A Funny Story

So, most of you know that my new job is very tough. Today I drove home laughing the whole way about something that happened at school. The laughter was so therapeutic that I had to share it- and record it for when I am wondering why the heck I signed up for this.

I have a student who I refer to as my "special project." I love this kid to death, but he cannot control his behavior sometimes. It is not uncommon for him to yell out, be extremely disruptive, try to get out of work, and he tends to use bad language. He is being reinforced for "calm behavior."

Ok, so he and I are working today on reading. He is reading to me because I am going hoarse (now my voice is gone, but that's another story). I picked out an Amelia Bedelia book because he has a good sense of humor and he had never tried that series.

So here is my kiddo, reading along. He comes to a page that reads:

"Throw it to first base," yelled the boys, "Put Dick out."

So Amelia Bedelia threw the ball to first base. 

When he gets to the name "Dick," he stops. I know he can decode it, so I look up.
He says, "Well, I'm afraid to say it.....I think it's a bad word."
This coming from the boy who cusses out his mom.
Then he sits there giggling to himself trying to decide if he should say it or not.
I tried to assure him that it was a name, and that it would be okay to say because it's a name-not a bad word. I told him it was short for Richard. He could not get it through his head that someone could be called that.
So he skipped it, and kept reading. The next two pages had the name on it, too. and he would come to the word, stop, giggle, whisper it under his breath, and continue reading. It was hysterical. He would also stop periodically and ask questions like, "Why would they name someone that?" "How can he be called that?" "I don't understand why that word is a name."
His laughter was contagious. Such a refreshingly positive interaction!

I love fourth graders! (Today...)

Thanksgiving

This year we decided to so something crazy. We have missed both of our families so much that we wanted to work it out to see everyone over the break. Our plan: leave Knox Tuesday after school. Drive straight to Nashville for a birthday celebration with Jason's family (see last post). Cook-out at Derek's house on Wednesday. Thanksgiving lunch with Jason's family Thursday afternoon, then quickly get in the car and drive to Memphis Thursday night for dinner with my family. The girls shop until they drop (literally) on black friday-the real holiday in my family. Saturday pack up and head back to Nashville in time to watch the bulldogs beat up on the "black bears." Sunday-reluctantly head back to Knoxville and get ready for a long week at school.

We realize this plan is crazy busy-but when else will we be able to do this. It might be our last year like this, so we need to take advantage of the opportunity. Who knows where we will be or what Jason's school will be like next fall!

Here are some pictures from our first few days in Nashville:

By the fire pit at the Caswell's..

At the fire pit at the Caswell's.. (notice the puppy Nola)

At Derek's house, getting some love from Brutus..

So when we got to Memphis we were so excited to see my family-and my extended family (my dad's brother John and his family were there, per tradition). 

Jason holding the sweetest new addition to our family (via Laura), Avery.

We ate Thanksgiving dinner and (per tradition) waded through towering stacks of Black Friday ads. This year so many sales started early, that Jason went home with Hayden and the kids, and the sisters (and honorary sister- Becs) started our shopping! 

From Left: Laura, me, Julie, Becs...
Waiting outside of Target

They handed these out in line at Target--pretty tasty too. 

Chaos at Walmart

Poor Mama, waiting in line to CHECK OUT at Kohl's.. 

We spent most of Friday recovering from our all night shopping spree, watching football, and playing games. Back to Nashville on Saturday to catch the biggest game of the year-when MSU beat "The School Up North." (3rd year in a row I might add..)

Although we got caught up in traffic on the way back to Knoxville, all the driving really paid off. We were so happy to have time with our family. It flew by!

What was the first Thanksgiving all about?
Getting out of your comfort zone-Indians and Pilgrims alike. Praising God for all you have with all you have.
That's what our first Thanksgiving is about too.
All we have known for our whole lives is how our individual families celebrate Thanksgiving. Now we are each stepping out of our comfort zone to experience new things with new people. We have learned a lot about each other, our families, and how big our waistband can expand. Plus we spent a lot of time reflecting on all we have to be thankful for this year- in our opinion, we are most thankful for each other-because being together helps us to get through the things that we find hard to thank God for.

Happy Holidays! :)