An Afternoon with Dada!

Big Frank (aka Dada) kept the kids for me this afternoon while I went to walk! The minute that I walked in he pointed his gigantic finger at me and said, “You knew she was dirty when you left! You knew!” “LAURA?” I replied. “Yes, Laura! You knew she had a giant poopoo in her diaper when you gave her to me, didn’t you?!” he argued. Naturally, knowing DADA DOES NOT DO DIAPERS I would never have left her dirty, so she must have gotten relaxed on the four-wheeler with him and pooped! After all of that was cleared up he leaned forward and proceeded to tell me the clean-up fiasco! “I got her off the four-wheeler and she was pulling at her diaper trying to take it off. So I checked her, and boy did she EVER have a huge poopoo in her diaper! I took her into the bathroom and laid out a towel on the floor. I had just washed my rugs (solid white), too! I laid her down and started wiping. I used the wipes that where the heavy duty floor cleaning wipes, because yours didn’t look like they had any soap in them. I used about twelve of those and was stacking them on top of the diaper. She just wouldn’t be still. She was moving the whole time like a squirmy worm kicking her feet and moving her butt from side to side. Doesn’t she know she is spreading the poopoo? Ann Cherie helped inspect to make sure I did it right and got her clean enough. Then I got up and helped the baby up. I took the towel out from under her, and she took off! The diaper was stuck to her sock, though, and she started dragging poop everywhere and the dirty wipes were falling off and everything! Oh, it was gross! I don’t know how ya’ll do it everyday. Does she poop everyday? I had poop on everything, my arms, everything.” He finished dramatically. I was laughing so hard that I had no reply! Now imagine my six foot eight giant grandpa here living through this story and retelling it! Hilarious! Yeah, DADA! Your first poopie diaper! That rugrat…I swear!

The poop factor...y

My children...my children...my children... I am just about ready to start school. You know that feeling when you are finally ready to trade your own children for twenty others! Well, I am there! Good thing, because we start school Monday! I am so busy trying to get my room ready, my class website ready, my copies made, etc. We went up to the school today to tweek some things and tape some things and hang some things... and took the kids with us! Laura poops like the second we get there and "mother-of-the-year" did not bring the diaper bag. Genius, I know, Kaylee, you don't even have to say it. So I change her and leave her "nakid" to run up and down the hall! Ann Cherie pops popcorn and Laura helps spread it from one end of my room to the other (of course, the sweepers have already left for the week. It is Saturday after all!) Laura finds my marker stash and draws a nice picture on the front of my microwave for me to remember her by every day! I pass out first day activity papers and freshly sharpened pencils on the tables and Laura picks a few of them to leave drawings on as well (another genius moment on my part)! The kids should enjoy that! Frankie hooks up my DVD player to the Elmo and starts the girls a movie only to hear a loud buzzing sound moments later when Laura figures out it is quite fun to push buttons and pull cords out of the projector! Of course, this messes up the movie which greatly saddens Maggie. (Just picture fussing and croc tears...) Finally we get it all hung and fixed, and I send the girls out with Frankie to get in the van. I stop in my quiet room that is organized and finally ready...and pray.

I always get nervous about the first day of school, no matter how many times I have done it. I know the students are just as nervous. I always ask myself how can I be the best teacher for them this year? What am I missing or forgetting? I want these kids to learn to love to read. I want them to have a crazy family and a crazy job down the road. I want them to experience the world. I wish the kids could really understand my ambitions for them. They are such babies, and yet, so grown up because of our society. I want the same things for my own kids, on a much deeper level (partially because I am funding them until they do succeed). I love watching them grow intellectually. Ann Cherie is reading so well. She is researching things and asking questions. Maggie lives life to the fullest. She is so much bigger than life, it is not even funny! She is learning so much from Ann Cherie, too! Laura is really starting to show her little personality! I love babies at this almost two year old age! (Well, I don't love the poopies or the crayon murals, but you know what I mean!) I guess this time of year always causes me to reflect and challenge. My assistant principal said we must find the diamond in each student. I beg to argue that some may only be gems of a rare find, but needless to say gems that need mining. I hope to mine them out a little this year. I hope to work closely with Christ and my curriculum to make another year, and hopefully we can all sparkle a little after all is said and done! So as I pray for myself, my family, and my students, say a quick prayer for all teachers and their mine fields this year! Might our little rugrats be worth millions?