was trying to get his pants up because he was sweaty. He now gets a count of 20 and then he has to be out. He can do it!!

*I was reading the book NO, David! The same child who was convinced I knew Earl wanted to know where David had learned all his bad attitudes that his mother says you shouldn't have.

*One child was on the way to the gym for PE with the rest of his class took a detour to the playground without anyone knowing it and blended in with another class. The teacher finally figured it out and went and found him. He had his priorities straight.

*Because of the standardized dress code, all students must tuck in their shirts. That is a task that can be accomplished for kindergartners, but it is hard. I have a child who gets his shirt tucked in and buckles his belt. He just forgets to button and zip his pants.

All this and we have only been in school 7 days. That's what happens on a campus of 600 Kindergarten and 1st graders.

The adventure continues.....

Friday, August 04, 2006

I am officially the mother of a TEENAGER!!


At 12:29 am this morning I was the mother of a teenager. Wil is 13 years old today. It's so hard to believe. Where has all the time gone? He is such a great kid!

I grew up with two sisters. My oldest sister had a daughter 6 years before Wil was born. My dad began thinking his chances for a grandson were slim. (He has been blessed with 3 more grandsons since Wil.) When he was born after a very long and difficult labor, we couldn't have been more excited, especially my dad. He even shares my dad's first name, William. When Wade and I brought him home, we had no idea what we were supposed to do with him. I had many conversations with my mother over the phone about why he was crying! It usually was because of obvious things, like hunger or being sleepy! He was actually an easy baby and slept very well. I did not work for the first year of his life. He and I spent our days "talking" and napping and playing. What a great time! I wouldn't trade that year for anything. There is something special about a boy and his mother! Whatever "it" is, we share it without question.

Time has flown by with many adventures for Wil....climbing into the washing machine when it was agitating(no broken bones!), locking my mother-in-law out of the house and refusing to open the door when he was 3(she had to call me at school-20 miles away-to come unlock the door), and almost cutting off the end of his index finger in a freak accident(I passed out. He handled it fine.) He then went to school, went through speech therapy, for what we thought was cute, got glasses, started showing his animals, and the most recent adventure was when he backed my mother-in-law"s car into Wade metal shop. She was in the car with him! I am sure we are in store for many more in the years to come.


Wil has grown into a great kid! He is bright and funny! He is a boy that loves video games, movies, history(Civil War is his favorite), loves to read(comics, science fiction, nonfiction, etc.), has great compassion for animals(especially his show heifers and our cats), is affectionate and very loving, loves to play his trumpet, likes drama and hates to play sports. He says he officially retired after one season of tackle football when he was 9. The most important thing I can say about Wil is that he has a personal relationship with Christ.

He made that decision last summer. What a moment in his life and ours as parents! I am so glad that as he goes through these difficult years as a teenager he will have Christ walking with him. I can't say I am not terrified at the notion at what the world will throw at him. He belongs to God and my prayer for him each day is that he will follow Christ, not the crowd. I want him to depend on God for protection and wisdom. As his parents, Wade and I have a responsibility to teach him to make good decisions. Our expectations for him are high. We expect him to respect us and others. We expect him to follow our rules. We expect him to be responsible(a work in progress). We expect him to spend time with God. We expect him to go to church. We expect him to do his best in school. We expect him to consider the feelings of others. As his example, I struggle to do these things sometimes. I want him to realize that we all fail, but because of God's grace and mercy we are forgiven! What an awesome responsibility we have as parents! I am so glad that I have Jesus Christ to help me through.

So as we celebrate this momentous occasion in his life, I look back over the past 13 years with amazing happiness. I look at him (at eye level, because he is almost as tall as I am) and my heart just burst with pride in the fact that I am the mother of Wil, the teenager.

Sandy C

I wanted to post some pictures, but for some reason, Blogger won't let me. Check back later.

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Tour Of Homes

Wade and I built our humble home about 5 years ago. It sits on almost 6 acres. Wil and Mollie's show heifers graze in the pasture out back. We also have 2 dogs (including a 12 year old Bassett Hound named Webster), and too many cats to mention. I took these pictures in the evening, so I couldn't show the yard or all the pets.


This is the family room. As you can see, we do spend actual "family" time in here. Wil, as usual, is doing his own thing, but at least he is in the room with everyone else. Mollie, as usual, is sitting with her daddy. She is probably trying to talk him into letting her do something that I have denied her.


Here is the kitchen. The cooking appliances don't see a lot of action. I only cook out of necessity and certainly not out of pleasure. On top of the cabinets, you can see my collection of vintage lunch boxes. I have about 25. Most of them I have found on Ebay. I collect the ones that remind me of things from my childhood. I have a Strawberry Shortcake-this was my sister's favorite toy. I have a great Sesame Street one with Bert and Ernie. I love watching that show before I started school. My favorites are my Holly Hobbie lunch boxes. I have 2. That was my favorite doll. I played with her and her friends all the time. Over on the cabinet, you will find more Ebay stuff. It is a vintage Lustro-Ware red, canister set. That is one of my best finds yet!




Here is where we eat! We try to spend dinner time together as a family almost every night. Wade and I think this is one of the most important times of the day with Wil and Mollie. I grew up in a family where this time was cherished and so many memories where made. Hopefully, the kids will continue this with there families sometime down the road. Also, over to the right of the table, you can see yet another great Ebay find. It is a unbelievable vintage 1950's era red metal, rolling tea server.

That's it! I realize the places I have shown revolve around family time. I didn't do that on purpose, I guess that is just what fills my mind when I am at home. It is our home and I love it!!

Sandy C