Happy Halloween!!

Well, tonight is Halloween! We just returned from trick-or-treating, took baths/showers, and then ate mummies (hot dogs wrapped in bread stick dough). It was a great night and we all had a blast. Cole was Indiana Jones, Molly was Hannah Montana, and Spencer was Buzz Lightyear. They all looked so cute in their costumes. Spencer went trick-or-treating last year, but really doesn't remember much about it. He rode in his stroller the whole time. This year, however, he went at it with a BANG!! As he approached each door, this is what he said..."Happy Halloween (sometimes just HALLOWEEN!), trick-or-treat, and I am Buzz Lightyear to the rescue!!" Needless to say, all the people at the doors got a good laugh. Cole was such a big helper. He was patient enough to wait and help Spencer get to and from all the front doors. Molly was on a mission!!! She RAN from house to house so excited to see what she was going to get. I knew that Spencer would get tired of walking around the neighborhood, so I brought the wagon. He ended up riding in it and eating some of his treasures. What a great night we had and what wonderful memories we made!!

Funny Molly

Molly had a field trip today at school. Since I was not able to take the day off due to conferences and upcoming events, Mark got voted to go with her. She was so excited!!! Mark said that Molly was walking along and told her friend, "My daddy did something special just for me. He works and he took the day off today so that he could come on this field trip!!" The other little girl said, "My daddy can't ever miss work". Molly was quick to say, "Well, mine can. He is the BOSS of the church!!" I thought that was too funny!! It makes you wonder what else they say about their families at school. Their perspectives are definitely different than ours.

Running Club

All three elementary schools in our city have come together to create a running club. This running club spans the month of October and meets on Thursday afternoons at one of the area schools. The high school track team and coach are there to run with the kids and cheer them on as they run a mile. The finish line is set up like a real "adult race". As the children come through, they are all given a number on a card. You fill out name, age, grade, school, and male or female and then turn the card in. I don't think that either Cole or Molly is too concerned about actually winning the race. The only goal Molly has, is to beat Cole....and she has done so for two weeks in a row!!! (She has beaten him by about 35 to 40 people!!) In fact, she got a certificate on Friday last week for being the 5th place, first grade girl for her school. I thought that this was a tremendous accomplishment. Cole's only goal is to have fun and just simply run a mile. He always finds a buddy from school to run with and who knows what all they do on their mile long journey!! Spencer thinks it is great fun to go too. He ends up running back and forth from me to a nearby garbage can (multiple times) and he thinks that he has fulfilled all requirements to be a runner in the runner's club. It is really a great thing and I am amazed at the number of children that come out to run each Thursday. I will let you all know how they do this Thursday!

School

I thought this was funny and wanted to share it...

As most of you know, I am teaching kindergarten this year. It is the time of year to begin parent/teacher conferences to let the parents in on how their child is doing. Well, yesterday I had my first conference. VERY INTERESTING!! Let me give you some background info. When I met the child and his parents at the beginning of the year, the daddy proudly told me that they don't really worry about the child's academic success to much because he is so smart...in fact, he is so smart, if he really wants to know something, he just teaches it to himself. Well, I have laughed about that one for months, but this conference brought a new source of laughter!!

Yesterday, after I did all of my talking, I asked the mother if she had any questions for me. Well, she did have one question and I must admit that I was caught somewhere between utter disbelief and amazement that such a thing would leave her mouth and laughter . This was her question..."So, is _____(insert child's name) the smartest kid in this class?" After shaking my head in disbelief, my reply was something like this....Well, to be honest, I don't like to compare the children in my classroom in that way. Each child has their own strengths and weaknesses and all excel in different areas. I don't have any ability groups or classifications here. So, I am not going to be able to answer that question for you. She seemed very stunned that I didn't give her the reply that she was seeking.

Can you believe the nerve of some parents? I know that we all like to think that our children are the smartest beings on the planet, but come on now!! People always say that parents and school teachers should write a book about things that happen or are said...this would go in my book. I am sure that I will be able to laugh about it for years to come.

Hats

I was looking through pictures on the computer today and I was astonished to see all of the pictures of Spencer wearing hats. I know that he loves hats and wears them well...but WOW!!! I just thought these were cute and wanted to share.

Ellen's blog

I wrote a post about our friend Ellen who is going to be a missionary in Peru. I promised to post her blog address for those of you who are interested in keeping up with her. It is www.ellenholder.blogspot.com!!


Please pray for Ellen Holder as she serves in Peru.