Angela – Page 166 – Letters from Home

5th Grade Field trip

Memories:
1. Tim asked me to come.
2. We spent just as much time in the gift shop as the exhibits. Tim hoped to talk me into buying an electronic bug that could climb upwards through a tunnel.
3. The boys have discovered food. They kept going back for more. After three orders of fast food I realized that we were running late to get to the fountains before the busses arrived.
4. They weigh 89, 79, and 69 pounds on earth. On a neutron star, they would each weigh about 400 billion pounds. On the moon they would weigh in the teens.
5. Girls flirted with Timothy. Help us.
6. These boys were good company, polite, and obedient.
7. Tim said thank you as I walked away and that made it all worth it…even the motion sickness from the IMAX movie.
8. Timothy’s knees, elbow, and hands are scabby from a bad fall on a scout hike last night. I asked one of the boys if they had seen Tim’s wounds and he said, “Unfortunately, yes.”

Timothy has a unique way of turning my heart. Can I ever explore all the reasons I love this boy?

Weekend Recap

We went out for breakfast one morning and discovered that we were wearing rainbow colors. Wow, that photo looks awkward. We really were enjoying being together.

Here are a few things we did together this weekend:

We planted our garden.

We delivered 200 fliers for a neighborhood social activity.

We placed flags in our neighborhood for Memorial Day.

We enjoyed homemade cookies one night when Daniel had his friends over for a movie.

I threw a birthday party for Mark but sadly only one boy that we invited was able to attend. Timothy joined the party to make things less lonely for Mark. It turned out to be a good time. I think it’s another reminder to me that I am not good at “friend” birthday parties. I will be keeping only family parties from now on. Let’s see if I can keep that resolution…

We enjoyed a neighborhood social activity where we walked among three homes where the families hosted refreshments. We met several new people and visited with many friends. The boys rode scooters and bikes.

We had a scooter repair shop on Saturday in the garage.

We attended church, 3 of us sang in the choir, and Richard was a substitute teacher in Timothy’s class.

We had fun meals, including a very colorful salad bar one night and fajitas from the grill the next night.

Mark and I made pretzels for family night. Speaking of family night, we decided to gather out beneath the trees. Things were going fine, but then Sparky lost a fight with a cat that wandered into our yard. He limped, bleeding back to the house and cowered in corners the rest of the evening. We gathered again under the trees and the neighbors’ sprinkler system came on, soaking those who were relaxing in the hammocks. Ha! That was the end of family night.

Hammocks

Come, summer!

We’re sheltered by a mantle of cool, rustling leaves, enjoying companionship of birds, breeze-tempered sunshine, and good books. It’s a Sunday afternoon reverie with Richard that I’m hoping to create again tomorrow on Memorial Day.

This yard is a perfect spot to relax.

Photographer

I’ve taken on the role of photographer and videographer for the year-end slideshow. This means that I get to focus my lenses on the life of fifth graders.

I’ve observed many things. I am NOT a fan of the new curriculum with evidence-based grading, no great literature or history, endless testing, grouping children only according to their vintage, and classrooms without windows.

I AM a fan of Timothy and his friends who are resilient and kind. I am a fan of teachers who care more than they need to. I am a fan of times like today when they get to spend the day outside. I am a fan of good friends that we wouldn’t have met outside of school.

Time to play

Mark asked to stay after school on the playground and explore the areas that are off-limits to second graders. The day was sunny and the playground was empty. I watched the boys swing and climb and then take off running up the grassy hill. I watched them play on the verdant hill on our lovely mountain frosted with snow, and it looked like we could be in Austria. Mountain air is a blessing. The green of the hills and the intensity of the blue sky make me think that the Creator must love the colors green and blue. We live in a beautiful place.

Three more Wednesdays

Reader — “Pink Note: The Novelette” James McNeill Whistler, 1884

Only three more Wednesdays until school gets out. Each Wednesday I don’t have carpool or volunteer responsibilities at the school. It’s a day for “myself” but I usually spend it cleaning the house, and rarely move beyond cleaning to creative projects.

I’m not good at having a day to myself. I feel guilty if I indulge in a day of reading; I don’t enjoy shopping; I have less creativity when I have too much silence. Cleaning and other maintenance work is what gets me though each Wednesday.

The other night I found the list of house projects I was going to accomplish during the school year. I was going to paint the whole house, decorate every room, and landscape the yard. Ha! I sheepishly checked off the handful of projects I had completed and resolved to check off more things in the coming weeks after school gets out.

I work much better when the family is around. They would probably say that it’s because I enlist them to help me. And they would be right, but they might not realize how a house full of my little people enlivens me.

Timothy the Baseball Player

Timothy is a great baseball player. He loves playing catcher, but he’s a good pitcher, too. He’s got a great attitude on the field. He doesn’t get ruffled and grumpy by mistakes like so many boys do at this age. He is happy to play, happy to be on the team, and happy to SMASH that ball when he gets up to the plate.

One of Richard’s best friends from Pine View High in St George is the coach of Timothy’s team. What are the odds of that?

Prom 2014

These are some of the kids from our trip to Escalante; they are in the same Sunday school class and they are delightful people.

We found Paige’s dress in Provo and the girl at the shop told us that it was one-of-a-kind. Paige didn’t love the dress at first, but finding a dress her size was a challenge, as was finding a dress with sleeves. She loved it by the end. I think the blue dress looked lovely on her. I had to do some hemming in the front so she could walk. My sister Susan did her hair.

Most of the parents gathered to take these photos. It was nice to send our daughter with kids we knew and to enjoy the photo shoot with our friends, their parents. One of the parents told me that she thought that this low-pressure, friendly date would probably be more memorable than others they will have. Who knows, but I don’t think you can forget how beautiful those girls look in their dresses and how happy everyone looks.

Happy 8th Birthday, Mark!

1-IMG_20140518_163302 — “Mom, can you bring me fast food and eat with me at school for my birthday?”

1-IMG_20140518_163401 — Boys in second grade are both predictable and surprising, silly and charming. Happy friends.

Mark was born in the desert 8 years ago and longs to return there. His early and idealized memories include playing in fine, dusty dirt, chasing lizards when they tried to sun themselves on the fence, and catching toads when it rained.

He has always thought of himself as one of the big kids and has followed them everywhere. He’s well-traveled in museums, parks, baseball games, and dance and music performances.

He is my only child who ever wanted to snuggle in my lap.

His birthday wish list included only Legos and a watch. (Easy!)

Remember when he was 4 and wanted to be called “Zoomer-Smasher-Dune Buggy?”

Remember when he was 3 and he wore that sombrero all over Nogales, Mexico?

Little memories of my redhead dash across my thoughts today. Little boy body dressed in a Superman cape, chasing brothers up the street… Little studious boy with his own desk in the corner of the home school room, working on math problems… Little boy jumping around on his base during the baseball game because he can’t hold still… Little boy with a closet full of red shirts…sweet baby in the crib, making a nest of blankets and stuffed animals… little boy driving around the grassy field in his jeep playing hard rock music on the radio… little boy snickering under the covers as he reads Calvin and Hobbes books at bedtime…

I can’t imagine life without our Mark, Markie-boy, Marco Polo.