Happy Halloween

This Halloween was quite eventful. Trunk or Treat at the Elementary school; Trunk or Treat at the church; birthday costume party with the Hamblin cousins; traditional dinner in a pumpkin; trick or treating with friends on Haunted Windom; yes...we did it all. What a weekend! I was pooped, and for the first time glad to have the spooky festivities behind us. Sooo worth the fun though. Here are just a couple of mobile phone candid pics:

Witchy fingers for Daila. She may like to pretend to be spooky from time to time, but don't let that fool you. No matter what she says, she always ends up being a fairy princess for Halloween.

Anna (Hippie) and Janae (Devil) playing "ghost face" at the triple birthday costume party at John and Mary's house. Oh! Funny thing...I didn't have to tell Anna what a Hippie was; somehow she already knew. But after she put on her bell bottoms, tie dye, and peace sign glasses, I said "Now you just need to give me a peace sign and you're all set." So she put up two fingers....palm facing her and to the side. I laughed out loud. I couldn't help myself. I said, "No. Not 'Peace out, yo.' The real Hippies make a peace sign like this." I would never had anticipated having to teach her the "retro" two-finger, palm out, straight up hippie peace sign.

Happy Halloween!!

A New Job

I was recently hired as a teacher's assistant at the Ritenour School for Early Childhood Education. (Long title...basically I work in a preschool classroom.) :) My first day of work was on my birthday, so I've been there for 3 weeks. We currently have 13 children from 3-5 years of age. I am really enjoying it so far.

I went to work super pumped and excited and ready to dive in on the first day. But I quickly had to put on the brakes and adjust to this new situation. I went from a highly sought-after sub, to the least important person in the room. Now don't get me wrong . . . I'm important, but what makes me good at my job is making the lead teacher shine. And the kids come first, naturally. So it was just an adjustment for me. Not "bad" . . . just different. Plus, I had no say in the decision-making process or lesson planning. I just show up. So that first week was a bit hard as the realization hit. It was hard for the lead teacher too. This is her first year of teaching. She is new to the district and new to this area. She had a substitute TA for the first few weeks and she was used to doing everything herself.

Now that I've learned how to communicate by asking questions and how to present my ideas as further ways to achieve her goals, we are starting to find our stride. And she understands that I don't mind a challenge and that I'm willing to work and assume responsibility when needed, but that I validate her role as "the teacher" in the room.

In a lot of ways, this is my dream job. I get to teach and influence kids by helping behind the scenes mostly or when an impromptu need arises. I get to show up right on time, interact with the kids and do all the crafty preparations, but when I leave for the day, I leave my work and worries behind. The pay is less than a teacher, of course, but the stress is so much less too. I get paid the same amount now as I did substitute teaching from day to day. Subbing for long term positions paid more, but this is a guaranteed job every day with no stress of worrying where I'll be, what time I'll need to leave in the morning, and if I'd need a sitter for the girls before or after school. Plus, I don't have to deal with the crazy student behavior a sub is rewarded with and I get to see the growth of "my" class. No grades. No questions. ahhhhh . . . teaching genuinely with developmentally appropriate practices. :)

Birthday Fun

We went to Incredible Pizza this year for Daila's birthday. We got some free tokens and we thought it would be a fun treat . . . and it was. I can't believe she's five! ;)

Carousels and Horsie Rides are this girl's favorites.

A little blurry on my cell phone camera, but she's having a blast. :)

Birthday Ice Cream?! Yum!!

This next picture was actually taken a few weeks ago. We knew Daila wanted a Pillow Pet for her birthday and were planning to get her one. One day, while shopping at Walmart, Daila saw the Pillow Pet she wanted and she cried and cried until I let her hold it. But then she realized I was only letting her hold it and I told her to give it a hug and a kiss and put it back. She just couldn't bring herself to part with it. So I told her I would take her picture but that she would have to stop crying and look happy for the picture. It worked. She settled down and was able to say her goodbyes now that she had a picture to remember it by. I'm sure the other Walmart shoppers thought I was torturing her, but she survived. And boy was she excited on her birthday to open up her present and see the Pillow Pet she had been wanting.