Six.

On Sunday, Tripp turned six. Here he is, posing with Emma.

She held up his fingers for him.

Here is his wonderful birthday cake made my Cousin-Aunt Mary B.

Since he loves S.B. he was so excited!

Here is Dave, in control of the party, lighting the candles.

I went swimming. And then, I was taking the pictures.

Here is the mad mob of kids. We had a great time and was thankful for a pool party after an afternoon rain storm an hour and a half before the get-together.


Here is Tripp and his birthday gift from his daddy. :)

I love you, Tripp!

A Little Extra Help.

I started my job last week. I am teaching an extended school year class for preschool special ed.
I even have the badge to prove it. And, I am loving it.

When I started out, I would have never thought that I would be interested in special ed. I took the classes that I had to, no more. And while I have had my application for graduate school since two days after graduation, I haven't turned it in. I thought I would do Library Science.

I was wrong. wrong. wrong.

There are sixteen students in my class, with me, another teacher and an aid. I would lightly call myself a teacher. I am really learning. The other teacher is a thirty-plus year special ed teacher. And I love her. She is wise and this job, this life, is not only what she does - it is how she lives.

So I am excited about grad school. I look at the children in the class as students who just need extra help.

Eli, Tripp and Emma have met a few of my students. For Eli, it was easy for him to understand the differences. But for Emma and Tripp? It is not so easy. Today, at the pool, one of my boys from school came up to see me. How do I explain all of this to Emma and Tripp?

So Emma says, "Mom, is that one of your kids from Special Ed?"
I didn't quite like the way it sounded. So, I told her, "He is one of my students. He just needs a little extra help." So Tripp asks, "What is wrong with him?" And I told him, "Sometimes, he has trouble understanding what we are teaching. Has Ms. Jennifer ever taught you something and you didn't "get" it, so she told you a few more times?" And Tripp says, "Yes - so he does the same thing?" And that was that. They got it.

I hope that what I am doing will teach Emma and Tripp and Eli to be compassionate to others. I hope that they see others who need "extra help" a little differently. I hope that they take the time to give extra help. Because in some way, we all need it.

A Busy Week.

Boy, have we been hopping around here. School is officially out for the kids. So, in August, I will have a kindergartener, 2nd grader and 10th grader. Wow!

My job starts on Wednesday. I am super excited. It is three days a week, five hours a day teaching Special Ed in Preschool - just for the month of June. Just to get my foot in the door. Maybe this will lead to a full time job.

My eating has not been great this week. My exercise has also been off. We have been to Vacation Bible School every night. Along with VBS comes an 8 p.m. dinner. I was doing well being finished by 6. And I think I am only at twelve miles for the week. We have had alot of rain, high heat, and thunderstorms. But it is ok. I am on a health journey, not a race. So today I will do better.

I am supposed to be having a yard sale like.. RIGHT NOW. But I am not ready. I have so.much.stuff.... clothes of Emma's, to be exact. I just don't know how to do this. Tubs, and tubs, and tubs. So I will work on it today, and maybe get some of it out. I am also selling her Disney Princess Kitchen, Vanity and Barbie Piano. She says she is too big. I have a whole nother post on that - when I get my pictures from my camera uploaded.

Have a great holiday weekend!